Silent Summit

Cribarth, Abercraf, Powys, Wales

The top of Cribarth is unlike any hill I've been up before, over a hundred years ago it must have looked very different. The quarries would have been bustling with quarrymen, each chipping away at the hill, the inclines would have carried the tonnes of rock down the hill whilst simultaneously pulling empty wagons up the hill. 

Now the only noise is the beautiful song of the Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis (4) during it’s fluttering 'parachute' display flight or the grinding chewing of the Mountain Ponies grazing on the summit. 

The summit is also home to a disturbed Bronze Age round barrow, as well as the stark white trig point. A single battered Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (9) was sunning itself on the ruined cairn. but with the sun going down and the wind picking we started on the path down.

The Sleeping Giant

Cribarth, Abercraf, Powys, Wales

Cribarth is a hill found within the Brecon Beacons National Park, it is probably one of the most heavily quarried hills in Wales but this has given it a distinctive appeal, from a distance the hill looks like a sleeping giant which gives the hill it’s local name.

The main reason the area was worked so heavily was because of the geology of the area with the hill being formed of Carboniferous Limestone and  Namurian age Twrch Sandstone.    

In total there were thirty-three large quarries and innumerable smaller ones quarrying Limestone, silica rock and rottenstone in huge quantities for the iron, copper and tin industries further south around the Swansea Valley, these were worked by 10.5 miles of tramways and eighteen inclined planes all eventually leading to the Swansea Canal which was built in 1794, the quarrying continuing on until the 1890s. 

The lower slopes were covered in a dry woodland of Birch Betula spp. and Oak Quercus spp. littered with boulders and Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis (4), further up the slope Bracken Pteridium aquilinum and Purple Moor-Grass  Molinia caerulea eventually giving out to grazed upland acidic grassland.

Undercut

Sgwd Henrhyd, Coelbren, Powys, Wales

Sgwd Henrhyd is the tallest waterfall in south Wales with a drop of 27m (90 feet), it occurs where the Nant Llech drops over the faulted edge of hard sandstone known as farewell rock, due to the local miners finding no further  iron ore and so they would bid a 'farewell' to further riches.

Due to much softer mudstone and sandstone below the upper geological layers, an undercut has developed which can be accessed and doubled as the entrance to the bat cave in The Dark Night Rises.

Due to the dampness caused by the constant spray and deep shade of the valley a large number of ferns and mosses can be found growing. Amongst them a few plants could be found, closest to the waterfall were a group of Primrose Primula vulgaris (8), these bright yellow flowers are a common site in many woodlands but it’s not often i’ve seen them growing in such damp conditions.

Following the Nant Llech you come across a river littered with the fallen trunks of trees which have fallen into the steep sided valley. Further up the slope a number of different plant species could be found amongst the leaf litter and moss. Lowest down the slope were Wood Sorrel Oxalis acetosella (5) and Opposite-Leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium alternifolium (2). Higher up an unusual looking Geum turned out to be a fertile hybrid of Wood Aven Geum urbanum and Water Avens Geum rivale known as Geum × intermedium (3). A Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major (4) was feeding busily on a Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis (4) which were growing along the paths and the upper slope.

Mwmbwls

The Mumbles, Swansea Bay, Swansea, Wales

Although the sea fog caused low viability around nearly all of the west coast, down south in Swansea Bay the fog had lifted although still visable in the distance.

The Mumbles is a distinctive headland on the western edge of Swansea Bay. It gets its name from the shape of the two anthropomorphic islands, either from French sailors or from the Celtic ‘Mamucium’ which means ‘Breast-shaped Hill’.

The lighthouse present on the western most islet has been operational since the 1790’s whilst the nearby pier was built in 1898, the pier is also used by breeding Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla a few of which could be seen flying round the bay.

Sea Fog

The Blue Lagoon,  Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire, Wales

With the sea fog making it almost impossible to see anything beyond a 100m on the coast we only stopped for a short while in Abereiddy, a small hamlet with the stunning ruins of a small village and old slate quarry.

The quarry which once provided slate for the local area, with stone being moved across the beach by horses. Although it was only ever worked as a small quarry, eventually a tramway was built linking the quarry to the nearby    harbour at Porthgain.  The workings created a large a deep circular hole which the sea filled through a narrow gap , the local fisherman seeing this as possible safe harbour blasted a large hole filling the quarry with sea water. The 25m deep water  is a beautiful sapphire blue due to the mineral content of the rock and is often used for cliff diving.

Although early in the year a few flowers had started to bloom, around the derelict quarry workers homes Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea (4) had poked its purple heads, on the rust stained cliff the first of the years Common Scuvy-Grass Cochlearia officinalis (7) produced it’s delicate white blooms, the leaves have an unusual taste which is similar to wasabi.

Tyddewi

St David’s Cathedral, St David’s, Pembrokeshire, Wales

This was the start of my journey to south Wales, the weather was warm with only a light breeze, spring had certainly made itself felt, even if the buds on the tree had only just started to burst.

