My Walk this Week 193 – Estuary Atmosphere

Posted on 07/02/202004/02/2020 by Alastair

My walk this week took me down to the Loughor Estuary which has its own unique atmosphere whatever the weather conditions.

On this occasion it was dull and windy but no less enjoyable for that. If you like the wind, as I do, then this open, expansive land and waterscape is a good place to find it at a low elevation. The place can be spectacularly still and beautiful during a quiet sunset but I enjoy almost as much the cloud cover and wind here – a place that feels somewhat mystical in all conditions.

Lonely, harsh, wild, still, contemplative – all of these adjectives and more suit the place at different times.

Estuary Soundscape

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The soundscape follows me down a farm track, past early signs of Spring and a rushing stream to the open, wind blown estuary and salt marshes, under the railway bridge and out through the tall marsh grass by the river where I disturbed a pair of ducks but caught them fleeing on camera.

So click the play button to listen while viewing the images below – click the first one and then again to move forward through the carousel.

My Walk this Week 179 – Sunrise Along the Estuary

Posted on 01/11/201905/11/2019 by Alastair

An early morning walk at sunrise isn’t so very early at this time of year and my walk this week along the Loughor Estuary ended up taking more of the day than I expected. It also fuelled my mind and the day ahead.

We have had so much rain lately that a bright sunny morning was most welcome (as it is anytime in Wales). The sun rose over the fields and across the marshes as I walked towards the open estuary where I could enjoy the wide open space with the tide out and the sky reflecting on the still water left by the sea.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 161 – North Gower Walk

Posted on 31/05/201931/05/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week looks back at a walk on the North Gower coast and the expansive and beautiful salt marshes of the Loughor Estuary. The walk was originally taken as part of the “Taste of Gower” project in 2015.

Sheep graze the marsh grass and herbs from day to day and when the tides cover the the greenery, they move on and off the marshes via “causeways” such as the one above.

The sense of space and the distortion of perspective gives the place a strange, unreal feeling. Distance is difficult to judge and I suspect you would need to be careful of the incoming tide if unused to the area.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 132 – Another Walk Another Bay

Posted on 05/11/201831/10/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week is from another bay not far from where I was walking last week and though it is quite different, it is just as expansive as the last one. Llanelli Bay on the Loughor Estuary in Wales provides just about as long a walk as you would like but I stuck to the eastern end of it thinking there might be fewer people there.

Please understand that I am not desperate to get away from people (I like people really) but I also like my solitary walks. You will be ale to hear in my soundscape for this week (to be posted as usual on Friday) that if there were not crowds of people, the sounds of those that were there, particularly children and dogs, carried easily in across the mud flats and sand. Continue reading→

An Evening with Marsh Grass

Posted on 02/05/201830/04/2018 by Alastair

The tall marsh grass I enjoyed so much on my walk this week was enhanced by the beautiful evening light and the high tide which flows far up the River Loughor from the estuary. On this evening the level was perfect for a walk – not so high as to cover the surrounding marshes, but high enough to make the river brimful.

The result is a smooth mirror in the middle of the landscape, one that reflects all above and around it – the colours of the sunset and the riverside grasses. The surface was broken onlyContinue reading→

Kymer's Canal / Camlas Kymer

Posted on 26/01/201526/01/2015 by Alastair

I have visited Kidwelly a couple of times recently for work. It is a small town in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. Being in this area in Winter, I was almost guaranteed damp weather at best. Regardless of this, it was still a pleasant discovery and I was happy to return for my second visit.

On my first visit, I discovered Kymer’s Canal or in Welsh, Camlas Kymer. It is the remnant of the original waterway that linked up the Pwllygod Collieries to Kidwelly Quay on the Gwendraeth Fach and the marshes and mudflats of the River Towy estuary.

So this week I am going to follow my short walks around this area with a mixture of photos from both my iPhone and Canon cameras.

More shots will be posted on Instagram.

At the Mouth of the River

Posted on 04/04/201404/04/2014 by Alastair

The mouth of the River Lliw is near Loughor on the Loughor Estuary in South Wales. Its width is obviously significantly greater here than at its source and as a consequence, the children of Felindre Primary School could only estimate the width and the depth.

The flow rate of the river could still be measured and this was done by throwing a piece of orange peel into the water and timing it between two points on the river bank. This and much more information will be included in the teaching and learning resource that I will be helping to produce as a part of the Clear Streams project managed by Swansea’s Countryside Connections team.

Soggy Walk on Xmas Eve

Posted on 24/12/201224/12/2012 by Alastair

I took these photos with my iPhone on a wet walk on the marshes this afternoon and now I’m trying out publishing this post from it as well.

It stopped raining for 5 minutes so I thought I’d get out quick – but I still got rained on. Mind you, 90 minutes without rain was asking a lot.
Happy Christmas !