My Walk this Week 216 – Returning To What Was

My walk this week takes a look and a listen to what was at one time a railway track. Listening to the soundscape for the walk also means returning to the sounds we were used to pre-pandemic.

The old railway track could still be seen in places when we first moved here many years ago. Things have changed significantly over that time and this part of that old rail route has become a wonderful slice of wild woodland. Unfortunately I suspect its days are numbered as the ever encroaching local housing and road developments continue apace and I was sorry to find my way blocked by a building site.

The soundscape below could have been edited down further. Although there are few birds singing at this time of day, I still enjoyed the sound of the wind in the trees and even the nuances of the distant motorway traffic. Returning to what was, pre-pandemic, means inevitably more traffic on the roads, jet aeroplanes in the sky (listen carefully) and of course the sirens of police cars. This last one I decided not to include and is the point at which I stopped recording.

Old Railway Woodland Soundscape

 

foxgloves

My Walk this Week 170 – Wind on The Mawr

My walk this week is back up on top of The Mawr again – this time as a visit to the Awel Aman Tawe Community Wind Farm above Cwmgors. It was a beautiful day and the wind was blowing well, with the result that the turbine blades were turning fast and producing the electricity they were designed for.

Awel wind turbines

This moorland is on the eastern edge The Mawr – in fact I am not even sure if it is considered part of that upland landscape! Whether it is or not, the scenery is beautiful with views over to Pen-y-Fan, the Brecon Beacons highest peak and a peacefulness most of the time that I have spoken of before.Continue reading

rosebay willow herb

From Pink to Pink – Wildflowers in the Valley

My walk this week follows on from one taken six weeks ago when the pink wildflowers in our local valley were rhododendrons – now the field of pink comes from rosebay willow herb.

rosebay willow herb

You could argue about the name of the colour either in the willow herbs, thistles or the rhododendrons and foxgloves, but they all sit within a narrow range of pinks/mauves/purples in Cwm Dulais. The rowan tree (also known as mountain ash) brings a touch of orangeContinue reading

bracken detail

The Density of Bracken

The density of the bracken on the steep hillside down which I was climbing cautiously, is common on the open commons of the Welsh landscape. While bright green in the Spring and Summer, it changes the hills to bright red in the Autumn when the light is right.

Beneath the bracken

We are having August weather this year as if we were already in Autumn and the bracken is now beginning to change colour. However, it was still bright and thick on this walk back at the end of June. My poor knees were aching from the steep descent (I much prefer climbing) and I had to sit down to give them a break half way down the slope. Continue reading

Trackside wildflowers

Wildflowers – Selected Favourites

The wildflowers I have been posting images about this week were all photographed within a half mile along this coastal track in south west Scotland.

Coastal track

It will be hard to pick out my favourites but this may be partly helped by selecting not only the flowers I particularly like (all of them!) but also the photographs that I think work well for one reason or another.Continue reading

Wildflowers - thistle

Wildflowers – Pink

One could get argumentative about the recognition and naming of any colour – in this case pink. When it comes to wildflowers (or anything else for that matter) there is a huge range of tones, tints and shades lying between pinks and blues.

Wildflowers - red campion

I chose to go with pink for some of the wildflowers found on my walks during a holiday in south west Scotland because to me that is the obvious hue in the image above and some of the other images below. However, the flowers in these shots Continue reading

Beauty and the Beast

Thistle and bee

It could be said that the image above, taken on my return from the salt marsh to the park on this my sixth and final walk from the past, depicts a beauty and a beast. However, while the beauty the post title refers to could be said to be the thistle or any of the natural environment of this walk, the reference to the beast Continue reading

Natural Pattern and the Convenience of Stiles

Natural pattern can be seen all over the place, nature is full of it. The natural pattern for me, perhaps I should say rhythm, of a Taste of Gower walk is one of regular pauses followed by a rush to catch up with the group. My pauses are taken in order to do some photography and field recording but as a result, I inevitably need to catch up to the rest of the group. And that is why it is so convenient to have one or two stiles along the footpath route. The palaver of a group of people climbing over a stile or going through a kissing gate individually provides me with all the time I need to cover the ground between us.

Natural pattern

Natural pattern

Bird and Gate

If viewing this in an email, please click the post title to see other photos in this post, thank you.