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Eight Gates and A Churchyard

My walk this week included nine gates, not eight, but the gate to the old churchyard on my local marshes was open and so is not included in the soundscape below.

Churchyard gate

The old St Teilo’s churchyard is a fabulous place and the walk across the marshes, alongside the River Loughor is also a local route I enjoy immensely. If doing a linear walk rather than the circular route,Continue reading

Guzzle Hole

Project Recce Walk – Bishopston to Caswell, Reviewing the Walk

Our project recce walk down Bishopston Valley to Pwll Du Bay and along the cliff path ended at Caswell Bay where, being a good day in August (unusual!), this popular South Gower beach was busy with families enjoying their holidays.

Caswell Bay

The soundscape to accompany the images below includes Bishopston Pill (river) as it flows underground at Guzzle Hole and the clack of stones as we walked across Pwll Du Bay and the holiday activities of those on the beach Caswell Bay. Continue reading

South Gower sailing

Project Recce Walk – Cliff Path to Caswell Bay

The path on this third section of our recce walk for a schools project in the Autumn runs along the steep cliff edge between Pwll Du and Caswell Bay on South Gower. Along the sometimes hair-raising path there were wonderful views of a beautifully coloured sea.

Cliff Path to Caswell

It was warm and bright at this stage of our walk and the flora and fauna were taking advantage of it with beetles, lizards and wildflowers showing themselves while others enjoyed the breeze and calm surface of the water. Continue reading

Trains, Planes, Automobiles and Walking

My walk this week started in a local park, crossed frozen marshes, went under and over two railway bridges, crossed a motorway, fields and returned to the park. I saw automobiles on the motorway but no trains and only distant planes. However, I did record the somehow relaxing sound of a light aircraft and the sound of my footsteps on rock hard frozen, frosty fields – the soundscape will be posted tomorrow in my review of the walk.

Railway Bridge Rust

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Modern Materials and Context in the Environment

At about the half way point on the return along the linear route of my walk this week there is a kissing gate which stands alone at the junction of a small footpath leading off through the fields. The photo below suggests a peck on the cheek rather than a kiss but though I went to get a photo of the reflections in the path-side pool, I didn’t actually go through the gate. It was, as I said, standing alone and there was no need to go through it when I could go round – I wondered why it was there at all but was conscious of not using it. Had it been made of wood I am certain I would have used it but while the idea of a gate of this design has practical purposes, the modern materials rather spoil the effect.

kissing gate

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Sepia Sunlight and Reviewing the Walk

A final example of sepia sunlight for my walk this week through woodlands at Stainton in the north east of England. The pale sepia effect on this image seemed to enhance the sense of Summer. I hope you enjoy listening to the soundscape for the walk below while viewing selected images from my posts this week. All photos and field recording was done on my iPhone 6s.

kissing gate sunshine

Woodland Walk Sounscape

My Walk this Week – Suburban Woodlands

My walk this week features two different suburban woodlands which are very close to each other and through which I have not walked for a number of years. They have developed in the meantime.

The woods are in Stainton, on the outskirts of Middlesbrough in the north east of England. As with any conurbation there was the constant background sound of traffic but as the woods edge farm fields, there was also the thrum of a tractor engine throughout my walk. Neither of these things detracted from the sound of the birds oe my footsteps on the varying surfaces of the woodland. You may gather from this that my walk this week does have some sound clips to accompany the images and a short soundscape at the the end of the week.

All photographs and sound clips throughout my walk this week were made using my iPhone 6s.

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Stainton Woods

A note on the appearance of the blog posts if you are viewing them in an email – WordPress has been doing some odd things regarding the formatting of the posts in emails. The best way to read the post, view the images and listen to the sounds is to click the title of the post at the top of the email and you will be taken to the post itself on the StillWalks website. You will also then be able to click the “Like” button. Thank you.