Torrent Walk

Today's outing was to cross another walk off the list on my Snowdonia App. This is the Torrent Walk. It starts off in Brithdir, just outside of Dolgellau and you follow the River Clywedog down through its gorge, via a series of beautiful waterfalls.

The directions on the App are very good, as long as you read them properly. If you follow the A470 North and turn right for Brithdir, like I did, please don't be surprised if you don't find the walk. The directions actually say follow it South and turn left. I really shouldn't be let out by myself!

It is a gorgeous walk. There is a purpose built path running alongside the river which makes it easy walking. It follows the water through many twists and turns, over waterfalls and through some very rough water. The noise is deafening but there is something very "at one with nature" about it all.

I had a play around with shutter speeds to vary the movement of the water. I found that the focussing needs to be completely spot on or the whole image looks blurred. I have live view on my camera, and with it you are able to zoom in to a small part of the image and focus that, then zoom out. I found it made all the difference.

The walk to the bottom is a lovely downhill hike for just over a mile where you cross a bridge to return on the other side of the river. But just remember to pace yourself because until they build a lift, you have a not so nice uphill trek to face on the way back.

I finished off the day with another visit to Criccieth. Isn't it strange how you find an affinity with one place and keep being drawn back. On my fitbug I had only done 7000 steps on the hike so had another 3000 to before I was allowed to come home! Walked along the beach and took the following 2 pictures. I think one is an alien being and the other the most charming piece of natural art I have ever seen.

Lesson Learned: What goes down must eventually go back up again.
Look for art in the most unlikely of places



Rhyl - Topping up the Zen

Today was all about restoring the balance of tranquillity after a couple of stressful work days. I needed a beach and something to photograph. I had to fit in between school runs so distance was an issue so decided to head to Rhyl. Haven't been for a few years and I remember the town being a bit rundown but the beach being gorgeous. Arriving there didn't change my opinion at all.

 I don't know what it is with the Great British Public, but no one else seems to like beaches in winter, apart from the one lonely soul and her dog in the above picture. To me, its the best time, no crowds, no trouble parking and no open amusement arcades.

During my walk, a large flock of birds swooped in and landed on the beach, too quick for me to photograph so I had to stand there for ages just waiting for them to do something interesting. Are you of an age to remember the KitKat ad with the Pandas? If so, you'll know what I am talking about, if not, Google it, it is so worth a look.

 I walked heading from the town to the harbour (round trip of 11,250 steps according to my new and highly addictive Fitbug). There has been a lot of work done there and the area is lovely. Lots of picturesque sand dunes and rock pools. There is also a really nice café that does an amazing mochachino. It is the Bike Hub Café, half café half bike repair shop. They are currently advertising for staff so if you are a trained bike mechanic/barista I think there's a job for you there!

 I have been lucky with the weather today. It has been bright so I have been able to use the telephoto lens without the tripod and still get the shutter speeds I needed. All in all a good day and tranquillity levels almost topped up. Now to find a mountain to photograph!



Lessons Learned: Patience should never be underestimated as a vital skill for a photographer.

Even when she's exploring her wild side, a girl still needs her mochachino!

Rhaeadr (waterfall) Cynfal

One of the best things that I have on my phone is my Snowdonia App. I found it on this website: snowdonia app and it is extremely useful. It details dozens of walks around Snowdonia suitable for all abilities, from the Hard Mountain Walk to Accessible Walks. You can take it for a 9mile walk up Snowdon or a fifth of a mile along a beach. I have decided to work my way through them, getting more adventurous as the fitness levels slowly improve.

So todays plan was the Moderate Leisure Walk to Rhaeadr Cynfal. A 3 mile circular hike from Llan Ffestiniog.

Early start again, and managed to catch a gorgeous sunrise just the other side of Bala.



That is going to be the main downfall to the start of summer, the sunrises are going to be ridiculously early!

The App is fantastic as it tells you each step of the hike, which paths to follow, which gates to go through plus gives some interesting information about your surroundings. When you have as little sense of direction as I do, every bit of info helps.

