South Wales Day 3 - Exploring Margam Park

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It was my last day in Wales and the weather was, yet again looking very forlorn. I fancied visiting something else other than waterfalls, but thanks to the despondent conditions a coastal jaunt was out of the question, so I decided to head up to Port Talbot and visit Margam Country Park.

Margam Park is an 850 acre country estate situated two miles east of Port Talbot on the narrow coastal plain, set on the southern slopes of Mynydd Margam, a largely forested mountain rising to a height of 349m, and one of the major ancient settlements of Glamorgan. It was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family and is now owned and administered by the local council.

South Wales Day 2 - An autumnal stroll along the River Mellte

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Woke up to a morning slightly improved on the previous one, as in it wasn't bucketing it down, but it was as grey as an unwashed pair of pants, so a sunrise was, again, not on the cards. After a leisurely breakfast I took a drive back to the Brecon Beacons, and paid a visit to Aberdulais Falls. 

The falls are in the care of the National Trust, along with the copper mine that drew it's water from the power of the falls some 400 years ago. It's an interesting place, but I won't go into much detail here because when I got there it was closed, so it seems rather pointless. What I didn't check before I embarked was the opening times, and seeing as I was two hours early, I didn't hang around for it to open. Instead I carried on to Henrhyd Falls, or Sgwd Henrhyd to give it it's local name.

South Wales Day 1 - Waterfalls, waterfalls & more waterfalls

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My first morning in South Wales and I was presented with a deluge of water, unfortunately I wasn't at the waterfalls just yet, I had woken up and was watching the bedroom window being thoroughly doused with rain. Needless to say, a sunrise shoot was out of the question, the sky was a pewter cloak over a sallow landscape. So I went back to bed and hoped conditions would improve.

Once I had re-emerged, the torrent had reduced to a drizzle, so I grabbed my gear and headed up to the Brecon Beacons to visit those waterfalls.

South Wales Day 3 – A walk among the waterfalls

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My alarm was set for 4 am but thanks to my lack of sleep I just couldn't face getting up for sunrise, and I turned it off almost involuntarily, before quickly disappearing back into unconsciousness. Woke up again at 8 feeling slightly guilty for not making the most of day, but not too guilty, and made a quick escape back to Waterfall Country to do the Four Falls Walk I didn't have the time to do previously.

There were already a handful of people about when I arrived at the Cwm Porth car park, it was a Saturday, so I wanted to get started before the crowds arrived. Shortly after setting off, I took a short detour down to where those who have a penchant for potholing can access one of the entrances to the River Mellte as it thunders through an underground passageway, to get a few pictures of a rather fetching woodland scene.

South Wales Day 2 – I fought the weather and the weather won

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Up at 4 am to get to Dunraven Bay for sunrise. I wasn't overly hopeful for anything amazing, as unfortunately this time of year, the sun rises over the land rather than the sea so the effect isn't as good, but it's always a wasted opportunity not to get out at sunrise when on the coast, so out I was.

As I got set up, the pre-dawn light started to make itself apparent as the clouds began to garner a pinkish hue, so I took a couple of shots and waited for something to happen, and happen it did. A great big dark, grey whopper of a cloud showed up like a screaming child at a restaurant and killed any chance of a colourful atmosphere that there might have been.

South Wales Day 1 – Mistaken identity at Porth yr Ogof

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I was travelling down to South Wales to help out on a photography workshop, and as usual I was running late. I had hoped to get a bit of photography done of my own in Waterfall Country, that area of the Brecon Beacons that is home to so many beautiful Welsh falls, before making my way down to the coast to meet up with the group that evening.

By the time I arrived at Pontneddfechan, the small village that is the de facto starting point for all things watery and falling, it was already mid afternoon, and thanks to the fact it was a glorious day, there were people everywhere. I had planned to visit Sgwd Gwladys, or Lady Falls first of all, but considering the amount of bodies about, I figured my chances of getting a decent photo to be unlikely.

South Wales Day 3 - And the wind blows...

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Another truly miserable start to the day, the wind was stronger than ever and the sky as grey as pewter, so I did what was right and correct in such circumstances; I had had a leisurely breakfast and watched a bit of morning television.

It didn’t take long for that distraction to wear thin, so I got my boots on and took a ride up to the Gawr Valley. This picturesque little vale is home to the River Garw, which runs the twelve miles from its source, Blaengarw, where I was ultimately heading to, to run into the River Ogmore, whose estuary I photographed next to on my first evening.

A view over the Blaengarw pine forest

South Wales Day 2 (Part 2) - Dunraven Bay

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After getting some well overdue lunch back at the cottage, as it was getting on for 6pm, I watched with a heavy heart, the beautiful late afternoon sunshine being overwhelmed by a congregation of clouds, rapidly going about their billowy business without so much as a thought for my future requirements.

Like the weather outside, the prospects of getting a decent sunset were looking dimmer by the minute.

I took the 20 minute drive down to Dunraven Bay anyway, as I wasn’t going to be bullied by these nebulous rascals. I had a thought to mooch around the interesting rock formations that line the coast along here.

Interesting patterns of erosion on this rock ledge

South Wales Day 2 (Part 1) - Waterfalls

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With the night slowly succumbing to a muted and lacklustre dawn, the chance of a sunrise shoot was out of the question, but by eight o’clock it was brightening up a treat. I was off to waterfall country today, so as I jumped in the car I was in a chipper mood, and in short order, I was motoring up to the Vale of Neath to get me a torrent of goodness.

Arriving in Pontneddfechan about an hour later, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, but I didn’t mind, the woodlands would provide me with shelter, and I was soon making brisk time to my first stop, Lady Falls.

After a 20 minute walk alongside the swift flow of the Afon Pyrddin river, past trees fresh with spring green foliage, and the occasional gleaming clusters of bluebells. I arrived at Lady Falls, or Sgwd Gwladus, a picturesque 20 foot cascade from a lip of sandstone to a broad pool below.

A view of Lady Falls in all her splendour.

South Wales Day 1 - The sunset that never was

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I was heading to South Wales for a few days of photography but I wasn’t in any rush, the forecast for the area, and the rain peppering the windows outside as I packed, meant there was no immediate hurry to get going.

Looking out from Dunraven Bay onto the Atlantic Ocean