Barring the Way and Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 03/07/201623/06/2016 by Alastair

The sheep that accompanied me on the last stage of my walk were barred from continuing by the effective but simple design of a kissing gate and a cattle grid. My geology walk this week with geographer Geraint Owen and other walkers was both thoroughly enjoyable and informative. The walk was arranged by our local library and I imagine they may be involved again in the arrangements for a second outing to complete the walk route.

gate and route home

Geology Walk Soundscape

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My starting point

Looking for evidence of plants

Bog cotton

Bog cotton detail

Geraint Owen

Foxgloves

Hammer test

conglomerate rock

plant fossil

Loughor Estuary from Cefn Drum

Looking north from Cefn Drum

Looking to Twyn Tyle

Twyn Tyle detail

Foxgloves and footpath

sheep in the way

Buttercups

gate and route home

Rocky Details of the Landscape

Posted on 29/06/201621/06/2016 by Alastair

My walks up Cefn Drum, Cwm Dulais and Graig Fawr are some of my favourite local routes. The opportunity to find out from an expert about the geology of the area was not one to be missed. The landscape is beautiful at any time of year and just now it is particularly green.

Looking at the landscape as we walked up the side of Cefn Drum the colour of the non native rhododendrons was passed but similar colours were showing themselves in the foxgloves.

Cwm Dulais landscape

Our next stop on the walk allowed Geraint to show us more plant fossils and also a visitor to the area in the form of a rock that had been brought here from the Gower Peninsula not by truck but by glacier.

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: Cwm Dulais landscape

: Foxgloves

: Hammer test

: conglomerate rock

: conglomerate rock

: plant fossil

Evidence of Plants

Posted on 28/06/201621/06/2016 by Alastair

At the next stop on my walk this week the geology walkers took a closer look at the stones that made up the track under our feet. Geraint Owen showed us further examples of stones that revealed evidence of plant life.

Evidence of plant life

Geraint also performed a simple test to prove whether some of the stones were limestone or not – the test was positive as can be seen by the fizzing acid on the surface. From this we were able to deduce that at least some of the stones making up the track had been brought in from elsewhere.

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