I’ve photographed the centre of Harrogate at Christmas before but following trip along Leeds Road on the 36 recently I wanted to try to do something with the pretty fairy lights in the trees alongside The Stray…

Of course dusk at this time of year coincides pretty well with rush hour and as all the trees are alongside busy roads it was difficult to get any shots without traffic involved!

The main thing that caught my eye on the bus trip was the spire of Trinity Methodist Church and I had in mind a silhouette of this surrounded by lights.  This proved quite tricky with the traffic but the misty conditions added a bit of atmosphere to the shot.  The trees set back from the road in front of the church are devoid of lights – so maybe the council can lob a few up in those trees next year for a better shot?!

Along West Park with its wider pavements it was possible to get away from the traffic a bit and the recent drizzle provided some nice reflections off the wet flagstones.

Further along in the Montpellier Quarter the fading twilight provided some long exposures to round off the evening before heading back to the railway station.