An afternoon walk down Rhossili, Gower

Date:  28 September 2018

Location:  Rhossili, Gower
Weather:  Sunny with a slight breeze

A long over-due walk down the outstanding beautiful Gower and it's jewel in the crown, Rhossili 

It's been awhile since we ventured down Gower, so seeing as we had the afternoon free we decided to head to Rhossili, one of the most glorious parts of the Gower Peninsula. It is only a 40 minute drive and the weather was beautiful.

Rhossili is owned by the National Trust, so not being members we had to pay for parking (£2.50 for 2 hours, £5.00 for all day). There's plenty of parking and a few eateries around, but we just wanted some fresh air and to see what wildlife we could discover.

We headed straight towards the Worm and it wasn't long before we heard that familiar squawking of Choughs. We could see two, but unfortunately couldn't get a pic, but it didn't matter as it was just great to see them again.

Arty photo with Worms Head in the background

We were debating whether to walk over to the Worm, but we thought we may have left it too late and we didn't want to be marooned there. So we sat on the cliffs and scanned the ocean and cliff faces to see what wildlife we could spot. We saw a Kestrel a number of times and a few Rock Pipits. We also saw a number of butterflies, especially Red Admirals and Peacocks. 

Red Admiral

We continued exploring and I saw a large bird sitting on a nearby wall. I could see it was a Kestrel, perhaps the one we had seen earlier? But it was beautiful, I think it's a female and she sat there for quite awhile and for the first time I managed to get some good pics of the bird.

Beautiful Kestrel

Kestrel striking a pose

Another pic of the awesome Kestrel

Other bird life we spotted was Ravens, Stonechat, Dunnocks, Wheatears and lots of gulls, including Lesser and Black Backed Gulls.

Raven

Stonechat

Pied Wagtail

Apart from birds, there were quite a few fungi on the ground, here are just three photos of some of the different ones we found.

A rather large fungi

Tiny little puffballs?

A lovely looking mushroom

As we started walking back to the car we decided to pop into the sunflower field. This year the Gower National Trust planted 400,000 sunflowers. This is amazing for bees and birds will absolutely love the seeds when they are finished flowering. Next year they plan to plant lavender fields too...this will be awesome! Unfortunately, we left it too late to fully appreciate the sunflowers in all their glory, but we did find a few that were still flowering. Next year I will have to come and see them earlier :) - If you want to see what they looked like just type 'sunflowers Rhossili' into Google to see all the amazing pics.

Most of the sunflowers were dead (but with lots and lots of sunflower seeds for birds)

I found one sunflower though that was still shining bright :)

We had a fantastic time with our spare few hours and we don't understand why we don't explore the Gower more often (its literally on our doorstep!) - The sun was setting and created that lovely warm Autumn glow over the bay. I took one last pic as I looked back on the bay and it's no surprise that this is an Area of Outstanding Beauty.

Beautiful warm glow from the setting sun over the coast

The sun sets behind the worm and we say goodbye to Rhossili 

My 200 Bird Year Challenge!

Happy new year everyone :)

New year, new challenge and what better way to start than taking part in the Bird Watching Magazine challenge - #My200BirdYear. It encourages you to see 200 species in the course of 2018. This is a brief idea of what the challenge entails: 

"They can be anything from the birds you see on your back garden feeders, to seabirds passing offshore as you relax on the beach. There are no restrictions on where you do your birdwatching, and you won’t have to wait for your ticks to be approved by a committee – it’s all about enjoying new birds, and learning more about the wildlife all around us."

I am going to keep updating my page - you can find it above under My 200 Bird Year 2018.

#My200BirdYear http://www.birdwatching.co.uk/my200

Day 14 - 30 Days Wild - A nature walk along Neath canal

On Sunday (Day 14) we decided to have a long walk along my local canal. Before we got to the main canal path we climbed up a nearby woodland where we saw the kestrel on day 3.

We had literally only been up there for 10 minutes when there he was, hovering overhead! We could barely believe it - unfortunately the sun was quite strong so all the pics I took of him are just silhouettes, but nevertheless there he was!

The kestrel

In the woodland there are lots of trees and flowers which were teeming with butterflies, birds and moths. Here are just a few of what I could get photos of...

Skipper moth & leaf beetle

Six spot burnet moth

Silver y moth

Coal tit

Jay

Dunnock

Eventually we made it down from the woodland to start our canal walk and were so happy with what we had already seen. The walk we were now going to do was along Neath canal and then back again. 

Once again there was an abundance of nature in the water and along the banks. The amount of insects we discovered was mind blowing!

Lilies on Neath canal

Speckled brown butterfly

Red admiral butterfly

Common blue male butterfly

Common Blue female butterfly

Common carder bee

Blue damselflies mating (look at the heart x)

A variation of the non-native harlequin ladybird

Red tailed bumblebee

There were also lots of different birds in nearby trees and bushes...

