Discussion
Hi everyone,
Has any of you lot been to Cadwell Park, either in a car or on a bike?
Accompanying some friends to a trackday and want to know some places to get some good photographs for em all. It looks like a nice track, especially for bikes, and looks to have a little of everything, so am hoping to find some good spots for some decent pics.
What is the circuit like for access to the inside of the track? Do they have bridges/tunnels to the otherside? I will be ringing them up to ask more questions, but wondered if you guys/girls had any input?
Cheers
Andy
Has any of you lot been to Cadwell Park, either in a car or on a bike?
Accompanying some friends to a trackday and want to know some places to get some good photographs for em all. It looks like a nice track, especially for bikes, and looks to have a little of everything, so am hoping to find some good spots for some decent pics.
What is the circuit like for access to the inside of the track? Do they have bridges/tunnels to the otherside? I will be ringing them up to ask more questions, but wondered if you guys/girls had any input?
Cheers
Andy
The classic shots are:
- Air over the Mountain: There are several spots around the Assembly Area, Mountain "grandstand" and neighbouring grass bank, but take a good selection of lenses and find a spot clear of fencing. (1 min from the Paddock). Tip: pop back later when people are up to speed and the Se7ens (and bikes) are getting clear air.
- Walk past the track side of the cafe and you'll be above Hall Bends - some very nice, tree-shrouded views, close-up. Definitely worth a look - 2 mins walk
- A lovely shot from the startline grandstand watching cars snaking up and over the Mountain. You'll need permission to cross the track between sessions (at the bottom of the Mountain) - 5 mins walk. While there, see if you can get a view of the cars climbing out of Coppice (I can't remember if viewing is possible from there)
- You could ask about getting to the infield between the Hall Bends, Hairpin and Barn. I've not seen many shots there, but could be interesting
- You can drive from Gooseneck round to Charlie's, but the run-off is quite large. There is no chance of access to the rest of the infield. The outside of Coppice would be good, but there's no protection and a high chance of cars rapidly heading in your direction on the wet grass!
Do them in this order, and you'll get all the shots you need (best first) in a morning. But pack a good choice of lenses - you can be anywhere from 10' to 100 yards away from the action. But make the effort - it's probably the most photogenic circuit in the country.
- Air over the Mountain: There are several spots around the Assembly Area, Mountain "grandstand" and neighbouring grass bank, but take a good selection of lenses and find a spot clear of fencing. (1 min from the Paddock). Tip: pop back later when people are up to speed and the Se7ens (and bikes) are getting clear air.
- Walk past the track side of the cafe and you'll be above Hall Bends - some very nice, tree-shrouded views, close-up. Definitely worth a look - 2 mins walk
- A lovely shot from the startline grandstand watching cars snaking up and over the Mountain. You'll need permission to cross the track between sessions (at the bottom of the Mountain) - 5 mins walk. While there, see if you can get a view of the cars climbing out of Coppice (I can't remember if viewing is possible from there)
- You could ask about getting to the infield between the Hall Bends, Hairpin and Barn. I've not seen many shots there, but could be interesting
- You can drive from Gooseneck round to Charlie's, but the run-off is quite large. There is no chance of access to the rest of the infield. The outside of Coppice would be good, but there's no protection and a high chance of cars rapidly heading in your direction on the wet grass!
Do them in this order, and you'll get all the shots you need (best first) in a morning. But pack a good choice of lenses - you can be anywhere from 10' to 100 yards away from the action. But make the effort - it's probably the most photogenic circuit in the country.
Wow, thank you, that's a great write up! 
I don't think it should take long to find a decent vantage point and get some nice shots in the bank. So you reckon start at Mountain and go clockwise? Generally, at races, I like to walk anti-clockwis - just to see the cars/bikes while walking instead of looking back. But I'd rather get the shots I need in the morning to leave the afternoon and try for some different ones. I plan to do at least 3-4 laps taking both inside and outside of the track. When I ring I will ask about disclaimers/indemnity forms to maximise possibility of getting as much access as possible.
Just watched a lap of the track on bookatrack.com and it looks really nice! Little narrow some places. Mountain certainly looks good, it's a little tight for the cars, but the bikes should eat it up!
The only lenses I've got are the standard 18-55 F3.5-5.6 and Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6. I would like something a little more inbetween, something like 40-200 and definitely a lot faster like F2.8. Saying that, I've taken these two to Le Mans, Goodwood and the DTM at Brands, and not been disappointed.
Thanks again for replying, it's a great help!
I don't think it should take long to find a decent vantage point and get some nice shots in the bank. So you reckon start at Mountain and go clockwise? Generally, at races, I like to walk anti-clockwis - just to see the cars/bikes while walking instead of looking back. But I'd rather get the shots I need in the morning to leave the afternoon and try for some different ones. I plan to do at least 3-4 laps taking both inside and outside of the track. When I ring I will ask about disclaimers/indemnity forms to maximise possibility of getting as much access as possible.
