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Pennard Castle

by skyadmin May 29, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: castle, coast, Gower, heritage, wales
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Pennard Castle is a ruined castle, near the modern village of Pennard on the Gower Peninsula, in south Wales. The castle was built in the early 12th century as a timber ringwork following the Norman invasion of Wales. The walls were rebuilt in stone by the Braose family at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, including a stone gatehouse. Soon afterwards, however, encroaching sand dunes caused the site to be abandoned and it fell into ruin. Restoration work was carried out during the course of the 20th century and the remains of the castle are now protected under UK law as a Grade II* listed building.

Red Cliffs

by skyadmin May 8, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, coast, devon, england
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Sgwd yr Eira Waterfall

by skyadmin April 24, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: brecknockshire, spring, wales, waterfall
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Waterfall Country (or sometimes Waterfalls Country) is an English name often given to the Vale of Neath in South Wales. The tourist area around the head of valley has an unusually large number of publicly accessible waterfalls. The area is not officially defined but generally includes the group of falls on the Nedd Fechan, Pyrddin, Hepste and Mellte rivers, all of which lie between the villages of Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte in the Brecon Beacons National Park. All of these falls lie within or on the boundary of the county of Brecknockshire, now part of the unitary authority of Powys. A few miles further west are Henrhyd Falls on the Nant Llech, a tributary of the Tawe and to the south-west are Melin Court Falls on the Melin Court Brook, a tributary of the River Neath. These, along with Aberdulais Falls on the Dulais, a further tributary of the Neath are also encompassed by the term ‘Waterfall/s Country’ by some writers. Collectively the falls are one of the more popular natural attractions in South Wales, which has caused problems of erosion in the vicinity of many of the falls. Most occupy locations designated as sites of special scientific interest or as special areas of conservation which aim to protect the biodiversity and geodiversity of these sites. The designations place a duty on the landowners and managers to protect the sites and so various erosion […]

Hooken Cliffs

by skyadmin April 8, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, coast, devon, england, sunset
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Hooken cliiffs, a dramatic landslip in 1790 left a tumbled landscape where thick vegetation is speared through by spectacular white cliffs and pinnacles, providing a haven for wildlife. Part of the south west coast path, there are spectacular views in either direction of red cliffs soaring beyond the white cliffs, linking the villages of Beer and Branscombe with tales of smugglers, Romans and lacemakers. It is also is the best location in Devon for finding fossils, in particular, echinoids, ammonites, fish and brachiopods, which are easy to find. You can find another photo on the south west coast path here.

Freshwater Bay

by skyadmin January 12, 2022 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: bay, cliffs, coast, england, isle of wight
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Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. The southern, coastal part of the village is Freshwater Bay, named for the adjacent small cove. Freshwater sits at the western end of the region known as the Back of the Wight or the West Wight, a popular tourist area. Freshwater is close to steep chalk cliffs. It was the birthplace of physicist Robert Hooke and was the home of Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson. I took this shot using the 162mm lens on my new Mavic 3, you can make out that there is a bird perched on the rock.

Old Harry Rocks

by skyadmin December 27, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, coast, dorset, england, heritage
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Old Harry Rocks are three chalk formations, including a stack and a stump, located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England. They mark the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Old Harry Rocks lies directly east of Studland, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of Swanage, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the large towns of Poole and Bournemouth. To the south are the chalk cliffs of Ballard Down, much of which is owned by the National Trust. The rocks can be viewed from the Dorset section of the South West Coast Path. When I took this photo is was incredibly windy and the drone was really struggling, but fortunately the photo still managed to stitch. You can see another photo of the south west coast path here.

Cheddar Gorge

by skyadmin December 18, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: cliffs, england, somerset
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Cheddar Gorge is a limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar, Somerset, England. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in 1903. Older remains from the Upper Late Palaeolithic era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have been found. The caves, produced by the activity of an underground river, contain stalactites and stalagmites. The gorge is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest called Cheddar Complex. Cheddar Gorge, including the caves and other attractions, has become a tourist destination. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, following its appearance on the television programme Seven Natural Wonders (2005), Cheddar Gorge was named as the second greatest natural wonder in Britain, surpassed only by Dan yr Ogof caves. The gorge attracts about 500,000 visitors per year. I shot this from just below the top of the castle rock between showers.

Ouse Valley Viaduct

by skyadmin December 7, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: england, heritage, railway, sussex, viaduct
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The Ouse Valley Viaduct (or the Balcombe Viaduct) carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex. It is located to the north of Haywards Heath and to the south of Balcombe. Known for its ornate design, the structure has been described as “probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain.” Construction of the Ouse Valley Viaduct commenced by the London & Brighton Railway company during 1839. It was designed by the principal engineer for the line, John Urpeth Rastrick, in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a jack arch with a semi-circular soffit, which had the benefit of reducing the number of bricks required. The roughly 11 million bricks required for its construction were mostly shipped up the River Ouse (via Newhaven and Lewes) from the Netherlands. On 12 July 1841, the viaduct was officially opened to train services, although the structure was not fully completed until the following year. I have another shot of part of this railway line here.

Lewes

by skyadmin November 29, 2021 in Photo Blogtags: boat, cliffs, england, river, sussex, town, tunnel
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Lewes (/ˈluːɪs/) is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of the Lewes local government district and the seat of East Sussex County Council at East Sussex County Hall. A traditional market town and centre of communications, in 1264 it was the site of the Battle of Lewes. The town’s landmarks include Lewes Castle, Lewes Priory, Bull House (the former home of Thomas Paine), Southover Grange and public gardens, and a 16th-century timber-framed Wealden hall house known as Anne of Cleves House. Other notable features of the area include the Glyndebourne festival, the Lewes Bonfire celebrations and the Lewes Pound. I took this photo from the side of the golf course to get the view of the tunnel going through the cliff.

Sgwd y Pannwr Waterfall

by skyadmin November 15, 2021 in Photo Blog0 commentstags: autumn, brecknockshire, wales, waterfall
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Waterfall Country (or sometimes Waterfalls Country) is an English name often given to the Vale of Neath in South Wales. The tourist area around the head of valley has an unusually large number of publicly accessible waterfalls. The area is not officially defined but generally includes the group of falls on the Nedd Fechan, Pyrddin, Hepste and Mellte rivers, all of which lie between the villages of Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte in the Brecon Beacons National Park. All of these falls lie within or on the boundary of the county of Brecknockshire, now part of the unitary authority of Powys. A few miles further west are Henrhyd Falls on the Nant Llech, a tributary of the Tawe and to the south-west are Melin Court Falls on the Melin Court Brook, a tributary of the River Neath. These, along with Aberdulais Falls on the Dulais, a further tributary of the Neath are also encompassed by the term ‘Waterfall/s Country’ by some writers. Collectively the falls are one of the more popular natural attractions in South Wales, which has caused problems of erosion in the vicinity of many of the falls. Most occupy locations designated as sites of special scientific interest or as special areas of conservation which aim to protect the biodiversity and geodiversity of these sites. The designations place a duty on the landowners and managers to protect the sites and so various erosion […]
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