Swallows

Robin

Chiffchaff

Bulfinch

Collared dove

...and so many young birds in the water too including moorhens and their chicks!

Two moorhen chicks

A moorhen chick balancing on a lily pad.

Mum and chick and a photobomb from a damselfly on the right

One of the main reasons we visit the canal is to see the swans and the cygnets. The seven cygnets (there were nine originally) are almost five weeks old and growing at a rapid rate!

I bought them premium duck and swan food and they loved it! Dad was a bit cheeky by demanding to be fed by hand, but we made sure everyone had a fair share. 

Dan feeds the swans and here is mum catching it in her beak.

The swan family with dad leading the way.

One of the cygnets with some new head gear!

There was lots of other activity in the canal, including tadpoles that have not got both back and front legs and, unbelievably, terrapins! We had no idea they resided in these waters, but a man saw us taking pics and pointed them out to us - there were three altogether and they were all basking in the sun! 

Tadpoles are almost frogs with tails!

One of the terrapins basking in the lilies.

Apart from the terrapins on of the strangest things I witnessed on our walk was a white spider! After a bit of research I found out that it's a crab spider. What's fascinating about them is they can change their colour to match their background (this can take days to so). The crab spider sits on flowers waiting for insects to land close by, and then pounces on them - trapping them between their crab-like front legs. I have never seen one before and what a strange creature to witness.

Crab Spider

What an amazing walk for day 14 this was and altogether we had walked 0ver ten miles! It just blows me away how many different species are on our doorsteps and I still get excited when I discover something I have never seen before.

Pen y Fan in the snow - 24/1/2015

I have climbed Pen y Fan a number of times over the years but never in the winter months. A friend of ours had been up the week before and showed us some amazing pics of the mountain covered in snow - it looked beautiful. Seeing that we hadn't really ventured out in 2015 we though Pen y Fan was the perfect hike to kick off 2015!

The drive from home takes us into the Brecon Beacons National Park and over the Black Mountain, where the sun was beginning to rise - we couldn't resist stopping a few times to get some pics of the fantastic landscape and a kestrel hovering at the side of the road. The Black Mountain pass (A4069) has a number of places you can pull in to park and take in the scenery. It's always hard to drive though without stopping to take photos.

A kestrel hovering near the car. Unfortunately I could only get a silhouette
because the sun was rising behind it

The beautiful warm colours of the sunrise as it hits the mountains

As you drive through this part of the Brecon Beacons you are guaranteed to see Welsh mountain ponies. We managed to stop and take a pic of them grazing in the sunrise. They have been free to roam the uplands of the Brecon Beacons since Roman times and through harsh climate and poor grazing they have developed into one of the strongest and intelligent breeds on the planet. They are now classed as a rare breed and many farms are helping to ensure their survival.

Wild ponies grazing at sunrise

One of the lay-bys you can park in - It was rather icy that morning!

The sun rises in the Brecon Beacons

For us, the drive only takes around 45 minutes and we parked in the National Trust's Pont-ar-Daf car park just off the A470. The first thing you notice when you arrive at the car park is the large amount of felled trees - what was once a conifer plantation is now an empty piece of land with only a handful of trees left. This is due to it being mostly occupied by larch trees which are one of the species that has been hit by the deadly fungus disease Phytophthora Ramorum - the Forestry Commission ordered them to be felled and now they are planting new trees in the area to create a brighter, more open and wildlife-friendly woods.

The felled trees in the woodland by Pont-ar-Daf car park

This was the first time we have climbed Pen y Fan from this starting point, our previous hikes have always been from the Neuadd Reservoir. There was already a few cars parked there and it wasn't yet 9am, but apparently weekends are very busy on this path, hence the nickname 'The Pen y Fan Motorway'.

You begin the trek by walking through a kissing gate and then over a wooden bridge, with the Blaen Taf Fawr running underneath. An extremely pretty start to the walk and we were already getting glimpses of the remaining snow that was on the higher peaks. There are well laid paths from the start which are looked after by the National Trust, who continue to fix and prevent erosion to them.

The kissing gate and information plaques at the start of the trek

The footbridge crosses over the Blaen Taf Fawr - this flows all the way to Cardiff

The paths are well laid and clear to see

We had literally walked only a few metres before we got a glimpse of another kestrel, once again it was hovering over the ground looking for prey - what a delight to see another one of these beautiful birds on the same morning. Near where we saw the kestrel there is a National Trust plaque on the ground which reads "The Brecon Beacons were given to the National Trust by the Eagle Star insurance company in 1965" - Many commons are owned by companies and since 1965 the National Trust have acquired other parts of the Beacons in order to protect it and keep it wild.

