Walking on round the corner, away from the turbulence of flowing water in yesterday’s post, I arrived back in a place of stillness. The water was still flowing fast at the overflow to the lake at The Waterside, but the surface was smooth and the ripples clear – no leaping froth and foam here, even if it was just a few yards away.
This was a good place to end my walk and return to the warmth of the lakeside cabins for a coffee and a delicious bite to eat. Until the next First Friday (if not before), thanks very much to Sue and Steve Heatherington at The Waterside.
The full walk sequence and a soundscape will be on tomorrow’s post.
When I drove over to The Waterside – Felindre I had an expectation of taking this walk, but on arrival it was pouring rain. I thought, “I must get my recording kit out and capture the sound of the rain on the cabin decking and the lake surface“. However, by the time I was set up and ready to go outdoors, the rain stopped! Strangely, it did not rain again that day.
There were clouds in the sky as can be seen in the images below, but it was also quiet and calm, at least from time to time, and so the surface of the water was unbroken by anything other than very gentle ripples.
That is one of the exciting things about The Waterside – the weather being unpredictable means that the views and the sounds, the whole atmosphere of this small, South Wales valley, can change constantly throughout a day. Having the optional warmth of the log burner in the comfort of the cabin means that you can always view the scene from a dry place. But if you have come equipped for wet weather (as we must do in this part of the world), then the rain need not stop you enjoying everything else the valley offers.
Tomorrow (Friday) StillWalks will be at The Waterside running presentations about the StillWalks package for businesses and organisations. If anyone is interested in coming along to this regular open day at The Waterside, please check out the website above and contact us in advance.
Peace at The Waterside
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.
There are many different aspects to the valley in which The Waterside – Felindre is situated. My walk this week is only around the lake and today’s post takes us across the footbridge at the northern end. Listening to the sound clip below, I like the layering of the sound of my footsteps on the wooden bridge with the different aspects of sound from the water as I approach, cross and then walk away from the bridge.
The woodland on one of the steep sides to this valley and more open fields on the other give the place an intimate, peaceful feel – a perfect place to relax and enjoy the facilities and hospitality of Sue and Steve Heatherington who run both The Waterside and Welsh Valley Alpacas.
My photos today are looking at one or two of the details of the lakeside.
On Friday this week (5th Feb) StillWalks will be at The Waterside running presentations about the StillWalks package for businesses and organisations. If anyone is interested in coming along to this regular open day at The Waterside, please check out the website above and contact us in advance.
Crossing the Footbridge
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.
The first part of my short walk around the old reservoir, now a lake at The Waterside, was wet underfoot – hardly surprising given all the rain we have had this winter. The dampness is, of course, ideal conditions for moss to grow and these steps down the the lakeside are covered in the stuff.
But I love these steps and the fact that they are being taken over by nature to the point where, from certain angles, they are so well camouflaged as to be almost completely hidden. The rise above the lake from which the steps descend gives an excellent opportunity to enjoy reflections in the water.
On Friday this week (5th Feb) StillWalks will be at The Waterside running presentations about the StillWalks package for businesses and organisations. If anyone is interested in coming along to this regular open day at The Waterside, please check out the website above and contact us in advance.
Wet Footsteps
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.
My last few posts have been about the visits I made to waterfalls in the South Wales Valleys region as part of the Valleys Regional Park Community Tourism Conference. The conference was held in the Orangery at Margam Park, home of Margam Castle, one of the sets for the much anticipated Da Vinci’s Demon series. It is an amazing place and unlike the waterfalls featured in previous posts, I can for once say that I have visited Margam Park on previous occasions.
Our South Wales Valleys waterfall tour (see previous posts this week) also took us to Melincwrt Waterfall. A popular and easily accessible waterfall near Resolven on the A465, it was fairly gentle when we visited as the weather had been relatively dry. We were told we must visit again after a period of rain – shouldn’t be too long waiting then!
Following my CTC Waterfalls trip to Aberdulais Falls last week, we crossed the road, went under the dual carriageway and over the Rivers Dulais and Neath as well as Neath Canal to get views of all three – the bridges themselves gave some good views!
