Stunning pictures from across the West in 2024

Bea Swallow - BBC News, West of England
·2-min read
A forest full of pine trees which are covered in thick snow. The sky is pure white and the ground is covered in snow, with several piles of chopped logs stacked up.
A thick blanket of snow coated the pine trees on Periton Hill [Nigel Stone]

As the year comes to a close, we've taken a minute to look back on the best photographs from 2024.

From sunsets, storms and celestial lights, the nature gods definitely delivered on all things spectacular.

Elsewhere, endangered tiger cubs, hot air balloons and feats of engineering captured our attention.

Here is your annual round up of the most surreal shots from across the west.

Foreland Point Lighthouse in Exmoor National Park. It is a large white building with a stone wall behind it, separating it from the moorland. In front of it is the white lighthouse with a wraparound balcony. It is situated very close to the cliff edge, where below, waves break around the jagged rocks. The water is a bright blue and in the background there is another headland stretching out into the sea.
The Foreland Lighthouse keepers cottage pictured teetering on the edge of the rocky cliff [Shaun Davey]
Stonehenge as seen from afar, with the base of the stones lit up slightly. Above the monument, you can see a large vertical cloud shape of white and purple, which is the Milky Way galaxy. Either side of the galaxy, thousands of stars can be seen, and meteors can be seen streaking towards the ground.
The Perseid meteor shower streaking through the sky above Stonehenge [Josh Dury]
A group of four Amur tiger cubs sitting on the roof of a wooden shed with their mum. They are all looking off in the distance in the direction of the camera. Behind them there are trees out of focus.
Endangered tiger cubs enjoying some family time at their new home in Longleat [Longleat Safari Park]
Dunster Castle in Exmoor National Park, Somerset. It is a large medieval castle with pointed turrets and slit windows. It is on top of a hill, surrounded by mature trees, forests and fields. To the right there are houses in a small village.
Dunster Castle took pride of place on top of this hill in Exmoor National Park [Shaun Davey]
An aerial view looking down towards Bristol Harbour and Lloyds Amphitheatre. There are lots of boats moored in the harbour and curved buildings beside the river. A yellow Thatcher's hot air balloon is floating above the water.
This single floating balloon enjoyed the uninterrupted views over some of Bristol's iconic landmarks [Thatchers]
Glastonbury Tor lit up from below. In the sky behind it, pink and purple lights are flooding the sky. There are also thousands of dotted stars and light clouds covering the left of the picture.
Glastonbury Tor pictured bathing under the pink glow of the Northern Lights [Michelle Cowbourne]
A quaint small village in the Cotswolds. In the foreground, there is a small river running perpendicular to a row of white stone houses with grey slate roofs and small windows. A tiny bridge stretches across the river, and is bordered either side by grassy patches of land. In the background, the houses are dotted between green spaces and trees.
Early risers walking their dogs in the quaint Cotswold village of Lower Slaughter [David Davies]
A dark picture taken through the woods, following a person walking along a footpath. The sun is streaming through the leaves of the trees above and lighting up the path with various shades of orange, red and brown.
Orange hues trickled through the leaves during this autumnal walk through Crabtree Hill Plantation [Rich Davis]
A view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge as taken from high up on the wire suspension cables. It shows the road along the bridge, with a white car driving towards the camera. The sun is setting on the right of the camera and casting a light streak across the corner.
Maintenance workers on the Clifton Suspension Bridge enjoyed a bird's eye view while repair work was carried out [Nicky Willets/Taziker]
A view through the trees in a forest. The sunlight is bursting through the leaves from a single focal point and casting light outwards across the picture. The ground is covered in brown leaves, gnarled tree roots, small green ferns and mossy rocks.
The ancient magic of Puzzlewood was bursting at the seams in this woodland shot [Ben Birchall]
Two Victorian figures made from different colours and types of Dahlia flowers. They are posing elegantly, wearing long dresses, corsets, bonnet hats and carrying woven baskets full of flowers. Behind them is Stonehenge, pictures on a misty and wet day.
This intricate Dahlia display in Wiltshire recreated the elegant attire once worn to the historic flower show [English Heritage]
Silhouettes of a large group of people walking through a forest, which has been lit up in red and orange hues to simulate a forest fire. At the bottom of the picture there is a body of water which is reflecting the light and the silhouettes.
This light installation in Bristol raised awareness of deforestation by simulating a blazing forest fire [Robert Browne]

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