Autumn in 22 frames: forests, lakes and city landmarks

By Tom Whitfield

The Guardian’s 22-picture gallery, “Autumn colours around the world – in pictures,” spans 20 named places, from Loch Faskally in Scotland to Beijing Olympic forest park in China.

The page names Arnel Hecimovic and gives the time as 09.30 CET on Saturday 7 November 2026. Its opening picture shows leaves reflected in Loch Faskally at Pitlochry and credits Jane Barlow/PA.

The Guardian frames the appeal in its standfirst: “The seasonal transformation offers the chance to enjoy warm, golden colours before winter.” The promise is modest but concrete: colour, leaf cover and recognisable landscapes.

Across the 22 captions, people rarely dominate. They hike, cycle, photograph, stroll or ride a train, but the visual emphasis stays on foliage, water, terrain and built landmarks. The source gives no dates, temperatures, species counts or comparisons with earlier autumns. Its claim is aesthetic and geographic, not a report on a worldwide seasonal shift.

The route in 22 frames

In the gallery’s displayed order, the captions read:

1. Loch Faskally, Pitlochry, Scotland: Autumn leaves reflect in the loch; Jane Barlow/PA.
2. Tunceli, Turkey: An aerial view shows hikers exploring trails through forests blanketed in vibrant autumn colour; Sidar Can Eren/Anadolu/Getty.
3. Berlin, Germany: People stroll through a forest in autumn; Xinhua/Shutterstock.
4. Edinburgh, Scotland: Leaves frame Edinburgh Castle on its rocky hill; Jane Barlow/PA.
5. Dandong, China: Tourists photograph an avenue in Liaoning province lined with 100-year-old ginkgo trees. Jiuwei Road has entered its peak viewing period; China News Service/Getty.
6. Camedo, Switzerland: A narrow-gauge train crosses a bridge through a forest tinged with autumn colour; Stefano Rellandini/AFP/Getty.
7. Artvin, Turkey: The countryside, known for its forests, lakes and highland plateaus, attracts photography enthusiasts as autumn produces shades of yellow, green, orange, red and brown; Yusuf Okur/Anadolu/Getty.
8. New York, US: Autumn foliage in Central Park appears from above at sunset against the Manhattan skyline; Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu/Getty.
9. Nemrut Caldera, Turkey: Visitors explore the national park as trees surrounding the lakes turn yellow, orange and brown; Servet Tasdemir/Anadolu/Getty.
10. Nanjing, China: Autumn colours reflect on Qianhu Lake amid morning mist at Moon Crescent Dyke in the botanical garden; Hu Zhichao/VCG/Getty.
11. Debrecen, Hungary: A passerby walks among autumn leaves in the Great Forest; Zsolt Cze Gledi/EPA.
12. Hongcun, China: An aerial view shows Qishu Lake in misty morning autumn light; Shi Yalei/VCG/Getty.
13. Berlin, Germany: A cyclist passes along leaf-covered paths in Tiergarten Park; Halil Sağırkaya/Anadolu/Getty.
14. Pitlochry, Scotland: Autumnal foliage reflects on Loch Faskally; Russell Cheyne/Reuters.
15. Essen, Germany: A cyclist rides beneath curved plane trees at Lake Baldeney; Martin Meissner/AP.
16. London, UK: A woman photographs autumn leaves on Hampstead Heath; Corey Rudy/Reuters.
17. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Red and orange leaves carpet the capital’s parks and promenades; Samir Jordamović/Anadolu/Getty.
18. Bakewell, UK: People stroll among autumn foliage in the grounds of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire; Adam Vaughan/EPA.
19. Northampton, UK: A swan is reflected in a boating lake at Abington Park; Joe Giddens/PA.
20. Srinagar, India: A group of Kashmiri girls gather among fallen leaves from Chinar trees; Sharafat Ali/Reuters.
21. Kromlau, Germany: The Rakotzbrücke, or devil’s bridge, is a 19th-century structure built with basalt stones in Saxony; Halil Sağırkaya/Anadolu/Getty.
22. Beijing, China: Tourists photograph ginkgo trees at Beijing Olympic forest park; China News Service/Getty.

Read as a sequence, the gallery builds from reflective water and forests to human uses of landscape. Loch Faskally appears twice, once in Jane Barlow/PA’s reflection and once in Russell Cheyne/Reuters’s frame. Berlin also appears twice, first with walkers and then with a cyclist. Those repetitions suggest a deliberate choice, though the source gives no rationale beyond colour.

What does this change for anyone planning an autumn visit?

For anyone planning an autumn visit, the gallery turns a vague wish to see leaves into a concrete shortlist. The source identifies hikers on Tunceli trails, a narrow-gauge train crossing a bridge in Camedo, ginkgo trees at Dandong’s Jiuwei Road and Beijing Olympic forest park, cyclists in Berlin’s Tiergarten and beside Lake Baldeney, and a photographer on Hampstead Heath.

That list has limits. The source gives no access details, event dates, prices or location-by-location viewing calendar. Only Dandong has explicit timing: Jiuwei Road has entered its peak viewing period. The photographs can show what a visit might include, but they cannot guarantee that the colour seen in each frame will be present.

Any future update would need dated reports on leaf condition and access; another set of images alone would add less practical value than specific conditions.