Tag Archives: dunes

Kenfig beach

My Walk this Week 152 – Sound of Sunny Seaside Larks

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My walk this week is from the burrows and beach at Kenfig on the South Wales coast where, on a sunny Sunday, we heard the most beautiful sound of seaside larks rejoicing in the afternoon sunshine. Both they and the wonderful weather made for a very enjoyable walk through the dunes and down to the expansive beach and an ebb tide.

tree and lake

Heading first for Kenfig Pool, it seemed the water level was up from recent rain and to judge from the route we were forced to take to get to the beach, the recent storms had fulfilled their aim of dumping as much rain as possible in as short a time as possible. Continue reading→

Sand and Grass at the Top of the Beach

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Crymlyn Burrows are a very small example of a landscape feature made up of sand dunes and vegetation, yet they are burrows all the same. The beach here in Swansea Bay may be expansive but arriving at the topmost reaches of the tide line as I headed back to the car gave me a classic view of dune grasses against a changing sky. The photos may be obvious shots to take but that does not make the scene any less enjoyable when you are there. The soft dry sand feels great underfoot but of course is much more difficult to walk on.

Crymlyn Burrows

Crymlyn Burrows

Crymlyn Burrows
Crymlyn Burrows
Crymlyn Burrows
Crymlyn Burrows

Effect of Focus

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Almost back to my car parked on the seafront next to Swansea’s docks and SA1 area, my walk this week leaves the boats and buildings of the Maritime Quarter behind and ends in the dunes.

Looking out to the Tawe river mouth and dock entrance I couldn’t decide which photo to post out of these first two. I like them both – the first for the clear pattern and tapering shapes of the sea wall with the blurred foreground. The other I like for its crisp focus on the grasses in the foreground with the blurred sea wall in the distance.

Of course the answer was to post both! Which one do you prefer?

Tawe river mouth

dune grass and Tawe river mouth

wildflowers and Tawe river mouth

Study and the Encroaching Sea

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My walk at Swansea University’s new Bay Campus took me up from the beach and over the constructed sea defences and dune to the new Great Hall.

Swansea Uni new campus-17

The layout and positioning of this campus is very attractive in the beautiful weather I enjoyed on my brief tour, Continue reading→

An Alternative Viewpoint

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Last weekend I went on a art walk with Sarah Abbott from the Mission Gallery in Swansea. We went down to the dunes at the eastern end of Swansea Bay with sketch books and cameras, etc.

Sometimes the places you know best are those that are hardest to “see”. I have done a fair amount of photography in the bay but I have not produced a StillWalks video there. Taking a look at a place with someone else can be helpful in that the interaction of perception can prompt a fresh way of seeing the familiar.

Swansea Bay Cranes

Swansea Bay Cranes