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 129 – Atop the Down

Posted on 17/10/201810/10/2018 by Alastair

Looking at more pics from my archive of a walk on Rhossili Down four years ago takes me to the top of the Down where I met some Gower ponies as well as other people. The ponies are wild and there are many of them all over the Gower Peninsula moors and marshes. Strictly speaking, they must be (legally) owned by somebody these day but I’m not sure that makes any difference to anyone.

I have left out many of the photographs I took that day only because the fifteen I have picked for my posts this week do a good job of feeding my memory and are sufficient to describe the place on a day like this one was – sun shining blindingly with a wind blowing up from the sea with the ridge of the Down providing an occasional and welcome respite from the bluster of it.Continue reading→

Agricultural Show 3 – Equine Evaluation

Posted on 14/09/201809/09/2018 by Alastair

My last post from our local agricultural show is about the equine presentation and evaluation, an event always to be enjoyed. Unfortunately there was no show jumping this year and as a result the crowds were thinner than I have known in the past.

I enjoy watching the horses and miss the events I used to regularly photograph. As with the other animals in the show, the ponies and horses are all immaculately turned out and the riders are doing their very best to gain that red first rosette.Continue reading→

Following the Creek

Posted on 27/09/201724/09/2017 by Alastair

On my recce walk this week on the marshes with other project workers, we were told that, basically, we would follow the creek. This turned out to be important!

The creek, although well hidden in the expanse of marshland, is still the only clearly identifiable feature – as long as you stay close to it.Continue reading→

Wild Welsh Ponies

Posted on 11/08/201708/09/2020 by Alastair

My walk this week is from a production walk I did in June. In this first part of it I have been climbing up the Cwm Sorgwm valley above Cwmdu just below the Brecon Beacons, and enemy way I met not only cautious sheep (see previous post), but also some cautious wild Welsh ponies.

There was a whole herd of them and this include a number of foals. They were not the only ones being cautious – after all, mothers can be very protective and rightly so. Continue reading→

Abandoned Doorway to . . . Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 04/03/201702/03/2017 by Alastair

Coming to the end of my walk this week in the local valley of Cwm Dulais, I reached this abandoned rusty metal doorway in an old wall. It must be well known locally but I am not certain of what it used to be the entrance to – I think I am going to have to do some local historical investigation . . . next stop, the local library.

Continue reading→

Pony Portraits

Posted on 01/03/201725/02/2017 by Alastair

Pony portraits became the order for the day at this point on my walk this week, the first of three on this valley route up Cwm Dulais. I met a number of ponies en route – not only are they frequently curious about whoever is passing by, they also seem happy to have their photographs taken.

Continue reading→

Dark Clouds and Sunlight

Posted on 19/05/201618/05/2016 by Alastair

We were very lucky with the weather on the Taste of Gower walk at Weobley Castle. It can be seen below that there was bad weather nearby, but the trees at the edge of the salt marshes show that on north Gower at least, we also had sunlight.