My Walk this Week 252 – A Walk Up the Valley

Posted on 09/04/202105/04/2021 by Alastair

On my walk this week I didn’t attempt to document my walk up the valley – I went for the walk and nothing else. But then, as so often happens, I got distracted by all the wonderful aspects of there environment around me – in particular the river.

So I took some video showing various elements of the water flow and the changing associated sounds and then continued on my way.

The mossy dead tree below points the way of the river flow (just in case you weren’t sure), but it wasn’t until I climbed up the eastern slope of Cefn Drum that I took one or two more snaps on my phone. These include the curious object I found lying at the track side – does anyone have any idea what it may once have been.

My Walk this Week 177 – Cefn Drum and Its Birdsong

Posted on 18/10/201916/10/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week took me to the lower slopes of Cefn Drum where evidence of all the rain we have had recently was clearly to be seen with muddy ruts filled with flowing water.

Starting with a familiar gate and cattle grid, I followed some disgruntled sheep up the track and under the pylons to negotiate a route around deep wet ruts and puddles reflecting the cloud patterns of a clearing sky.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 137 – Quiet Quarry Walk

Posted on 14/12/201818/12/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week takes place at first light in an old, quiet quarry and its surrounding landscape. The rocks were black with the wet weather and to begin with the atmosphere felt quite oppressive. However, things lightened and brightened as I ascended to the upper edge of the quarry and into a very mossy woodland.[spacer height=”10px”]

The soundscape down in the dark confines of the quarry was still and my footsteps echoed in the amphitheatre of hewn rock, the small birds chirped and the crows cawed. Once I arrived at the top edge of the steep, dark slabs and could look over the Welsh landscape,Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 130 – It Must Be Mist

Posted on 24/10/201819/10/2018 by Alastair

Mist or fog – whichever you think it is depends on where you are in relation to the cloud that creates it. Near the start of this walk I was able to look down on the mist/fog in the valley below, but as I climbed up the side of the valley, so it thickened to become more fog like.

But early morning fog is apt to clear or at least move and it is the latter that happened on this occasion – at least until later in the day when the sun finally raised the temperature and dispensed with the dampness. The gloom was very atmospheric and I didn’t mind in the least as I stopped to photograph and listen to my surroundings. The sounds included electricity pylons and cables fizzling in the moisture filled air and temporarily the sound of Continue reading→

Wildflowers – Yellow

Posted on 05/07/201730/06/2017 by Alastair

Wildflowers in yellow from the south western Scottish coastline.

These are some of the yellow wild flowers I photographed on a short walk while on holiday – there are so many! Again, I have tried to name all of them but there is one name missing. Continue reading→

Becalmed

Posted on 26/04/201725/04/2017 by Alastair

The day was calm for the memorial walk for Mike Aspland to raise funds for the Old Mill Foundation cancer hospice and the sea was becalmed. The light and gentle patterns on the water along with the almost non existent change between sea and sky illustrate the atmospheric conditions perfectly. If you would like to donate to the Old Mill Foundation, please visit their website and click the “Donate” button.Continue reading→

Climbing into Forest Stillness in November

Posted on 30/12/201620/12/2016 by Alastair

It’s a steep path into the forest from the road but during a murky November when the days are getting very short the stillness that can be found there when the wind isn’t blowing is a real treat. Don’t get me wrong, I like the sound of the wind, but I also like the quiet peacefulness amongst the trees of this small forest when the sound of the motorway to the west is not carried over the hill. Even in the upper, thinner parts of this woodland, in amongst the spiky gorse, the air can be still and the sound of the conversing birds carries through the trees.

Continue reading→

Making Connections and Conversations

Posted on 05/03/201605/03/2016 by Alastair

It could be said that the subject matter of the first two shots below is 1. the whin bush and 2. the grasses in the foreground. This would be a reasonable assumption as these items are in focus whilst the rest of the photo is not.

While this may be true, I think I would argue that if I was interested in taking photos of whin or grass, I could do a much more interesting job, perhaps looking at the sharp thorniness of the whin or the colours and patterns in the grasses.

However, the true subject matter is the story of my walk this week and the purpose of images like these within a sequence is to connect one aspect or stage of a walk with another. Having descended from the higher part of Graig Fawr, I am now approaching civilisation again and this can be seen by the blurred pattern of buildings at the foot of the hill. However, in my mind I am still with the natural landscape, the whin and the grasses and I am not yet ready to dive back into the everyday world of people and work.

A single elderly dog walker provides a gentle re-introduction to society with a brief conversation near the end of my walk about the weather – what else? Listen below.