It never seems to get any easier waking up at 2:30 in the morning to head off on a sunrise shoot in the middle of summer. By the time we got to the Peak District it was around 4am and the sun was starting to rise, creating an orange hue on the horizon. A layer of mist lingered across the pastures, moving through the trees and wrapping around the bottom of the rolling hills.

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After a short walk from the local village, we arrived at the Dragon’s Back. Adjacent to Chrome Hill is Parkhouse Hill. A quirk of geology produced these sharp limestone hills and the pinnacles are said to resemble the plates along the spine of a stegosaurus dinosaur. You’ll find the most picturesque view of the ridges from Chrome Hill, looking across to Parkhouse Hill.

After hiking up Chrome Hill and finding a spot with a great viewpoint, we sat down to take in the view and appreciate the peaceful ambience before the sun emerged from behind the hills. Although it’s never easy waking up super early in the middle of summer, it certainly pays off when you have a stunning place like Chrome Hill to yourself while everybody else is sleeping.

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We spent a couple of hours at Chrome Hill watching the sunrise, which just seemed to get better and better. The mist above the fields had now been replaced by a slight mirage, and other than a few cows and sheep grazing in the fields, we didn’t see anyone the entire time. A perfect summer morning spent in the heart of the Peak District.

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