Rhosilli Down and Reviewing the Week 59

Posted on 28/02/201628/02/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week along the ridge of Rhosilli Down at the end of the Gower Peninsula started with a beautiful February day. In spite of the falling rain to be seen in the image below, the weather mostly held bright for me and the walk, aside from a painful descent at the end, was very enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

If your knees, like mine, warn you against it, then I suggest a flatter walk out to the end of the peninsula for a closer look at the Worm’s Head and a more distant look at the Down. You may be able to watch the hang gliders and birds soaring above the hill slope and beach.

In the meantime, listen to the soundscape below and click the first thumbnail image below to view a selection of this weeks walk photos in sequence.

The soundscape below is, I feel, a little condensed but illustrates the changes in wind, the activities in the sky and the ground underfoot. I expect the StillWalks video to be about twice the length and therefore I will have a bit more flexibility with soundscape for it.

Rhosilli Down Soundscape

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Solitary Viewpoint and Reviewing the Week 58

Posted on 21/02/201621/02/2016 by Alastair

The watery, windy weather has returned but it has not stopped this solitary runner on the promenade steps of Swansea Bay. Perhaps she has paused to take in the view, what there is of it!

Click the first thumbnail image below to view my walk this week in sequence – sorry there is no soundscape this week.

Looking West and Reviewing the Week 57

Posted on 14/02/201614/02/2016 by Alastair

I am not often walking on Swansea Bay when the tide is in – for some reason it seems to be out far more often. This must be coincidence but it means that when I am there when the tide is high, it feels new and fresh, a bit like the way snow changes the landscape.

The tide was not particularly high on this occasion but it was still lapping at the foot of the promenade steps and this, for me, is an almost iconic sound of the place. So click the play button below for an aural backdrop to the images posted about my walk this week. Click the first thumbnail image to view them in sequence.

Waves on Promenade Steps

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

The Waterside and Reviewing the Week 56

Posted on 07/02/201607/02/2016 by Alastair

Heading home from my day at The Waterside, I was surprised and delighted to be driving across the Welsh hills and into a fantastic sunset. The colour, light and shade typified the mixed weather from the start of the day to the end.

The soundscape below may not fit perfectly with the sequence of photos if you listen and view them at the same time, but it is not meant to be StillWalks video but hopefully it will help to give you a better sense of that beautiful, secluded South Wales valley.

The Waterside Soundscape

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Wintry Walk Soundscape and Reviewing the Week 55

Posted on 31/01/201631/01/2016 by Alastair

I am ending this week’s walk where I started, amongst the trees of Blaenige at MLRUK in Carmarthenshire. The wind had picked up at this point but as I love the sound of the wind in different trees, I was very happy to record it, albeit on my small Edirol recorder which doesn’t stand up to the wind in the same way my RODE mic does.

There may be some rumble in the soundscape below as a result of the wind, but it does not spoil the memory experience for me, though it does mean I won’t be producing a StillWalks video with it.

As a soundscape rather than a StillWalks video, it is unlikely that the sounds will match the images if you play it at the same time as looking at the photos, but perhaps it will still help to provide a better sense of place.

Blaenige Soundscape

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Goodnight Belfast and Reviewing the Week 54

Posted on 24/01/201624/01/2016 by Alastair

My city walk was taken through the day but this photo looks across the River Lagan in Belfast later that same evening. The horizontal line of lights in the dark are christmas lights running along the crane featured near the start of the walk.

This was a Winter city walk taken on Boxing day a few years ago. There is only frost on the riverside footpath at the walk and the bare branches of trees by the crane to prove the season. However, a couple of days later the river was frozen over and covered in snow, but we had left to return to mainland Britain by that time!

Click the sound clip play button below and then the first thumbnail image to view the walk images in sequence.

City Ambience

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Frozen Footpath by the River Lagan

Suburban Night Walk and Reviewing the Week 53

Posted on 17/01/201617/01/2016 by Alastair

The location of this walk and the time of year (a mild winter in Middlesbrough) is the same as the pervious week’s daytime walk, but the sense of it is quite different at night. Once again this is not a StillWalks video, but I hope you can still enjoy listening to the soundscape while viewing the images.

Click the play button below and then the first thumbnail image to view the photos in sequence.

Night Walk Soundscape

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Suburban Lakeside Soundscape and Reviewing the Week 52

Posted on 10/01/201610/01/2016 by Alastair

While my walk this week has not appeared very wintry, the photos were taken and the sound recorded in January and though there is no ice or snow to be seen, it seems that mild winters are now a feature of the seasons in many parts of Britain.

I hope you have enjoyed the first of my walks in 2016 and I look forward to posting many more this year.