Kidwelly Castle

The first photo, taken on my iPhone, shows something of the drama of the scenery with the castle towering over the town of Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire.

I needed the wider angle of the phone camera lens to take in the whole scene but the other shots were taken on my Canon 550D and reveal some of the details of this fascinating castle with its feathered ruler sitting atop the walls.

Kidwelly Castle

Kidwelly Castle

Kidwelly Castle

Jackdaw in Flight

During my second visit to Kidwelly, I took a walk upriver and in doing so disturbed a flock of Jackdaws on the slopes underneath the castle. As can be seen from the dark clouds, it was typical weather for the time of year but this suited the appearance of the birds very well.

The position of the bird in silhouette in the first shot makes it look as though it is about to go in for an attack. In the second shot it could be in stealth mode, swooping low across the ground, ready to wrap its cloak-like wings around its prey!

Kidwelly-14

jackdaw in flight

jackdaw in flight

jackdaw in flight

Kidwelly Skylines

Kidwelly Castle, blurred in the background and seen from the marshes near Kidwelly Quay. The winter appearance of rosebay willow herb also present in their colour and texture, an impression of the past, if only by a season or two rather than the centuries represented by the Norman castle and St. Mary’s Church.

Kidwelly castle

St Mary's church, Kidwelly

Windblown and Wondering

My recent walks at Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire revealed to me a number of aspects of the local environment. The old canal, mudflats and birds of the Towe Estuary were among the first of my discoveries, but there were other elements of this area that contributed to the atmosphere of the place just as much as those more obvious features.

These trees had a particularly dry looking bark and colour to them along with their windblown direction of growth. These as well as the brambles and dry reeds through which the footpath led me, all contributed to my perception of the environment – one that suggested a much dryer place than could be the case.

I wonder about that apparent contradiction? Even the dampness in the cold air could not defeat the sense of a lack of water that I felt from the colours and textures around me.

For all the lack of colour in this image of the trees, there is a monochrome version of it featured on Monochrome Madness 47 at Leanne Coles Photography blog.

wild trees

brambles and reeds

Lapwing On Patrol

When I was in the Scouts I was Patrol Leader for Lapwing Patrol – we were well turned out but could never be as smartly dressed as this real lapwing patrolling the edge of the mudflats at Kidwelly.

Lapwing

birds on mudflats

 

 

There are no birds in this next photo but the strange pancake islands of grass that sit amidst the mudflats are still a fascinating feature.

mudflats

Kymer's Canal / Camlas Kymer

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.

Khmer's Canal, Kidwelly

Kymer's Canal

Gwendraeth Fach and railway bridge