view from the footpath

My Walk this Week 145 – West Wales Winter Wander

My walk this week is a Winter wander in the West Wales countryside around Narberth. There had been a layer of snow in the morning but by the time I was able to explore this footpath from the town, the sun had all but cleared it and the only evidence was a thin strip or two in the lee of lane-side hedges.

countryside footpath

I have visited the attractive town of Narberth on a number of occasions and the purpose of going has mostly been to view the exhibitions held in the excellent Oriel Q Gallery in the Queens Hall. I had a small exhibition of my tapestry weaving there at the end of 2017 and had hoped to have another, larger show this year. Unfortunately, while I was successful in my application for an Arts Council of Wales R & D grant, Oriel Q has lost its Arts Council funding and the future of the gallery its therefore in doubt, with only the support of volunteers to keep it going.

On this occasion I was pleased to get the opportunity to explore this footpath leading out into the surrounding countryside and completed a circuit, starting out in local woodland and returning along the small lanes and roads.

Countryside Walk Soundscape

The sound of running water is often a feature of the field recording I do in Wales. The lush footpath verges, dripping with moss and ferns as well as numerous rivulets running across my route, are unavoidable and one of the most cheering aspects of a walk like this.

Click the play button above and then the first image to listen and look through the features of my walk this week.

Posted in My Walk this Week, Nature, Photography, Soundscape, Walks and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

7 Comments

  1. Another fantastic walk, Alastair, thanks so much. I really love the cleverness of listening to the recording as we walk along viewing the surroundings portrayed in the photos. I pace it by the audio markings, try to hit the photos at the halfway point of the audio recording. Enjoyed hearing the birds, a ratchity one at the beginning, and then a chirpy one at about the two-minute point. Also liked the running water throughout the recording, this is such a comforting sound to me, indicating lushness. Of course the lushness of the grounds you walked, reflected in the photos, is glorious. As you say, moss and ferns everywhere. I like how the moss is labeled in your photos as “lying about,” “dancing,” and “standing.” Such a rich and lively place to walk. Sorry to hear the Oriel Q Gallery lost its Art Council funding, but congratulations on receiving the grant. Cheers, my friend, and many thanks for this tranquil walk.

    • Thanks very much Jet. As always, you are very kind. Trying to time the photos to the audio manually is a challenge. When producing a StillWalks video I have control over that, and so the audio becomes even more important as it is this that animated the still images. So pleased you enjoyed this walk

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