The walk started off by taking me through a field of rather gorgeous black sheep. Its a little unsettling to have a whole flock of sheep stop what they are doing and watch you pass by. I found myself apologising for disturbing them and I must admit its not the first one sided conversation I've had with sheep on these crazy outings of mine and I am sure it won't be the last!

So I am then directed through very dense forest and you can hear the waterfall long before you see it.

You walk down some steps right to the base of the fall, and although its not huge, it is very powerful and incredibly loud.

The walk then takes you through some wonderful deep woodland. It warns you that the walk might be a bit wet here, and its not kidding. After sinking ankle deep in mud, the remainder of the walk was accompanied by lovely squelching noises!

Anyway, out of the wood and the scene opens up and you get some amazing views of the snow capped Moelwynion. The hike takes you to the pylon you see in the middle of the picture below and up to the field with sheep on the right of it. A lot of uphill hiking. Must improve my fitness levels!

This then completes the circle and takes you back to Llan Ffestiniog.

After getting back to the car I decided have a closer look at the mountain and it is spectacular. Built in front of it is the dam constructed by the Ffestiniog Power Station and it just looks unreal to have a dam near the top of a mountain.

Lessons Learned: When the guidebook says muddy, believe it.

Talk to the sheep, they are very good listeners and they might be the only creatures within earshot for several miles!

Chasing Waves January 2015

A storm was about to hit and the seas were predicted to be rough so Stewart and I decide to go Chasing Waves!

I start off in Abersoch, getting there for sunrise and yes, that did mean a completely ungodly hour to get up in the morning.

Next stop, Hell's Mouth where the waves were expected to be extreme, 10 - 12ft! The sea was a bit wild, but I think someone exaggerated a bit!

So plan B. Porth Ceiriad. And oh Wow, what a place. Here were the extreme waves. Here was nature at her most dangerous. The wind was so strong we could barely stand and the noise from the sea was deafening and I have never had an experience like it!

It was so cold, but I have learned from past experiences that you need layers and plenty of them (3 on my legs and 5 on the rest of me). Top that off with a woolly hat with earflaps and I'm afraid to say that I didn't look at my most glamorous. Its a difficult call when you are on a field trip with a handsome young man. Glamour or warmth? Its probably a sad indication of the time I have reached in my life when warmth won without too much of a struggle.

When looking back at my photos I think I should have used a shorter shutter speed. I got a lot of movement on the camera because of the intense winds. I think I would have got a bit more definition. The tripod kept being blown over so I had to make sure I had a firm grip on the camera at all times.

With reluctance we left Porth Ceiriad and drove to Trefor where there were people surfing. It is very much on my To Do list to take a good photo of a surfer and although I took plenty, none were good. I have never seen anyone surf before and it is fascinating. The patience needed to wait for the right wave, the agility and balance to get up on the board, and then to be able to cruise in on the wave. Incredible stuff. But no, not tempted. Its still freezing cold water and a rubber jumpsuit. Will stick to trying to photograph it.

But what a fantastic day, some amazing locations, great company and some cracking photos!

Lessons Learned: You can't look alluring when you have doubled your body weight in thermal layers, so don't even try.

Criccieth

Isn't it wonderful when you find a place that really resonates with something inside you. I found this in Criccieth. Possibly because it was the first beach that I visited in this new phase of my life, but there is something so very atmospheric about walking along a gorgeous beach in the middle of winter with an imposing castle looking haughtily down on you. 

I have been back many times and it looks different each time. So much can change, the time of day, the season, the strength of the waves.

 

 

It is always worth revisiting as you will see something new every time you go back. In some way it feels like catching up with an old friend.

 

 

Lessons Learned: Don't discount somewhere just because you've been there before. Revisit with fresh eyes.

If you are going to walk the beach and photograph wild waves, wear your wellies.



