Tag Archives: tunnel

bending lines

My Walk this Week 195 – Station Stroll

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My walk this week is more of a stroll along my local railway station and is another short walk fitted in between other things going on in my day.

tunnel and light

Having to wait for something or other, I took a wander down there knowing that, as stations go, it is quite an attractive one. The thick carpet of moss on the unused section of the bending platform was luxurious to say the least – it felt wonderful to walk on! When I turned round to face the sunshine, I could see the light, not at the end of the tunnel but at its far side. Powerful and bright in the distance, it was a classic effect of the conditions.

One of the other noticeable things about the station was the number of bright-sounding birds – I wasn’t the only one enjoying a brief respite from the wind and rain of one storm following directly on from another. And if you listen, you will here amongst them one of our local song thrushes 🙂Continue reading→

Down by The Waterside

Sights and Sounds by The Waterside – Reviewing the Walk

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Looking through the sights and sounds from my walk this week at The Waterside, Felindre, I find I am already looking forward to my next visit. On this walk I have focused on some of the details of the place, in particular the different effects of water, both in sight and sound.

Looking at the lake

It can be a challenge to keep seeing things afresh, but however familiar we become with a place or situation, the conditions are always different from day to day, both in our surroundings and in ourselves. Taking the opportunity to try and see and think about things from a different perspective, both the big picture and the details, can be very helpful and The waterside is one of the places, for me, where I can do this.

It is different to the many other places I walk because a visit to Sue and Steve in this small, secluded Welsh valley involves connection and conversation with others as well as observation and appreciation of the beautiful surroundings.

Walking is important to me for many reasons – one of which is free-thinking time and exploration of ideas. Creative conversation with others as a part of the exploration can be a helpful consolidation of thoughts or a chance to further explore alternative mental routes and this is one of the things I get from The Waterside and Collective Headspace.

A Watery Waterside Soundscape

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Waterside Details-1
Water at The Waterside
Waterside Details-5
The Waterside Tunnel
Tunnel stalactites
Tunnel stalactites 2
water light and shade
water reflection
pattern and shadow
Approaching the lake
reed island
The Finger
tumbling water
Waterside footbridge
Bullrush
Waterside Details
Looking at the lake
Down by The Waterside
Tunnel stalactites

Watery Effects at The Waterside

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The dancing reflections of sunlight on puddles in an old reservoir overflow tunnel is just one of the watery effects to be found at The Waterside where my walk is this week.

water reflection

It is not just the effects of water that creates the patterns and structures I am looking at in the images below, it is the interaction between the water and the sunlight that choreographs the changing rhythms of the light and shade. The interaction of draining waterContinue reading→

rusty fence

Local Viewpoint and Not Being Lost

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I was asked twice on this walk if I was lost! I know the viewpoint well and the various routes to it but this was clearly not evident to those asking the question and I can only wonder what expression I had on my face to prompt it.

Local viewpoint

This viewpoint looks over my local landscape to the Loughor Estuary and the Gower Peninsula. As with the other local hills, it is a great place to climb to if you feel the need to rise above things rather than explore the more enclosed environment of the forest. Continue reading→

Cascade Construction

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Nearing The Waterside on my walk this week I have arrived at the cascade construction down which the water from a bygone reservoir tumbles and flows. Emerging from a tunnel which would once have been below a dam wall the river flows through the woodland valley on its route down to join the River Lliw.

The Afon Lliw starts in the same area – the uplands north of Swansea known as The Mawr – and is a part of our locality that I love. I produced video of a project a couple of years ago where local school children followed and researched the Lliw from source to sea – you can see the various video chapters here.

water cascade

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Natural Tunnel

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The path is still straight on my walk this week though there was one long bend before reaching this natural tunnel. It would be darker in the spring and summer but with the leaves on the ground rather than on the trees, it is no less beautiful and having moved away from the working urban environment there is also less aural evidence of man. The motorway is only a few hundred yards from this tree tunnel but the prevailing wind direction carries the sound away and so it can hardly be heard at all.

tree tunnel

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Natural Patterns

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Almost back at Nicholaston Farm on the Taste of Gower walk from June, the footpath moves away from the cliffs and runs through this natural tunnel. Looking around me in this more enclosed environment I naturally discovered more details rather than the open vistas of clifftop views. The shots I have chosen below demonstrate natural structure in the tunnel, natural texture in the crinkled petals of the wildflower and natural pattern on the underside of some path side plants.

natural tunnel

natural tunnel

wildflower pattern

Natural Pattern

Natural Pattern