After the 'Big Freeze' came the thaw, followed by three weeks of the dullest grey skies which allowed only the weakest, most diffused light to penetrate. Not good weather for landscape photography. So precious few outings have been made since the snow disappeared. Even a sunrise trip to Froggatt Edge a couple of weeks ago produced little by the way of results.

So it was with great anticipation that I set off for sunrise on Higger Tor on Sunday morning. The two previous days had seen sunlight finally breaking through and a clear night on Saturday had left a coating of frost on the ground in Barnsley.

I arrived at Higger Tor at 7.30am to find the skies heavy with cloud. It seemed that once again, shooting conditions were less than promising. A heavy frost covered the rocks, heather and grasses, low cloud drifted around the peaks of the hills, often obscuring views of nearby Carl Wark fort and the usually muddy pathways on top of the tor, were frozen solid. Although a beautiful sight in itself, landscape photography relies on light to produce the goods.

However, against all expectations the sun appeared briefly, sneaking through the narrow gap between the horizon and band of low cloud, taking only a couple of minutes to disappear from view again. I could see that the cloud was beginning to break slightly, with the promise that once the sun rose a little, it may fight it's way through. Noticing that I had the entire tor to myseIf, I began to walk along the rocky edges to find a new position. The higher cloud parted a little, enough to allow the sun to show and suddenly it light up the mist with a stunning golden light. The effect was quite breathtaking, especially with the white, frost covered rocks reflecting the light.

This continued for approximately thirty minutes before the cloud descended again and visibility was down to just a few yards. Although I waited for about an hour, the clouds resolutely kept the sun at bay and didn't allow it through again. By 9.30am the walkers and climbers that flood into the Peak District each weekend were finding their way onto the hilltops, so I left the tor to them.

Although the light show was brief, it was one of those mornings that reminds you why it is worth the effort to struggle out of bed at 5am on a Sunday morning, drive into the Peaks and climb a freezing cold hill, all before sunrise. Also how nature in these wild places can produce the most unexpected moments of wonder from the unlikeliest of conditions.