Just watched a lap of the track on bookatrack.com and it looks really nice! Little narrow some places. Mountain certainly looks good, it's a little tight for the cars, but the bikes should eat it up!
The only lenses I've got are the standard 18-55 F3.5-5.6 and Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6. I would like something a little more inbetween, something like 40-200 and definitely a lot faster like F2.8. Saying that, I've taken these two to Le Mans, Goodwood and the DTM at Brands, and not been disappointed.
Thanks again for replying, it's a great help!
You can't really walk Cadwell in the way you can at somewhere like Goodwood.
(Assuming you have a map) the Paddock and Assembly Area (with the cafe and a small viewing area beside it) are along the short straight between the Mountain and the first Hall Bends. From here, you can walk into the woods along the Hall Bends, but only as far as the Old Hairpin.
So you do Hall Bends and the Mountain together first: walk all around the Mountain - grandstand and the grass bank. The classic shot is where cars take off at the top, but there are some great (and rarely used) sites looking up the hill.
From there, you can walk "against the traffic" around the Country Loop (the bigger loop), if you want, but I would recommend taking the car (too much walking for not enough good sites, and you'll almost certainly have to walk the long way back rather than complete the loop). Drive back towards the Main Entrance but turn left before there and you'll be able to drive down towards Mansfield. From there you'll be able to hop around at least as far as Charlies 2. If you are lucky, you may be able to walk the last bit to Coppice and the startline - but I'm not certain there is a link, so better the car than risk being stuck in the boonies.
*Tip: the Country Loop isn't particularly photogenic, so you might decide to do the driving first to get your eye in.
Now you've done the basics, you can focus on the bonus bits you would need permission for. You will need to cross the track (no bridges, no tunnels).
- Crossing One is at the bottom of the Mountain - cross the track twice to reach the startline area (if you weren't lucky on the driving bit)
- Crossing Two is opposite the Assembly Area - walk down the access road onto the track, and there's a steep path opposite down to the pits. If you have permission, this gives you access to the Mountain loop infield. I can't tell you whether you might be allowed there, or where you can go, because I've never seen photographers there. But you might be able to access the infield view for the Hall Bends, Hairpin and Barn, which would be a nice bonus.
There is no access to the infield of the Country Loop, so not only will you need permission, but clear instructions on how to cross and where to stand.
A few guide shots:
A proper car getting proper air over The Mountain:
Infield view of Hall Bends 1 & 2 - so it is possible to get inside of the Mountain Loop:
Classic outfield view of Hall Bends 2
(with thanks to those sites I ripped the images from)
Google Image for "Cadwell Park" will give you lots of inspiration.
(Assuming you have a map) the Paddock and Assembly Area (with the cafe and a small viewing area beside it) are along the short straight between the Mountain and the first Hall Bends. From here, you can walk into the woods along the Hall Bends, but only as far as the Old Hairpin.
So you do Hall Bends and the Mountain together first: walk all around the Mountain - grandstand and the grass bank. The classic shot is where cars take off at the top, but there are some great (and rarely used) sites looking up the hill.
From there, you can walk "against the traffic" around the Country Loop (the bigger loop), if you want, but I would recommend taking the car (too much walking for not enough good sites, and you'll almost certainly have to walk the long way back rather than complete the loop). Drive back towards the Main Entrance but turn left before there and you'll be able to drive down towards Mansfield. From there you'll be able to hop around at least as far as Charlies 2. If you are lucky, you may be able to walk the last bit to Coppice and the startline - but I'm not certain there is a link, so better the car than risk being stuck in the boonies.
*Tip: the Country Loop isn't particularly photogenic, so you might decide to do the driving first to get your eye in.
Now you've done the basics, you can focus on the bonus bits you would need permission for. You will need to cross the track (no bridges, no tunnels).
- Crossing One is at the bottom of the Mountain - cross the track twice to reach the startline area (if you weren't lucky on the driving bit)
- Crossing Two is opposite the Assembly Area - walk down the access road onto the track, and there's a steep path opposite down to the pits. If you have permission, this gives you access to the Mountain loop infield. I can't tell you whether you might be allowed there, or where you can go, because I've never seen photographers there. But you might be able to access the infield view for the Hall Bends, Hairpin and Barn, which would be a nice bonus.
There is no access to the infield of the Country Loop, so not only will you need permission, but clear instructions on how to cross and where to stand.
A few guide shots:
A proper car getting proper air over The Mountain:
Infield view of Hall Bends 1 & 2 - so it is possible to get inside of the Mountain Loop:
Classic outfield view of Hall Bends 2
(with thanks to those sites I ripped the images from)
Google Image for "Cadwell Park" will give you lots of inspiration.
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