Lakeside Patterns and Colours

Posted on 13/09/201631/08/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week in Brynmill Park, Swansea allowed me to see some fabulous patterns and colours. I particularly liked this quite dark reflection of these huge grass-like plants. Sorry I can’t give you the botanical information on my surroundings but while that is certainly of interest to me, I cannot say that, if told either the common or latin names, I would remember them. I will, however, remember the patterns and colours of this corner of the lake in the park.

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Content of the Cliff

Posted on 03/09/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

Nearing the end of my walk this week from Nash Point to Monknash on the South Wales cliff-lined coast I have arrived at the mouth of Nash Brook and a place where the cliff tops come down to beach level. Looking at the content of the cliff it is easy to see why they are no longer the towering structures I have been enjoying along the rest of the walk. Although the durability (or lack of) in the layers and blocks of the cliffs can be seen in the structures and curves in photos below, the geology seen in this first image is much softer and in part explains the small valley from which Nash Brook flows.

leaving the cliffs behind

Layer Upon Layer and Pieces of the Jigsaw

Posted on 02/09/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

The depth of each layer of the cliffs along this section of the South Wales coast varies, as do the colours. From my artist’s viewpoint (or anyone else’s for that matter) these make for some fascinating and beautiful patterns. I know the basics about the geology going on in features like this and the length of time involved, but you will have to ask a specialist such as Jessica’s Nature Blog or perhaps Google.

Huge chunks of the cliffs have fallen onto the pavement below. No doubt this has happened over millennia, but whatever the timescale and geology, it is difficult not to be in awe at the structural patterns in them and the wider layout of the what could be the draughts pieces of giants.

Round Stones in a Sea of Rectangles

Posted on 01/09/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

One of the strangest things on my walk this week at the foot of the cliffs along the South Wales shore between Nash Point and Monknash, were the smooth round stones nestled in amongst the rectangular rocks of the wave platform pavement. I almost expected them to be polished to a shine in the same way that gem stones are made smooth and reflective for display. The wave action of tumbling the stones against the harder rocks of the pavement has produced a fascinating juxtaposition of forms. Speaking of which, having walked across such an expanse of wave platform, it was then a surprise to come upon a wide area of beautifully smooth sand!

Roundstones

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Roundstones

Roundstone

All washed up

Landslide

Sand expanse

Sky in Sand

Alien Landscape and Pavement Perspective

Posted on 31/08/201625/08/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week at Nash Point was like walking in an alien landscape, or a set for Dr Who and this stretch of coastline at Southerndown was used as a location for the time lord.

I risked going quite close to the foot of the cliffs to get these shots on my iPhone but didn’t hang around there for long. The cliffs are continually being eroded by sea and wind and I felt much more comfortable taking in the pavement perspective of the wave platform a lull further back from the rocky layer cake that makes up the cliffs.

Nash Point

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Nash Point

Nash Point Layers

Nash Point

monochrome layers

coastal pavement

Pavement Perspective

Walking with Woodland Wildflowers

Posted on 23/08/201620/08/2016 by Alastair

There were many more wildflowers than these on my walk this week with the Taste of Gower walkers. As we passed through the woodland behind Parc Le Breos House the main group of walkers were all chatting away and I could only keep my fingers crossed that they were also taking in their surroundings and enjoying the colours and sounds of the environment.

I love the range of sounds to be heard on any walk and in this instance I include in that enjoyment the sound of people ahead of me talking in the distance.

The next Taste of Gower walk will be this coming Friday 26/08/17 – details here.

Woodland wildflowers

Distant Voices in the Woods

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Taste of Gower Walkers

Woodland wildflowers

Woodland Wildflowers

My Walk this Week – Misty Mountains

Posted on 15/08/201611/08/2016 by Alastair

On this first day of my walk this week the mountain mist does not come down to this level – the sun was even shining at times. I had hoped for reasonable weather for my StillWalks production walk up Mynydd Rugog, a mountain just south of Cadair Idris and overlooking Tal-y-Llyn in the mountains north of Aberystwyth in Wales.

A style of gate

There had been a lot of rain over the previous couple of days and the rivers running through the forest were in spate.

Mountain Woodland Wind and Water

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A style of gate

Foxgloves by the footpath

stone edge

stone at entrance (to forest)

Rushing Woodland River

Sand and Grass at the Top of the Beach

Posted on 13/08/201606/08/2016 by Alastair

Crymlyn Burrows are a very small example of a landscape feature made up of sand dunes and vegetation, yet they are burrows all the same. The beach here in Swansea Bay may be expansive but arriving at the topmost reaches of the tide line as I headed back to the car gave me a classic view of dune grasses against a changing sky. The photos may be obvious shots to take but that does not make the scene any less enjoyable when you are there. The soft dry sand feels great underfoot but of course is much more difficult to walk on.