My Walk this Week 18 – First Snow

This winter has been so mild it came as a bit of surprise to find myself driving carefully through snow on my way to a meeting in Carmarthenshire. The meeting was at Blaenige, the home of MLR UK with whom I have been working for a while now to develop a StillWalks business package. The meeting finished in good time, and as I had brought most of my kit with me, I took the opportunity to go for a short walk down one of the steep hillside tracks through the farmland and woods.

There wasn’t a lot of snow and it was already melting during my walk but considering I hadn’t expected to see any this year, it wasn’t unwelcome and as the sky was partially blue, my walk this week, though short, was quite exhilarating.

Blaenige, Carmarthenshire

One aspect of the walk which is changed with the snow is the environmental sound. Below I have included three sound clips of my footsteps in the changing snow. How much difference can you hear in them.

Crunchy Snow

Deeper Snow

Wet Snow

If viewing this in an email, to see the sound player you will need to visit the blog – please click the post title to view the full post.

Weighty Stuff

This is a hefty load of snow for the plant to bear but as the day goes on, that weight will be lifted (or dropped) as the snow begins to melt.

heavy snow

ice droplet

 

Crooked Woodland

Whether there is snow or not this year, this is be a popular place for people to walk on Boxing Day. The footpath round Lliw Lower Reservoir features in my Winter Reservoir Walk, part of the StillWalks at Lliw Reservoir collection available on request or at the reservoir cafe.

The video is featured below, so if you don’t want to go out if it is pouring rain again . . .

winter footpath

crooked fence

From Snow to Ice

The snow stood thickly on this barbed wire fence at the start of my walk but by the time I had completed the circuit of the Lliw Lower Reservoir, it was melting to ice. I wonder if it fully melted before nightfall?

snow on fence

melting snow on fence

Winter Branches

The woodland becomes almost completely monochrome under its blanket of snow. I love the complexity of pattern and texture revealed in these snowy woodland shots around the Lliw Lower Reservoir near Swansea.

winter branches

woodland snow scene