 

Snowdonia and Anglesey Late December

After the excesses of Christmas I felt that I needed a long and wild day out so headed for Snowdonia.

It was a completely gorgeous morning. So cold but really bright and crisp. I knew exactly the spot I wanted to get to and arrived at about the right time for the sunrise. There were already quite a few photographers there lined up with their tripods, but was able to find a good spot. So what is the collective name for them? A flash of photographers, an exposure of photographers? Answers on a postcard please!

Very pleased with how the pics turned out. Almost worth the frostbite! The colours on the mountains were just glorious. You definitely need a tripod for this as my fingers were shaking so much with the cold. -5. Thank heaven for thermals!

        

            

After that I drove towards Beddgelert and took some shots along that road. It goes along the valley and a low mist just hung in the middle of it. So very pleased with how this photo came out.

       

I wanted to explore further as it was still very early, so decided to find the Twr Mawr Lighthouse on Anglesey. It is situated on Llanddwyn Island, just outside of Newborough on Anglesey and is the most gorgeous place. It starts off like a bit of a nature reserve in that you drive through protected forests where there is supposedly an abundance of wildlife including red squirrels. After a couple of miles you come to the beach and it is spectacular. The water is the Menai Straits and the other side of that is Snowdonia, so you have sea and mountains in one view with forests behind.

You walk for over a mile to one end and that is when you come to the Llanddwyn Island which is cut off from the mainland by really high tides. On this Island are 2 lighthouses and a small ruin. There are many secluded bays and lots of hills to clamber up so I took so many photos. Well worth a visit if you haven't been there.         

  

 

The light has been just about perfect all day so I have felt very inspired and I am hoping that shows in the photos. Trying to concentrate on focal points in my scenes and playing around with settings to make the best of the light.            

 

Spent about 3 hours just walking the beach and lighthouses and it was almost sunset by this time so I set up the tripod and snapped away. And isn't it amazing when there is a boat exactly where you need one to be!

Lessons Learned: Brave the elements and don't assume how the day starts will be how it finishes.

Hells Mouth December

At the moment, I have 3 favourite places to be. Criccieth beach, Snowdonia and Hell's Mouth. A year ago that list would have read Hobbycraft, Starbucks and bed. How things change.

Hells Mouth is a secluded bay on the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula and it is the place to go for some extreme waves in the right conditions. I had been once before but the waves were calm. It is a gorgeous atmospheric beach and I have yet to see another soul on it in the 3 times I have visited.

However, it's certainly something else there when the waves are high as they were for my next visit. When I emerged from the path from the car park it was another Wow moment. Never seen anything like it. It was like a wall of moving water, absolutely incredible. So I turned left and walked along the beach as far as I could. It wasn't raining but the wind was so strong I could barely stand still. The tripod wasn't much use because of the wind, so I upped the ISO, opened the aperture and had the shutter speed as short as possible. Yet again didn't see another living soul on the beach.

 

I am heading back to do the other side of the beach when I have the brainwave of getting a little closer to try and take a photo along the waves rather than in front. Big mistake. I don't know how I misjudged it so badly but I did and ended up with water up to my knees. I didn't need the whistle as I think my shrieks could be heard in the next county and you certainly won't ever have seen me move so fast! So I compose myself, find somewhere to sit and pour the water out of my boots and wring my socks out and put bare feet back in my boots. Not pleasant at all.

 

             

Decided to do a bit of exploring before I leave and head up and across the sand dunes. Spent a very happy couple of hours just wandering up and down the beach. I think a deserted beach with a wild sea and gale force winds is my new favourite place to be.                

 

By some fluke I had brought a spare pair of jeans with me so thought I would quickly change in the car but when I got back to it, a family of 8 had arrived and were milling around. I know they were probably sightseeing but me without my trousers is probably not what they had in mind so I had to sit in the car, wet, dripping and squelching while they sorted themselves out! You see, this is what happens when I am let out alone! I seem to have to remove more clothing after one of these trips than is entirely appropriate!

