My Walk this Week – Clear Skies

Posted on 05/12/201602/12/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week is in a place I have walked and worked in on a number of occasions. As it was a clear day and I was there anyway, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a short walk along the edge of the salt marshes in front of Penclawdd on the North Gower coastline.

With the marshes stretching out across the Burry Inlet and Loughor Estuary, the sky becomes massive. While you could often expect to see a scene of turbulent clouds, on this day there was not a cloud in sight. The subtle colours blended smoothly from blues and greens to mustard and yellow, all gradually changing to include deep reds later in the walk.

Penclawdd Traffic, Frost and Leaves

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StillWalks Video and Reviewing the Week 44

Posted on 15/11/201515/11/2015 by Alastair

Reviewing the week this week brings you a video rather than a sequence of still photos. Oh, wait a minute, that’s what a StillWalks video is – still images accompanied by the unique sounds of the walk they illustrate. In fact, in this case, there is actual video included as well and as I stated earlier in the week, all the photos and sounds were recorded on my iPhone 6s as an impromptu StillWalks production – I hope you can sit back, relax and enjoy it.

Twists and Turns Along The Way

Posted on 11/11/201511/11/2015 by Alastair

Most walking routes have various twists and turns to them and my walk this week is no exception. Initially the twists in the footpath come as it follows the river Loughor across the marshes, but there are other twists and turns to be seen en route as well as those in the grass or mud.

The twisted roots of the tree below can be seen in monochrome at Leanne Cole’s Photography blog post Monochrome Madness MM 2-32.

This photo is the only one throughout this week that is in portrait format. The reason for this is that I have been working on an experimental StillWalks video (which requires all images to be in 16:9 widescreen format). It was not my intention to do any production on this walk and so I only had my iPhone 6s with me. Therefore all the images you see are from my phone and the video I have been working on also uses video and sound recording from the same device.

I will post the finished video at the end of the week and you can judge for yourselves whether or not it was worth my while.

Kidwelly Colour and Reviewing the Week 11

Posted on 01/02/201501/02/2015 by Alastair

Windblown and Wondering

Posted on 28/01/201528/01/2015 by Alastair

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.

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.

A Well Kept Secret – Exploring Tennant Canal

Posted on 08/12/201408/12/2014 by Alastair

The Tennant Canal at Jersey Marine is just a few miles from the centre of Swansea. The area is surrounded by works and roads, developments and housing, but before you reach any of those things, you would have to climb over the small hills that surround Pant-y-Sais Fen alongside which the canal flows.

This haven of (relative) peace and nature is like a well kept secret – if you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t think to take a look. The M4 motorway twists past at one end and there is currently a major development for Swansea University being carried out on the seaward side. But the sound of this activity is not to be heard such is the noise absorbing effect of the topography along with trees and other vegetation. The wind in the reeds and the more noticeable and pleasurable sound.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Landscape or Seascape

Posted on 13/03/201413/03/2014 by Alastair

Are salt marshes landscape or seascape?

Both I guess. On this day it was landscape with some sea remaining in the gullies of the salt marshes. But with the lie of the land, it doesn’t take long for it to be covered by sea. The Loughor Estuary, situated between the Gower Peninsula and Carmarthenshire in South Wales, is a fascinating place. Always changing with the water and the light, the sunshine and the rain.

This week’s featured StillWalks video is set a few weeks ahead of the current date in terms of the time of year but the flowers and activity of the birds celebrate the beautiful sunny weather of Spring with gusto and are a welcome change to the wild, wet and windy weather we had through Winter.

The video above is in 480p quality. You can use the Donate button below to pay however much you want and receive a high quality (720HD) download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Garden Park Walk – Spring” which features Clyne Gardens in Swansea, South Wales. Click the image above to watch the video. DVD Collections are also available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

Tag Archives: marshes