Tag Archives: walks

Walking Through the Seasons

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The fact that every year we see similar sights in Autumn (or any other season) to the ones we saw the previous year does not make them any less enjoyable. In fact we look forward to the sights that different seasons bring with them – colours, textures and patterns. The fact that we can feel continually in awe of the same things happening again and again is perhaps an essential survival mechanism.

The changes we see, feel and benefit from repeatedly as the seasons go by, are most noticeable in the natural world. This suggests how important it is to have that world an integral part of our urban landscape and planning and to have footpath access to open countryside.

Whether it be in a city park, a country lane, open hills or simply a tree lined street, walking with awareness of the natural elements of the local environment is something I could not do without.

country lane

Cefn Drum-10

Autumn leaves

My Walk this Week 8 – Leading to Local Landscape

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I have often posted images throughout the week from a single walk but this is the eighth consecutive week that I have done this using photos taken on a recent walk. I like the sequential element of the “story” being told in seven posts or “chapters” and focusing on different aspects of the things I observe and listen to on my walks.

Some of the walks I take are local to me and others further afield, some are rural and others urban. I wonder how long I can continue with this form of posting?

Quite often I will walk the same routes, but as the conditions are always different and I find familiarity allows me to see and hear more rather than less, I hope to be able to bring new images and sounds to you even when the walk is one I have posted about before.

This week’s walk takes us into another area of my local landscape and although I will not be producing a StillWalks video as I did last week, I did do some field recording on the walk. Below is the first of the sound clips recorded along this first section of my route. The full soundscape can be heard at the end of the week.

Cefn Drum 1

Cefn Drum 1

old shed

 

Underfoot and Overhead

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Completing the meandering loop of this week’s walk brought me to the oak woods of Coedbach Park.  It looks like there is plenty underfoot to keep the squirrels going through the winter. Overhead the twisting branches of these wonderful crooked trees will provide progressively less shade from the weather as the season moves on. Whatever weather the seasons bring, it is unlikely to stop me enjoying the sights and sounds I encounter on my walks.

acorns

crooked oak trees

Woodland Ways

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Having crossed the local park, the salt marshes and farmland by the river Loughor, my walking route took me up the Castell Ddu road alongside a woodland stream. The woodland is private but I still got to enjoy the sights and sounds of the stream and the birds as I followed the stream back up to the main road. You can listen to these below (along with the distant aircraft and motorway!).

Castell Ddu stream and woodland

woodland stream

leaves and road

Passing Underneath

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The puddle below tells the story of the weather and the long horned cows underneath the M4 motorway bridge know that story as well as the farmer and I do. Having constructed a coral for his cattle the farmer has given some convenient shelter to these mothers with their calves and allowed me to walk without fear of being pronged by one of those sharp looking objects.

The railway bridge which also crosses this footpath is made of older material than concrete and the various colours of the stone used create a fascinating pattern within pattern in the construction of the bridge. You will have to watch the video at the end of the week to see more.

Under the motorway

puddle reflection

colourful railway bridge stone

Twists and Turns Along The Way

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Most walking routes have various twists and turns to them and my walk this week is no exception. Initially the twists in the footpath come as it follows the river Loughor across the marshes, but there are other twists and turns to be seen en route as well as those in the  grass or mud.

The twisted roots of the tree below can be seen in monochrome at Leanne Cole’s Photography blog post Monochrome Madness MM 2-32.

This photo is the only one throughout this week that is in portrait format. The reason for this is that I have been working on an experimental StillWalks video (which requires all images to be in 16:9 widescreen format). It was not my intention to do any production on this walk and so I only had my iPhone 6s with me. Therefore all the images you see are from my phone and the video I have been working on also uses video and sound recording from the same device.

I will post the finished video at the end of the week and you can judge for yourselves whether or not it was worth my while.

Autumn berries

twisted tree root

marsh reflections

Walking Across The Salt Marshes

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The next stage of my walk this week takes us across the salt marshes next to the Loughor river here in South Wales. I say “walk”, but perhaps I should say paddle as there had been a high tide and significant areas of the marsh and footpath were still draining the sea water. I was determined to carry on and knowing the tide was on the ebb I could be sure the way would only become easier.

marshy footpath

salt marshes after a high tide