Lessons Learned: Always carry a complete change of clothes in the car with you.
Buy wellies.

Llanberis Slate Museum December 2014

Had another attempt at Llanberis Slate Museum. Purse.. check, hair brush.. check. All set.

It is the most amazing drive to get from home in Shropshire to Llanberis. You go through Llangollen, Corwen, Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. You skirt the base of Snowdon and then through the Llanberis Pass. It would be worth going even if I just got there and turned round and came home again. The scenery is completely incredible.

The museum itself is set in the original workshops of the Dinorwig Slate Quarry and it is a fascinating place. You can spend hours just wandering around the machinery and getting a real feel for the atmosphere. You can go into the engine sheds where they worked on the trains that transported the slate which was fabulous. Tried to get some moody shots in there, but the tinsel wrapped around the train disturbed the ambience somewhat. Actually the inflatable Snowmen in the furnace room were probably worse! That's the trouble with Christmas, too much cheerfulness! Still, I think I managed to crop most of that out!            

  

 

At one end is a huge waterwheel which powered the whole factory. It was surrounded by a metal fence so I wasn't able to get a clear shot which was a shame. But the workrooms are just crammed with the most amazing tools and gadgets and I need to get back there. I had been set a challenge by a friend and I was focussing on photographing movement. It is sometimes a good idea to go somewhere with a definite purpose, it kind of focusses the mind. This is somewhere I can see myself going often, plus its handy to have a wet weather outing available.

This is one of my favourite pictures of the trip and I really don't know why. I call it the Duck Billed Telephone. Sometimes the most bizarre things work as a picture. The only editing I have done to it is to add a bit of a vignette. Trying to keep thinking about the Rule of Thirds and resist the temptation to put it slap bang in the centre!



Second attempt at "Movement". So lucky the bird was there when I was aiming!.

                 

While there, I was befriended by a workman who insisted on showing me all the best places to take photos and although I managed to lose him after a while, he caught up with me as I was about to leave. It was actually he who told me about the slate pool. It is so hidden away that if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there. I walked through this low slate tunnel but when I came out the other side, it was a real wow moment. Never seen anything like it. Surrounded on all sides by this slate hill with a treacherously deep pool in the middle. I am so sad the pics weren't better, but I do still have the memory of course.

 

After leaving that, I found a hill to clamber up. (Its only a good trip if I can clamber up something). I was then overlooking the buildings and saw how close it was to the lake. So that was my next stop.

 Lessons Learned: Its an old clichéd saying, but its true. Enjoy the Journey!
Photograph the bizarre. If it doesn't work, delete it. But who knows...!

An unexpected adventure December 2014

Decided to have a go at something different today, so headed to the Llanberis Slate Museum.

New challenge of the day. See what sort of a day I can have with 22p in loose change, plus 8 opal fruits and a walnut whip. Quite a good one actually.

 

Of course that wasn't my original intention, but when I got out the car at the Llanberis Slate Museum and realised that I had left my purse on the dining room table, I had to improvise! I think I may have mentioned it before, but I really shouldn't be let out on my own without adult supervision.

 

So what could I do that was free and that you didn't have to pay to park to do it! Luckily I had about half a tank of petrol, so was good to go exploring which I did. I just drove where it looked interesting and took photos where I could safe in the knowledge that my sat nav would get me home from anywhere. It was actually quite liberating but I probably could never find any of the places I went to again. Had to get back for the school run, so not a full day, but certainly an interesting one. Saw this beautiful statue in a cemetery and just loved it. It was too old to be able to read the inscription, but you certainly got the feeling that whoever it was for was much loved.

 

 

Saw my first proper snow topped mountain, although there wasn't enough snow on it to really take it off my bucket list (climb to the top of, and photograph a snow capped mountain)

   

So Llanberis Slate Mine pencilled in for another day. 

Lessons Learned: Leave a pot of change in the car so that at least you can pay to park somewhere.

Be adaptable and prepared to work with whatever life throws at you.