A kestrel is silhouetted by the snow encrusted ground

The National Trust plaque 

Up until now everything was going reasonably well...until we reached the ice! It seemed that the whole path just transformed into an ice rink and even though we had hiking boots on we soon realised that we should have worn crampons. So the decision was either turn back or persevere...we noticed a few people walking just off the path, so that's what we decided to do and we continued our climb up the mountain.

Hey, when did the path turn into an ice rink?

Walking made easier on the snow covered banks

The snow was getting deeper the higher we climbed. As a result the icy path was less treacherous but we still had to go off onto the snowy banks every now and again. It was fantastic walking in the snow and it was hard to believe that this amount of snow existed so relatively close to home. We came across an untouched section of snow and the child it me just had to attempt a snow angel (or maybe I just needed an excuse to lay down lol)...it was a pathetic attempt as the snow was a lot harder than I anticipated! :)

The snow got a lot thicker the higher we climbed and you can just see the
top of Corn Du in this photo

A useless attempt at a snow angel!

Not only was the snow getting deeper, but the hill fog was appearing thick and fast and Corn Du was disappearing in front of us. We knew at this point that the views up there wouldn't be great - but today we were here for the snow!

The snowy path with Corn Du getting closer with every step

We finally made it to Bwlch Duwynt (which means 'windy pass' in Welsh) - and boy was it windy (check out the video below).

To the left of us was the slope of Corn Du, which looked treacherous covered in ice. We saw so many people slipping and falling down that we decided to head straight over to Pen y Fan. We saw a number of ravens at this point and even they were struggling to keep their balance in the windy conditions.

A very icy Corn Du

Corn Du with Pen y Fan behind and Cribyn in the distance

A raven battles against the elements on Bwlch Duwynt

The walk over to Pen y Fan was somewhat hazardous. It started snowing again and the snow was so thick in parts you couldn't really see the path. As you approach the saddle between Corn Du and Pen y Fan the views of the Neuadd Valley are beautiful.

The snowy path on the ridge to Pen y Fan 

The view of the snow covered Neuadd Valley

Brecon Beacons ninjas pose for a selfie!

The final climb up to Pen y Fan was very tricky with lots of ice on the ground and limited visibility owing to the hill fog. Eventually we made it to the top where we got the obligatory photo at the summit. The cairn on the summit is a Bronze Age burial chamber. In 1997 it was excavated and a bronze brooch and spearhead was found inside the chamber. On a good day the views are amazing, you can see the summit of Cadair Idris and even the Bristol Channel at Porthcawl. However the view on the day was somewhat limited!

The final climb up to Pen y Fan was extremely slippery and visibility was getting worse

The frozen summit of the highest mountain in Southern Britain

The obligatory photo opportunity (thanks to the kind chap who took it)

This was a good time to have a sit down and enjoy something to eat. The view was non-existent but it was so comforting to have a nice warm tea and a frozen Mars Bar. A quick glance to the summit and the queue for a photograph was building - it's testament to the lure of Pen y Fan that it is so popular even in such adverse conditions.

It was so cold on the summit that even my Mars bar was frozen! (other confectionery available)

Even though it was freezing up there the queue to the summit was as busy as ever!

We stayed on the summit for about fifteen minutes before deciding it was time to descend. The path down from Pen y Fan seemed to have frozen over even more and the hill fog was thickening by the minute. It was difficult in places to see where the ridge ended and the clouds began but, holding onto each other, we made our way down and could just about see which path to take when we got to the saddle in between Corn Du and Pen y Fan.

The treacherous snowy ridge

The saddle between Corn Du and Pen y Fan: at least we could see what path to take

We had lots of fun on the way down and even had a competition to see who would fall down the most - the final count was Dan twice and myself three times. We also built a snowman, made friends with numerous dogs and watched a man paragliding off the side of the mountain. There was a relaxed and party atmosphere on the path, many people were laughing and joking due to them slipping and sliding all over the place!

The beautiful descent from Bwlch Duwynt

Our own Brecon Beacons snowman (eyes & smile added in Photoshop lol)

Lots of dogs on the hike and this one looks right at home

A paraglider taking full advantage of the windy Beacons

When we got to the bottom we were surprised by the amount of people making their way up and the car park was choc-a-block. This route is without doubt the busiest one we have ever walked and I feel it is probably the easiest way up Pen y Fan.

I was so pleased that we decided to venture up Pen y Fan in the snow - it was a wonderful experience and the scenery was so beautiful. No doubt we will return to this neck of the woods soon whilst the snow remains.

A quick glance back up the path and they are still loads of people attempting the hike.

Back to the car and the whole car park was full

The return journey over the Black Mountain pass was once again not without stops as I just had to get a photo of a beautiful white pony.

Wild pony on the Black Mountain