Passing Underneath

Posted on 12/11/201512/11/2015 by Alastair

The puddle below tells the story of the weather and the long horned cows underneath the M4 motorway bridge know that story as well as the farmer and I do. Having constructed a coral for his cattle the farmer has given some convenient shelter to these mothers with their calves and allowed me to walk without fear of being pronged by one of those sharp looking objects.

The railway bridge which also crosses this footpath is made of older material than concrete and the various colours of the stone used create a fascinating pattern within pattern in the construction of the bridge. You will have to watch the video at the end of the week to see more.

Twists and Turns Along The Way

Posted on 11/11/201511/11/2015 by Alastair

Most walking routes have various twists and turns to them and my walk this week is no exception. Initially the twists in the footpath come as it follows the river Loughor across the marshes, but there are other twists and turns to be seen en route as well as those in the grass or mud.

The twisted roots of the tree below can be seen in monochrome at Leanne Cole’s Photography blog post Monochrome Madness MM 2-32.

This photo is the only one throughout this week that is in portrait format. The reason for this is that I have been working on an experimental StillWalks video (which requires all images to be in 16:9 widescreen format). It was not my intention to do any production on this walk and so I only had my iPhone 6s with me. Therefore all the images you see are from my phone and the video I have been working on also uses video and sound recording from the same device.

I will post the finished video at the end of the week and you can judge for yourselves whether or not it was worth my while.

Walking Across The Salt Marshes

Posted on 10/11/201510/11/2015 by Alastair

The next stage of my walk this week takes us across the salt marshes next to the Loughor river here in South Wales. I say “walk”, but perhaps I should say paddle as there had been a high tide and significant areas of the marsh and footpath were still draining the sea water. I was determined to carry on and knowing the tide was on the ebb I could be sure the way would only become easier.

Day To Day Walk

Posted on 09/11/201509/11/2015 by Alastair

My walk this week is another one I take quite frequently – I know it well but there is always something new to look at or listen to. The start of the walk goes through our local park and as can be seen, the rain has finally arrived with the colours of Autumn.

You must not let a little rain put you off walking in this country (or a lot of rain for that matter). Indeed, it is the damp weather we so often seem to have that provides us with so many wonderful mosses and lichens.

NBGW and Reviewing The Week 44

Posted on 08/11/201508/11/2015 by Alastair

This is the smallest of the three lakes at the National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW). It is the one that welcomes you along with the ducks when you arrive and makes for a beautiful and relaxing memory to depart with along with all the amazing scenery, flowers and plants, architecture, art, science and history of the place and of course, walks. It is well worth repeated visits and having watched it develop over these past fifteen years or so, I look forward to a lot more growth in the future.

Click the first in the block of images below to view the week’s photos in sequence.

Intricate Patterns

Posted on 07/11/201507/11/2015 by Alastair

Having walked around the Double Walled Garden at the Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW), as we left this area we discovered some new planting in between the double walls. Brassicas were on display next to the bee garden and again i was unable to resist the urge to photograph some of the intricate fractal patterns that are formed by their leaves.

Click the images to view them larger.

Flowers in the Great Glass House

Posted on 05/11/201505/11/2015 by Alastair

However often we go for a walk at the Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW), we cannot miss out one of its main features – the Great Glass House. The architecture itself is interesting enough on its own, but the pleasure of walking around its different planting zones cannot be matched. It is also impossible not to take photos of at least some of the exotic flowers. Many, many others have done this – these are some of mine.

The Wallace Garden

Posted on 04/11/201504/11/2015 by Alastair

Within the Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW) where we were walking in September, there are a number of other gardens. My photos today are from the Wallace Garden and although they do not show the double helix arrangement of the paths, as this was not as easy to see as it is sometimes due to the content of the beds, it seemed less important to try and capture it.

It seems there is something different in the garden every time we visit and what you see below is some of what was there on this occasion in September – it will be different now and then again in Spring.