St David’s lies on the Afon Alun, where the yellow blooms of Lesser Celendine Ranunculus ficaria (5) traced the river. It is the smallest city in the UK and is the final resting place of St David, Wales’s patron saint. It first got city status in the 16th century although lost it in 1888 before re-receiving it in 1994.

The cathedral present on the site was built by the Normans, after the original was destroyed in 1087, after being plundered and sacked by the Vikings. The cathedral drew large numbers of pilgrims and high profile visitors such as William the Conquer and Henry II due to Pope Calixtus II decreeing that two pilgrimages to St David’s were equivalent to one to Rome ‘Roma semel quantum dat bis Menevia tantum’.The site still draws a large crowd although it mainly tourists rather than pilgrims nowadays.

The crumbling masonry was home to a wide number of plant species including Common Daisy Bellis perennis (4) and Ivy-Leaved Toadflax Cymbalaria muralis (3). Western Jackdaws Cymbalaria muralis (1) cawed from the gravestone, these birds were once considered sacred in Welsh folklore, due to their decision of nesting in church steeples.

Just found this in my drafts…it was meant to post before I went away, enjoy!

So once again I’ve been quiet for a bit but I have a very valid reason, I’ve been in Borneo, Malaysia for the past week deep in the rainforest at the Danu Gurang field centre… still got another week to go but expect lots of pictures including elephants, Ourangutangs and macaques!

Yellow, White & Blue

Allt Wen, Aberystwyth, Ceredigon, Wales

With the sun fading and the clouds starting to close in, we walked back along the top of the cliffs. The light lit up everything with a wonderful golden hue. 

The cliff top was covered in a wide variety of wild flowers, yellows came in teh form of Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria (1), European Gorse Ulex europaeus (2) and Primroses Primula vulgaris (3), which were all flowering in perfusion.

White was represented by Wavy Bittercress Cardamine flexuosa (5)(6) which can be differentiated to its close relative the Hairy Bittercress by the number of stamens present, with the former having 6 and the latter 4. 

Finally we come onto blue (technically purple), which was present in both a plant and an insect, the Common Dog Violet Viola rivinian (7) is one of my favourite spring flowers and can be found almost anywhere during their flowering season. The Bloody-Nosed Beetle Timarcha tenebricosa (8) is a flightless beetle which walks with a particular unusual gaunt, it gets its name due to its unusual defence method which includes secreting red liquid from its mouth parts and leg joints.

Strata Change

Morfa Bychan, Ceredgion, Wales

With the tide still receding we continued along the beach towards Morfa Bychan, which unlike Aberystwyth sits on boulder clay which was deposited during the last interglacial period, although a few outcrops of the usual Silurian layers rise in certain areas creating a series of shallow caves. 

Much of the boulder clay is pock marked with deep fissures which have either naturally occurred due to streams or due to the increased use of mole drains to drain the fertile fields above, either way it creates an amazing, almost lunar landscape.

With the area being so exposed to winter storms very few plants could be found growing on the cliffs, Sea Spleenwort Asplenium marinum (2) was growing in cracks in-between the harder bits of cliff. Colt’s Foot Tussilago farfara (6) could be found commonly growing on the areas of collapsed boulder clay, unlike most plants it flowers before putting out leaves and is one of the earliest flowers to be found. On the more stable cliffs Primroses Primula vulgaris (7) were just coming into flower, these delicate, sweet smelling flowers are often heralded as the beginning of spring for most people.

The warm weather had woken a few Peacock Butterflies Aglais io (8) out of hibernation, many of which were now sunning themselves on the warm shingle. In many of the cracks in the rocks, Sea Slaters Ligia oceanica (3) could be found scuttling about, desperate to stay out of the bright sunlight.

Below the Tide Line

Tan-y-Bwlch Beach, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales

A wander south along the beach during low tide uncovers a completely different and constantly changing world which changes with almost every tide.

Boulders which look cemented in place move with the currents creating new pools and opportunities for the creatures found within them.

On the upper shore two edible seaweeds can be found anchored to the rock, Sea Lettuce Ulva lactuca (3) and Laver Porphyra umbilicalis (5) are both common on the Welsh coast, with Laver being used in the traditional Welsh dish Laverbread.

Common Prawns Palaemon serratus (5) and Shore Crabs Carcinus maenas (1) were also common in many of the rockpools, both of these creatures are scavengers searching for tid-bits which have washed into the pools. The Beadlet Anemone Actinia equina (9) is another hunter which can easily be found in rockpools, although unlike the crustaceans it is a sit and wait hunter, searching for floating items of food using its stinging tentacles.

Many molluscs can also be found along this stretch of coast including, the Rough Periwinkle Littorina saxatilis (2)(10), Common Limpet Patella vulgata (10) and Purple Topshell Gibbula umbilicalis (6) whilst one slightly unusual family known as Coat-of-mail shells, or Chitons Tonicella marmorea (10), which could be found by turning over rocks.

This section of silurian rocky coast extends for several miles south out of Aberystwyth, before the geology changes abruptly and soft cliffs of boulder clay become the norm changing the strata of the beach.

