My Walk this Week 181 – Natural Benefits

Posted on 15/11/201918/11/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week is one of the most enjoyable I have had lately – the benefits of natural elements within an urban landscape are not to be underestimated.

Currently I am having to work 4 days/40 hours+ with a well known online supplier (needs must and all that) which means going out before dawn and getting in after dark while spending the whole working day indoors. As a means of compensating for this, I have started using my StillWalks videos at the end of the working day, before going home, and they definitely help.

So when I found myself on a bright sunny Sunday morning walking through the local countryside and woods, it felt so goodContinue reading→

My Walk this Week 180 – Calling Curlews at Sunset

Posted on 08/11/201905/11/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week is more of the mind than the body with memories of curlews calling in the evening light and sunsets of south west Scotland back in September.

I was particularly keen and hopeful to capture the sounds of the evening birds across the sandy, muddy bay – in particular the curlews, if they were there. In recent posts I have presented soundscapes recorded on my phone but I had taken my field recorder (Fostex FR2-LE) and shotgun mic (RODE NTG 2) for the purpose. And I was in luck –Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 179 – Sunrise Along the Estuary

Posted on 01/11/201905/11/2019 by Alastair

An early morning walk at sunrise isn’t so very early at this time of year and my walk this week along the Loughor Estuary ended up taking more of the day than I expected. It also fuelled my mind and the day ahead.

We have had so much rain lately that a bright sunny morning was most welcome (as it is anytime in Wales). The sun rose over the fields and across the marshes as I walked towards the open estuary where I could enjoy the wide open space with the tide out and the sky reflecting on the still water left by the sea.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 178 – Scottish Woodland

Posted on 25/10/201905/11/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week is another from Scotland where I took a stroll through woodland on the edge of Gatehouse of Fleet. Starting from the banks of the river Fleet, I enjoyed the familiar footpath as I twisted and turned in a loop, looking at my surroundings with a strong green cast to the light.

It is a peaceful part of the country and while there is an inevitable background of man-made sound, the ambience of the forest was more noticeable with its birds and flowing water, a gentle breeze in the trees and just the occasional sound of other people in the area.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 177 – Cefn Drum and Its Birdsong

Posted on 18/10/201916/10/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week took me to the lower slopes of Cefn Drum where evidence of all the rain we have had recently was clearly to be seen with muddy ruts filled with flowing water.

Starting with a familiar gate and cattle grid, I followed some disgruntled sheep up the track and under the pylons to negotiate a route around deep wet ruts and puddles reflecting the cloud patterns of a clearing sky.Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 176 – Edging Along Land and Sea

Posted on 11/10/201909/10/2019 by Alastair

My walk this week comes from the break I had last month and explores the edge of land and sea with rough rocks and calm waters along with the sounds of coastal and mud-loving birds.

I set out along the country lanes of the south west Scottish coast, enjoying the backdrop of the Galloway hills and the textural details of the verges. From a broad beach, empty except for myself and a solitary crow, Continue reading→

My Walk this Week 175 – Forest Changes

Posted on 04/10/201903/10/2019 by Alastair

Hello everyone, I’m back from my break and while I will be posting about some walks taken while away, my walk this week is one of those I have taken since returning and illustrates some of the changes to my nearest forest.

I have already posted about the timber felling in this woodland and I went there in trepidation of what I would find. In the first six shots below you can see what, previously, you could not! The landscape, beautiful as it is, would have been seen from this position through a thick latticework of branches. The blue sky would have been a fine mosaic seen through the canopy and theContinue reading→

Taking a Short break

Posted on 06/09/201905/09/2019 by Alastair

Hello to all StillWalks followers. This is a short message to let you know I will be taking a short break from posting My Walk this Week. If I don’t take the break, I may end up breaking myself.

I hope you miss the weekly walk posts but will leave you for the next 2 or 3 weeks with a few calming, tranquil evening images from our local marshes and a soundscape from the place where I will be staying for a fortnight.

If you are interested, the collection of soundscapes from which this one is taken, is available here. All sales currently feed into the Art and Audio Interactivity project currently being planned and for which I have been making some very interesting, useful and exciting connections. I will post an update to my progression with this at the end of the month on the project blog.

Thanks very much for everyone’s follows, likes and comments and I will “see” you again at the end of the month.