It is worth keeping our rivers and streams clean if only for the beautiful effects of sunlight falling on clear water.
The reasoning for the Clear Streams project goes much further than that of course. However, it is still important in my mind, that those taking part in the project appreciate these visual aspects as well as developing their understanding of the environmental aspects.
The orange in the second image was not left in the River Lliw. It was being used as a device for measuring the rate of flow of the river at this second stage through Felindre on its way to the river mouth at Loughor.
The source of the River Lliw is situated up in the hills of the Mawr ward in Swansea, South Wales.
The Clear Streams project being managed by Swansea’s Countryside Connections Team helps people to better understand the responsibility we have towards maintaining the cleanliness of rivers and what we can do maintain them. The project, which I am documenting, is taking school children from four primary schools out to explore the River Lliw from source to mouth. The aim for my part in the project, is to produce a teaching and learning resource for future use by schools and communities.
The scenery at the source is beautiful and so, when the weather is dry, it is a very pleasant work place. The source of the river is not a spring but a point on the hills into which the water of the surrounding slopes drains.
Last week I was up on top of Mynydd y Graig in the Mawr ward of Swansea. It is up above the Lliw reservoirs into which the River Lliw flows. It was very windy up there but the views are great and the sound of the Skylarks lifts the heart every time.
I enjoy both natural and urban environments but when it comes to the urban environment, it is an absolute certainty that it will be enhanced by including natural elements, particularly trees.
StillWalks featured walk videos, until now, have been changed at the start of the week on Mondays. It is now my intention to change these over on Sundays. Therefore this week’s featured StillWalks video, “Deer Park Walk” begins its run today and will be available to watch at full length and 480 resolution until next Sunday. It will revert back to a low resolution sample length on the Monday.
The video features the sights and sounds of the Deer Park in Spring at Golden Grove / Gelli Aur Country Park in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Deer Park Walk” which features part of Gelli Aur / Golden Grove Country Park in Carmarthenshire Wales. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.
The moss covered steps in the image below never really had a chance – not without the intervention of man. Nature and the tree have been taking their course for 50 years and will not let puny things like concrete get in their way.
There are many different reasons for managing woodland. Whether it be to gain resources for one use or another, or to ensure the ecology of the woodland stays mixed and allows a variety of plants and animals. Either way, we manage woodland for ourselves, not for the woodland or the wildlife.
Left to its own devices, in time a woodland may become a monoculture. Given the sort of time that nature considers a millisecond, but we think of as millennia, who knows what would happen?
If you leave it alone, nature will do just fine by itself. The fact of the matter is, of course, that we are here on the planet and we need to live side by side with the rest of the creatures and plants. For me the key to all our survival is to live side by side and not to try and take over or rule over the natural planet (or ourselves for that matter).
Dai Morris talking about a Sweet Chestnut tree, one amongst many varieties being planted and managed at Coeden Fach woodland near Swansea, South Wales.
This week’s featured StillWalks video is from the south west of Scotland. This medium resolution full length version will be here all week and will then revert to the sample.
The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Coastal Walk – Spring” which features part of the Galloway coastline in Scotland. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.
There is a range of wood grown and used at Coeden Fach Woodland.
Here you can see the different stages of material and product with the wood growing, cut and layer in stacks ready for use and then the final product in the form of chairs.
Not all the material in the chairs is the same wood as is evident from the the different colours. My favourite is definitely the dogwood chair with its beautiful range of reds, greens, browns and yellows.
This week’s featured StillWalks video is from the south west of Scotland. This medium resolution full length version will be here all week and will then revert to the sample.
The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Coastal Walk – Spring” which features part of the Galloway coastline in Scotland. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.
You may expect to find some King Alfred’s Cakes in a woodland that includes Ash trees.
The Coeden Fach woodland area of Bishops Wood, near Swansea had these and other less expected things. We found (were shown) the King Alfred’s Cakes, otherwise known as Cramp Balls, on the fallen branch of an Ash tree. Knowing what to look for after that, we found several more.
Less expected was the beautiful but sad discovery of the grave of Alanna Mary who died just a few days after birth. Near the grave was a sculpture in the form of a wooden dog which clearly took the interest of one of our canine companions.
This week’s featured StillWalks video is from the south west of Scotland. This medium resolution full length version will be here all week and will then revert to the sample.
The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Coastal Walk – Spring” which features part of the Galloway coastline in Scotland. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.
The woodland management day I went on at Coeden Fach consisted partly of a tour around the woodland to see some the ways in which Dai, from Coeden Fach, manages the 9 acres they have near near Bishopston, Swansea.
This woodland is managed for a range of resources and activities but I think if you wanted to harvest some wild garlic, this would be a good place to do it! The scent was powerful to say the least but the taste of the flower heads was something else – delicious 🙂
Garlic, Celandine, garlic, Wood Anemone, more garlic, Snow Drops were amongst those hundreds of different plants and trees we came across in the woods. All photos taken on my iPhone 5c.
And the sounds? Listen below to the birds of Bishops Wood.
This week’s featured StillWalks video is from the south west of Scotland. This medium resolution full length version will be here all week and will then revert to the sample.
The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Coastal Walk – Spring” which features part of the Galloway coastline in Scotland. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.
