English cottages of Shaftesbury

I saw the Gold Hill in Shaftesbury on Instagram some time ago and frankly, I thought it was at least a little bit doctored image…How could this fairy tale really exist! When I arrived in Shaftesbury recently for a photography retreat with Marte Marie Forsberg, I made sure to arrive the afternoon before. I needed my time with Gold Hill. I left the bag at the hotel and instantly went for a stroll through town. I admit, I was a bit chocked up when two minutes later, following the crooked path behind the church, I saw the cottages of Gold Hill. I even took a selfie (gasp!) for my parents.

At 4pm in the afternoon, there was no one there, I had it all to myself. Eventually, I shared ‘the view’ with a gentleman walking the dog (very proper English, I might add) and a couple of kids returning home from school. Another words, a bliss. I walked up and down several times.

Some of the cottages are well lived in, one was undergoing renovation, others I hear, are vacation rentals these days. Since it was mid March, the season has not really started yet. I could smell grass and wood branches being burned on nearby fields and cleared gardens, but for the most part it was a lovely, sleepy mood, draped in hazy, steel blue skies.