Taking A Walk
‘If you seek creative ideas go walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.’ – Raymond I. Myers.
One of my favourite things to do is go for a walk.
Nothing major. Just pull on my wellies (or walking boots, depending on distance of said walk), pull on a coat if it’s raining or cold and off I pop.
Usually, the walk amounts to nothing more than a twenty minute spin around the local dog-walkers paradise (complete with donkeys and a path by the river) to clear my head of the day’s stresses, but fairly regularly (these occasions are growing more frequent) I’ll embark on something a bit longer and a bit more arduous.
The joys of being to step out of my front door and turn left or right and let my feet carry me wherever I might fancy to go are unbounded. I can go for as long as I want, and cover as much ground as I want. I am under no timetable, no schedule, nobody is hassling me or bothering me. If I go with my sister, or a friend, or a group, or my parents, we can walk casually, chatting, discussing life’s little niggles and having a good old catch-up.
Walking has become more to me recently than just a simple stroll in the countryside. I would almost call walking a hobby now, something I spend time considering and thinking about. I plan routes, plan dates when I’m free for a longer walk. In less than two weeks, I’m hopefully going to scale Snowdon (fingers crossed I reach the summit – there’s still plenty of snow up there, despite it being almost mid-April!). I have bought myself a pair of fast-drying walking trousers, a thermal under-layer long-sleeved top and a pair of walking socks. I have a new walking anorak and a pair of Karrimor hiking boots. Tonight, with Snowdon in mind, I invested in some ‘Yaktrax Pro Traction Device’ ice grippers to fit over my boots so that I don’t slip around on the no doubt compacted ice and snow up there. I have the gear. I am excited. I am motivated. I am ready to slip out that door at a moment’s notice and head off into the wilderness.
One of my favourite walking activities (apart from the actual walking part) is stopping (sometimes frequently) to take photographs. I include some below. Even the shortest walk can produce surprisingly good results. Indeed, just using the camera on my phone can produce surprisingly good results. Granted, it’s a good phone, but with a bit of tinkering and a growing understanding as to what makes a good picture, I think I’ve improved hugely since the beginning of my photographic career. I prefer my camera phone for taking photographs over my reasonably expensive Samsung camera, anyway. Or maybe that’s simply because I understand my phone better than the camera…
Combining these two developing hobbies is great, and they slot together perfectly. It is rare that I will walk anywhere these days without stopping to take a photograph of some view, or vista, or tree, or sky, or stream. Indeed, most of my photographs are the result of my walks.
I suppose these hobbies are helped along by the fact that I am lucky enough, as mentioned in previous blogs, to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Not only that, but I’m based right in the centre, Mid-Wales, home of the Red Kite, of Elan Valley, Abergwesyn Common, Llyn Brianne, Llyn Y Fan mountain and the Brecon Beacons. Who wouldn’t be tempted outdoors with such treasures on their doorsteps? Who wouldn’t be encouraged to test their photography skills when presented with such stunning scenery and impressive landscapes at every summit, every twist and turn in the footpath.
I have some exciting walks planned for this year. After Snowdon, I would like to walk the circumference of Llyn Brianne (approx 15 miles according to Google). My sisters and I are also planning a two-night, three and a bit day walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path for later in the year. I’d like to climb Pen Y Fan with my housemate (we did Llyn Y Fan and are doing Snowdon together). And then there’s all the hundreds of trails and footpaths closer to home, right outside my door, no driving required. And I daresay at every opportunity, I will be stopping to take photos!
1. Above: Dusk – short walk (20 mins approx) from home around Dolycoed and back in circular route.
2. Above: sunset at Dolycoed. Same route as 1.
3. Above – scrambled up an extremely steep hill to take this shot and felt like I was dying! Abergwesyn Common in all it’s glory.
4. Right – a short walk from my parent’s house near Tirabad. Buttercup field. 15-20 minute loop.
5. Below – A snowy walk near a friend’s house.
6. Above – another walk with a friend. Climbed nearly to the top of the Garn to watch the sunset over the hills. My hometown is just out of the photo to the right.
7. Above – my sister in her hiking boots crossing a small bridge in my parent’s garden. She was breaking the boots in!
8. Above – Llyn Y Fan with the sun poking out from behind the snow clouds. Took my housemate and I 3-4 hours to hike up and down again.
9. Above – sunshine through the trees at Pwll Bo, Abergwesyn. Quick 45 minute walk after walk recently – stopped off on my way home. Ended up climbing halfway up a mountain to take photos.10. Left – the view across the mountains and hills from my parent’s house. My neighbour’s farm ends at the tree line, and the Cambrian Mountains are shrouded in cloud behind.
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