A Walk in the Spring

If all has gone to plan, this is where I should have been at 5 AM this morning!

I checked that the Bluebells had not finished their stint for this Spring and looked at the weather forecast. All seemed good for an early morning start for a new StillWalks production at Penllergaer Woods on the outskirts of Swansea.

Spring has been very late this year and so even though we are heading towards Summer (fingers crossed), some of the trade marks of the season are still around us. I have produced StillWalks here in both Autumn and Winter and so when I have them for all the seasons, it will be good to review them all together.

Penllergaer Bluebells
. . . and this is where I had breakfast.

20130601-073021.jpg

The Tonal Textures of Trees

Last Sunday morning it was wet but not enough to stop me going for a walk through the woods. It is a mixed, managed wood with the deciduous trees being higher up on the hill and the coniferous lining the main footpath.

I took the high path for my walk and whilst the soft ground underfoot was in keeping with the soft texture of the sounds around me, one of the most enjoyable (apart from the birds) was the changing sound of the wind as I moved from the deciduous area to the coniferous. You may think it is quite subtle or that it is just the wind rising, but in fact it is the change to the coniferous foliage that has caused the change in the sound. This takes place around the 3:44 mark in what is a 5+ minute recording.

Look at the photos and then play the sound clip and close your eyes to be taken there! Enjoy 🙂

Fforest WoodsIMG_7488 IMG_7490

IMG_7498

IMG_7510

IMG_7512

IMG_7519

Favourite Locations

Penllergaer Woods

Penllergaer Woods in Autumn

The locations of the StillWalks I produce are many and varied – from woodland to coast, townscape to park, I enjoy them all. Pre-production recce walks can sometimes be the most interesting as that is the time of initial discovery if the place is new to me. Production days, however, are the time to look and listen really closely.

Some of the places I have enjoyed most are: Penllergaer Woods, samples of which can be seen in – the Autumn Walks, Woodland Walk 1 and Woodland Walk 2 in Winter Walks. Also the old St Teilo’s Churchyard down on the marshes near where I live can be seen in the Old Churchyard Walk from Summer Walks and Carrick Shore in SW Scotland – Coastal Walk Evening in Spring Walks. One more is on the Swansea cycle route – Abertawe Walk from the Autumn Walks.

Pennlergaer Woods in Winter

Pennlergaer Woods in Winter

M4 Traffic – Pennlergaer and the old churchyard, are both close to the M4 motorway, which is busy at all times. In Penllergaer I find the gradual absorption of the sound of traffic, by the trees and their foliage, as you go deeper into the woods, very attractive. Perhaps it is the contrast of the two adjacent environments that creates a better sense of release from one and welcoming of the other.

On the other hand, I love the walk down to and around the old St Teilo’s Churchyard and you cannot get away from the M4 traffic in this place. I find I “filter out” a lot of the sound from the road and just listen to the birds that can easily pierce the sound of the cars and trucks.  The sound recorder does not ignore the traffic of course, but, as I do it subconsciously on location, I feel justified in filtering out some (but not all) of the background road sounds when editing.

StillWalks Works for Me – I tend to use them when I need to take a few minutes out of the working day, relax and focus my mind on something other than work. I also use them at times of stress – this is often when waiting for an approaching event such as a meeting. I use them occasionally at the end of the day too, when I need to wind down before going to sleep.

On the Move – If I am on the move and, therefore, watching a StillWalk on my iPhone, the screen may be small but with headphones plugged in and the video filling the screen, I find I easily “move” into the space of the StillWalk. At all times of viewing on a computer screen, I would always watch the StillWalk in full screen mode and I try to prompt others to do this. Not only do you see more, but full screen view also prevents many other distractions and helps promote your relaxation and enjoyment of the StillWalk.

Still Watching . . . I may have to add one of the latest StillWalks to my favourites list – Moss Wood Walk in the Autumn Walks. This is from Gnoll Park in Neath, South Wales and I have just watched full screen in full HD . . .

Week 6 – Marshwood Birds – Anyone interested in following my weekly recording and photos from this project can find the recordings on SoundCloud and the images on Flickr.

On the Move

On the Move, Swansea to York