Local Viewpoint and Not Being Lost

Posted on 25/10/201721/10/2017 by Alastair

I was asked twice on this walk if I was lost! I know the viewpoint well and the various routes to it but this was clearly not evident to those asking the question and I can only wonder what expression I had on my face to prompt it.

This viewpoint looks over my local landscape to the Loughor Estuary and the Gower Peninsula. As with the other local hills, it is a great place to climb to if you feel the need to rise above things rather than explore the more enclosed environment of the forest. Continue reading→

My Walks this Week – Local

Posted on 23/10/201721/10/2017 by Alastair

Did you notice that? The title for my first post this week is plural – and the walks are all local to me, well known and well loved. And the photos I shot were all taken on my iPhone again!

The four walks from which I have images are not described in detail but are a small selection of shots I couldn’t resist taking. This first walk takes me from my house to a local woodland and every time I do it, which is quite frequent, I stop at the same three points along the way and take a photo in the same direction.Continue reading→

Following the Creek

Posted on 27/09/201724/09/2017 by Alastair

On my recce walk this week on the marshes with other project workers, we were told that, basically, we would follow the creek. This turned out to be important!

The creek, although well hidden in the expanse of marshland, is still the only clearly identifiable feature – as long as you stay close to it.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week – Project Recce Walk 2, Llanrhidian Marshes

Posted on 25/09/201723/09/2017 by Alastair

My walk this week features the second of our project recce walks for a schools project on the Gower Peninsula. This time we were walking across the open tidal marshes in the Burry Inlet near Llanrhidian on the north Gower coastline.

I know the area quite well but hadn’t been to this particular location. The tide was out and the sense of expansive space was wonderful. Continue reading→

Project Recce Walk – Cliff Path to Caswell Bay

Posted on 01/09/201724/08/2017 by Alastair

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.

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→

Project Recce Walk – Pwlldu Bay Stones

Posted on 30/08/201723/08/2017 by Alastair

My walk this week reveals another area of the South Gower coast I had not visited before – Pwlldu (or Pwll Du). Approaching the bay from Bishopston Valley meant I couldn’t see the sea until I was on top of the huge bank of stones originally deposited there as waste from quarrying nearby.

Having taken longer than expected to navigate the rough terrain and muddy footpath in Bishopston Valley, we sat down on the stones in the sunshine fro eat our sandwiches before exploring the bay a little and throwing stones into the lagoon which has formed at the mouth of Bishopston Pill as a result of the banks of stones. Details about these unusual banks of stone can be found on Jessica’s Nature Blog.

Is there a creature in that dark lagoon creating those expanding ripples or is it just the effect of our splashing stones?

Pwlldu Bay

Pwlldu Bay stones

South Gower

Pwlldu Bay Gower

colour in the seascape

Pwlldu lagoon

expanding circles

splash 1

splash 2

crack in the rocks

My Walk this Week – Project Recce Walk, Bishopston Valley

Posted on 28/08/201723/08/2017 by Alastair

My walk this week follows one of the routes we will be taking on a schools project this Autumn. A recce had to be made and a risk assessment done and in Bishopston Valley on the South Gower coast there are plenty of risks, particularly when it has been wet.

But nothing ventured, nothing gained and the young 13 and 14 year olds we will be taking along this exciting footpath will hopefully enjoy the challenge. Continue reading→

Cwmdu Walk Part 3 – Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 26/08/201718/08/2017 by Alastair

Back where I started by the farm and spinning/weaving workshop where my daughter was learning how to use a spinning wheel and on time for the end of her day at All In a Spin.

The three stages of this walk – up the valley (Cwm Sorgwm), across the top (Mynydd Llangorse), and down into the valley again will be edited as a StillWalks video. As the existing selected images and soundscapes would make the video last about 20 minutes, I will have to re-edit and select these to bring the video length down to about 9 or 10 minutes. Continue reading→

Category Archives: Landscape