Cascade

Swiss Valley Water – Reviewing the Walk

My walk this week up to Swiss Valley Reservoir was a very wet one, but also a very enjoyable one despite the amount of water (except for the fact that my umbrella kept collapsing on me!).

Please note:  I need to let you know  that my weekly posts are going to change slightly – from here on there will be no post on Saturday. I am cutting My Weekly Walk posts to Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the soundscape for the walks being posted on the Friday. Further cuts may be necessary in the future.

Swiss Valley Reservoir

I took the walk later in the day than expected and in combination with the wet weather, this meant it was another walk that started out dark and became darker and darker as I followed the riverside footpath up the ravine.  By the time I reached the reservoir (not very far) the scene was as you see it in the image above.Continue reading

overhanging

Tree Ghoul in the Gloom

The darkness of my walk this week in the rain provided me with a creepy atmosphere from time to time. This tree was one of those  presenting itself as a ghoul in the gloom of the woodland as I climbed the footpath to Swiss Valley Reservoir.

Tree Ghoul in the Gloom

Even the more open areas of the valley floor were gloomy and what light there was created and aged effect on the subtly coloured branches of an orchard.Continue reading

old iron fence

Listening with Silent Walkers and Any Old Iron

“Any old iron” is not a cry you hear very often now in Britain and is certainly not one associated with silent walkers. I suspect that the people making that call for old metal in our streets would love to have been offered an abandoned iron spiral staircase or grass roller. They shout it nowadays from a van but I remember when it used to be from a horse and cart (and I’m not that old!).

Silent walkers

The silent walkers listening to the sounds around them either through a mic and headphones or with the naked ear, enjoyed what they heard on our StillWalks taster session for WWAMH at Clynfyw Care Farm. Continue reading

Aberystwyth Framed

Aberystwyth framed

I like this shot of Aberystwyth framed by one of the structures on the beach – not the pier but another walkway that extends out into the waves. The variation of scale or perception of it is one of the most interesting things to me, with the heavy concrete pillars in the foreground and the buildings appearing almost like toys or models in front of the massive scale of the hill directly behind.Continue reading

A Different Landscape

Having climbed up from the beach via the sand buried steps (see below) on my walk this week at Aberavon, south Wales, I continued east along the promenade path and found a different landscape to that which I had been enjoying down on the sand. The sea fret had lifted slightly as evidenced by a clearer view of the cranes but turning round and looking inland, the mist was still hanging low over the hills and the light, or lack of it, was still apparent and somehow fitting for the old ruined wooden harbour wall and jetties.

old jetty

Continue reading

A Sparkle of Sunlight

My walk this week around the lake at The Waterside revealed some truly beautiful patterns of sunlight. That’s not to say these effects of light have not been seen before, I’m sure they have – however, that does not make them any less remarkable. I don’t think I could ever get tired of the wonders of nature, however small or common they may be, they still connect with my brain and spark my synapses to produce a sense of wonder.

 

The Waterside Walk-16

A Sparkle of Sunlight

After climbing the lakeside steps and shooting a mother duck and her single duckling (photographically speaking of course), I came upon the footbridge seen the background of one of yesterday’s images.

Crossing the Footbridge

Looking closely at the water flowing into the lake the sun glinting off the ripples made me pause and shoot again. My first shot was underexposed but just like the overexposed photo I posted during my walk last week, the effect was quite powerful.

The correctly exposed image is the first of the flowing water shots in the gallery below and this presented an interesting phenomenon – a bubble on the surface of the water appears not to be affected by the fast flow. I guess it was only there for the split second I took the shot. The underexposed image is the last in this sequence and I further enhanced the effect of light and dark, but only a little.

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Walking and Waves

Reasons to visit Swansea beach – none needed, go anyway and enjoy a walk in the sea scented space and listen to the waves as they lap or pound on the sea wall and steps. If the tide is out, then the space is that much greater and you can have the give of the sand under your feet instead of the hard concrete of city streets. Rain or shine, windy or still, the sensations are there for anyone and everyone.

Swansea Promenade

Waves on Promenade Steps

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Swansea Promenade Steps

Wave on steps

Stepping It Up

I said yesterday that my walk along Swansea Bay had changeable weather. I promise it does change – by that, I mean it stops raining! I suspect from the evidence of discarded bottles that it was not raining the previous night.

Swansea Bay Rain