 

Criccieth November

After Anglesey I fancied a trip to Criccieth to catch the sunset. This has got to be one of my favourite places. Got there about 4.30, parked up and dithered about whether to get a ticket as it was late. Conscience won over so I put in my 50p which the machine swallowed but then wouldn’t print the ticket, so I pushed all the buttons, like one does, and broke the machine. The screen flashed up “Not Operational” and a loud alarm bell started ringing! So I nonchalently sidled away. That will teach me to be honest, its a life of crime from now on!

So spent a lovely half hour up and down the beach taking sunset shots. It really is a beautiful place and again am pleased with the photos.

The only difficulty I have on these days out is making myself come home. I just don’t want them to end, but it was completely dark by this point and although I now have a whistle, I wouldn’t feel safe wandering up and down the beach by myself. 

I can’t wait until the spring comes and the days are longer. Back to the car, and the alarm bell is still ringing, so I hastily depart and come home (via McD’s as I realise I haven’t eaten anything since my gingerbread latte in Anglesey, too busy having fun to eat)

Lessons Learned: Choose your honesty selectively as it can get you into more trouble than you would imagine.

Anglesey November 18th

Another fabulous day. I really am extremely lucky at the moment.

I decided to go really early, but I was like a kid on holiday and too excited to sleep so getting up at 6am was a bit of a struggle but so worth it as I was in Anglesey before 9am. I was heading for the South Stack Lighthouse but decided to stop for breakfast first and followed the signs for services, which took me to Llanfair....gogogoch! I didn’t realise it was there. Its not a proper railway station any more. There is a platform but I don’t think the stationhouse is used. The surrounding ground has been turned into a “shopping experience”. All novelty gifts and celtic woollens which is a bit sad, but having said that, they do a gorgeous gingerbread latte!

I had to do the touristy thing and take a picture of the name, so there went all my credibility as a serious photographer!

On then to the South Stack Lighthouse. The weather has been incredible today, I have been so lucky. It was warm with barely a cloud in the sky. We had been here years before but the weather wasn’t so good then and I didn’t even get out the car, but that was pre-Nun and surfer, things are different now!

The walk to the Lighthouse was easy but once there, there was some clambering to be done to get higher and further along the coast, which was great. The views were spectacular and the sun made all the colours so vibrant, especially the white of the lighthouse. Very pleased with those photos.

Went further down the coast then, to the Stacks. Very dramatic. Got quite brave and got within about a foot of the cliff edge. Sheer drop of about 100ft. At one point here, there was a life ring, but I figure that if you have ended up in the water from there, a life ring isn’t going to do an awful lot of good! 

There were a couple of brave souls canoeing who managed to stay still long enough for me to take a photo from the top of the cliff. Zoom lens a necessity so you don't have to get too close! 

I am going to go back to Anglesey on one of my outings and spend the day going around the whole coast. There is so much to see but I had other things I wanted to do today.

Lessons Learned: Don't forget about places you have already been to. A different time of year, or a different attitude will make a lot of difference.

Caenarvon November

Another go at Sunset. Determined to get a good one somewhere. Checked the map to see where would be a good place when the sun went down and decided Caenarvon would be good to try.

It is beautiful there, but haven't been able to get a shot of the castle I am pleased with because of the large car park in front of it. Once I learn how to photo edit, I will airbrush that out!

I have never taken a proper sunset photo before, so again it is all trial and error. It is really cold and I am positioned on the path for ages behind my tripod trying to pretend I know what I am doing. But the results didn't turn out too bad.

You definitely need your tripod and I put it on a 2 second delay to try to minimize as much camera shake as possible. The picture above was actually taken at 1/320 sec ISO 200 f5.6. The one below taken straight after at 1/30 f25. So it just shows what a difference adjusting your settings can make to a picture.

 Lessons Learned: Don't rush and don't be afraid to play around with settings, you may be surprised at the results.
If you act like you know what you are doing, people won't suspect that you don't.