river rapids

My Walk this Week – Rushing Through Swiss Valley

My walk this week, my first for 2018, shows the madly rushing water of the Afon Lliedi as it flows down from Swiss Valley Reservoir on a very wet and gloomy afternoon.

Swiss Valley

The rain was falling but you can only allow bad weather to stop you going out for so long before it becomes a necessity for both body and mind to free itself from the confines of buildings.Continue reading

Valley mist

Valley Frost Revealed – Reviewing the Walk

When I arrived at this viewpoint near the start of my walk this week, the valley was filled with a thick fog. Now, having had a peaceful walk through the forest, the valley is revealed, and it is cold with frost.

Valley frost

In a couple of my posts about this walk I have described the woodland as peaceful, and indeed it was. The background sound of traffic on the motorway is almost always there but there are a few pockets of peacefulness that allow virtually complete escape from that sound.Continue reading

Fountain - Black and White

Fountain Photography in Stratford Park

My walk this week through Stratford Park in Stroud brought me to a viewpoint where I could see that the fountain in the centre of the lake is offset from the vertical and rotates in at an angle. The effect against the dark background of trees was quite mesmerising.

fountain close up

Photographing the fountain was great fun at the time, and also afterwards when I increased the contrast in a couple of the shots and submitted one to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness blog post – MM 4-28.Continue reading

top of the walk

One Amongst Many

One amongst many refers both to the one black leaf of the family on the forest footpath and also to this, the fourth of my walks this week and a return to a local woodland.

This is one of my most frequent local walks . . .  and every time it is different! Whether it be the time of year or the current weather conditions, and even if the same objects are there each time, I still get a fresh look at them, perhaps enjoy them from a different angle, under different light conditions, or whatever.Continue reading

Posted

Out Around the River Ouse – Reviewing the Walk

My walk this week, titled as it is – “Out Around the Ouse”- suggests that there might have been more images of the river expected than there actually has been. But my circular route started by heading for the river.

leaf and shade

Heading away from York City meant that there was more tree and plant life along the riverbanks and in turn this meant the footpath didn’t follow the river quite so close to the edge as it does heading into town (as in a previous walk a few weeks ago).Continue reading

Ouse Walk gate

Millennium Footpath

It turned out that my walk this week was along the Millennium Footpath – another one! If “millennium” means one thousand (as in years), then I think there must be a millennium of “Millennium Footpaths” in Britain and probably many more around the world. This one is alongside the River Ouse as it flows out of York in the North East England.

River Ouse footpath

I suspect that this footpath was already here and frequently used before the turn of the century. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with giving that or any other name to a walking route, as anything that encourages people to walk and enjoy their surroundings is good in my book.Continue reading

Guzzle Hole

Project Recce Walk – Bishopston to Caswell, Reviewing the Walk

Our project recce walk down Bishopston Valley to Pwll Du Bay and along the cliff path ended at Caswell Bay where, being a good day in August (unusual!), this popular South Gower beach was busy with families enjoying their holidays.

Caswell Bay

The soundscape to accompany the images below includes Bishopston Pill (river) as it flows underground at Guzzle Hole and the clack of stones as we walked across Pwll Du Bay and the holiday activities of those on the beach Caswell Bay. Continue reading

South Gower sailing

Project Recce Walk – Cliff Path to Caswell Bay

The path on this third section of our recce walk for a schools project in the Autumn runs along the steep cliff edge between Pwll Du and Caswell Bay on South Gower. Along the sometimes hair-raising path there were wonderful views of a beautifully coloured sea.

Cliff Path to Caswell

It was warm and bright at this stage of our walk and the flora and fauna were taking advantage of it with beetles, lizards and wildflowers showing themselves while others enjoyed the breeze and calm surface of the water. Continue reading