Category Archives: Walks

Is This The Last Day of Summer?

Posted on by

A couple of days ago we went to meet some friends for a picnic on Broughton Beach at the end of the Gower Peninsula. The weather was not as good as it had been but good enough for us to brave the odd mini shower.

One of the nicest things about a large beach is that it never seems crowded however many people are there, but in fact there were not many people around on that day, so we almost had the whole place to ourselves.

I love the space in places like this and if there is a bit of wind as well, that just adds to it!

The panorama shot below was taken on my iPhone and worked out pretty well. The video clips were also done on my phone and prove at least two things. First, there were children there obviously enjoying themselves. Second, the lack of sound on the other clip is because the phone mic didn’t like the wind, so I just took it out altogether. I love the patterns in the water though I miss the audio.

Click the image to view larger.

Broughton Bay, Gower

Broughton Bay, Gower

~

Early Morning Sounds

Posted on by

I am currently working on the photography and sound from a production day in mid Summer at Troserch Woodland, Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

The unique field recording of the walk is absolutely essential if a sense of the location is to be conveyed. This sound clip near the start of the walk has a time stamp of 4:43 on the morning of 20th July and whilst the the images remind me of what the sky looked like and that there was a horse in the field, the recorded sounds take me (and you too, I hope) straight to the time and place and give me so much more information.

Sunrise at Troserch

Sunrise at Troserch

Good Morning!

Good Morning, you’re up early!

Fungi Challenge

Posted on by

Walking in the woods the other day revealed a range of fungi, but I am no expert in the identification of the various species. Can anyone name all these fungi?

All photos taken on my iPhone 4S.

IMG_5847 IMG_5863 IMG_5865IMG_5871 IMG_5873IMG_5877 IMG_5883 IMG_5885 IMG_5887

Dragonfly Environments

Posted on by

Following on from my weekend posts on the Countryside Connections dragonfly and damselfly hunt at Three Crosses community woodland, these photos are about the environment in which we found the creatures.

The pictures say almost everything about the kind of environment you are likely to find dragonflies but every time I see these wonderful creatures, I am reminded of another environment.

During my childhood in Northern Ireland we had regular visits to a cottage in the Annalong Valley of the Mourne Mountains. The riverbed of the Annalong River was pretty dry a lot of the time because the water was diverted to the Silent Valley reservoir, but it was a perfect place for dragonflies and my memories of those days, playing among the rocks and boulders of the river, are marked by the fantastic colours of the numerous dragonflies that also enjoyed that environment.

Visit the StillWalks website for videos and more

Images are available for sale on the StillWalks Photography website.

Dragonfly Hunt – People and Paths

Posted on by

Visit the StillWalks website for videos and more

Those dragonflies from yesterdays post were hunted and found in two places – Three Crosses Community Woodland near Swansea and Gelli Hir Woodland on the northern side of the Gower Peninsula.

Both places are beautiful and the weather was perfect for finding what we were after. I wasn’t doing any sound recording on this visit but I will be going back, so yet again, watch this space!

StillWalks is about promoting a sense of health and wellbeing, enjoying the sights and sounds of your local environment. Both the Three Crosses and the Gelli Hir woodlands are places that I will be visiting again with the assurance that, whatever the weather, I will enjoying a sense of wellbeing while I am there.

Images from this series are available on the StillWalks Photography website.

Three Cliffs Bay – Step 7, End of the Series

Posted on by

Visit the StillWalks website for videos and more

All photos are available for sale on the StillWalks Photography website.

The title says it all – it’s the end of this series of photos and while these images are not from Three Cliffs Bay itself, they are from the last part of my walk from Parc-Le-Breos House down to the bay, up to Pennard castle and back through the woods.

The last photo hints at the crossing of a footbridge and, indeed, this footbridge leads back into Park Mill, the village just below Parc-Le-Breos.

Buddleia Woodland Path Woodland Stream River Reflections

Three Cliffs Bay – Step 5, Footpaths

Posted on by

Visit the StillWalks website for videos and more

The footpath up to Pennard Castle (see yesterday) from Three Cliffs Bay was not the easiest of climbs as much of it was sandy. Even where there were steps of sorts, it was still a sandy surface.

The crooked wooden slat path running from the Pennard Castle inland was great. All that was missing was a crooked man and a crooked stile 🙂

All photos are available for sale on the StillWalks Photography website.

Sandy path Wooden Steps Wooden Steps Wood slat path Crooked Path Crooked Path