Once again I’ve been busy working and bird ringing (banding), such as this wonderful azure Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis, which has led to a massive lack of post, i’ll try and get as many posts out as possible during quiet periods but expect at some point (possibly not in the near future) posts on south Wales, Kent, bird ringing and nightjars. 

Miner’s Past

Cwm Rheidol, Rheidol Valley, Ceredigion, Wales

Cwm Rheidol is characteristic of the area around mid-Wales, with it’s deep U-shaped glacial valley and steep wooded sides which gradually grade into farmland as the slopes shallow, making it a beautiful site for a walk.

Although now much of this area is vastly empty with only a few inhabitants, the valley was once home to a much larger workforce which worked the many mines which can still be found dotting the valley sides.

Adit mines, which once would have been worked by countless local men are now surround by even aged upland oak woodland or deep dark conifer plantations. The larger mines such as the Cwm Rheidol mine have left a longer lasting legacy with the water flowing from the mines being filled with heavy metals which then flow into the river causing a widespread pollution problem.

Due to the heavy metal contamination and unstable ground, very little manages to grow on the disused slag heaps, although Cladonia (4) lichen is relatively common, as is Gorse Ulex europaeus (3) which helps to stabalise the soil, eventually though as trees grow up, this too will be hidden deep in one of the valleys many forests.

Lack of posts...

Sorry for the lack of post recently, I’ve been very busy bird ringing (banding if you’re American) which was amazing! Ringed loads of new species including an Osprey (Celyn, W2 at the Dyfi Osprey project) and travelled through almost every county in Wales, in under 24 hours with only 3 hours sleep! i’ll get back to sorting through my photos and posting them soon.

A Feathered Swarm

Aberystwyth Pier, North Beach, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales

There’s hardly a week which goes by where I don’t go and watch the Starlings Sturnus vulgaris during their winter performances.

Late February to early March is by far the best time to watch the murmaration with the days getting longer the starlings seem to perform for longer than the rest of the winter but this brings further risks, the risk of being attacked by Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus (1).

Peregrines dive directly into the middle of the flock causing the birds to panic and form a dense flock, which pulsates in the air in a range of different shapes, each as unique as the last, providing a wonderful view for any passers by.

Spring Passage

Cors Ian (Brynarth Bach), Lledrod, Ceredigion, Wales

The second trip to Cors Ian for our Management plan assignment gave us more time and more light to search around the site for items of interest.

Although spring starts later in the uplands, the Gorse Ulex europaeus (4) had just started to flower, providing a welcome source of nectar to early pollinating insects. Gorse is also the host species for a species of fungus known as Witches’ Butter Tremella mesenterica (5).

A spring passage of Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria (3) north to their breeding grounds. Although a few plover still breed in the Cambrians the vast majority breed in the Arctic circle, with their passage through the uplands an indicator that the seasons were changing and spring was on it’s way.

A Lead Past

Pumlumon Mine, Pumlumon, Eisteddfa Gurig, Ceredigion, Wales

Pumlumon, like most of the upland areas of Wales is full of mines which hark back to a more industrial past.

It’s hard to imagine this bleak and empty valley was once a industrial, dirty and busy mine. It’s situated 550m up along the Afon Tarennig and unlike many of the mines in the Central Wales orefield which have been worked since ancient times, the Pumlumon mine was first worked in 1864, it consisted of several adit mines which yielded ca 3270 tons of lead during the mines working period until it closed in 1897.

There was still a large amount of evidence from the sites past uses, with the large slag tip being in evidence from quite a distance away. Once closer you could see the old water wheel trench, which once held a 40ft wheel and an old tipper bucket.

Nature has slowly started to take back the site which has been badly affected by the heavy metals released during the mines history. In a small pool close to the trackway, Round-Leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus omiophyllus (7) could be found growing.

Top of the Cambrians

Pen Pumlumon Fawr, Pumlumon, Eisteddfa Gurig, Ceredigion, Wales

Pumlumon is the crown of the Cambrians reaching a total of 752 metres (2,467 ft) at it’s highest point on Pen Pumlumon Fawr.

Pumlumon is Welsh for "five peaks" and according to Welsh folklore is home to a sleeping giant. It is also the source of the longest river in the UK, the Severn and several other rivers including the Wye and the Rheidol.

As always with the uplands the weather can change very rapidly, changing from beautiful blue skies to thick cloud that ruined the chances of seeing anything but objects within a 100 meters, so there was no chance of seeing the stunning views.

The summit of Pen Pumlumon Fawr is unusual in being covered in mosses such as Wooly Fringe-Moss Racomitrium lanuginosum (2) and also clubmoss rich-grassland, with two species of lycophyte.  The tall brached Fir Clubmoss Huperzia selago (6) and the much lower growing Alpine Clubmoss Diphasiastrum alpinum (4) could both be found growing high on the summit. Both of these species belong to the oldest extant group of vascular plants which were dominant during the Carboniferous period.

The summit of  Pen Pumlumon Fawr is marked by a Trig point and a series of cairns and is meant to have a stunning view of Ceredigion and Powys, although sadly today there was very little to be seen.