Wednesday 12 November 2008

Photos on stream again.

Took this shot on my way home from Pontneathvaughan
( Pontnethfechan in Welsh )
I had a great autumnal ride this morning, I got up with Tierloch, my youngest son, who leaves for his work at 05.45, and I was out on the road, lights ablaze pedalling down the valley, away from the sunrise. I did my usual loop, through sleeping Glynneath, around a silent Cwmgwrach, down the valley, through Resolven, but then turned back at Ynysarwed. By this time it was getting light, and I started to take a few photos.
These shots are not in the same sequence as my ride, I uploaded them all first to this blog and am now writing around them, if you understand what I mean. Still very much a novice at this.
This is the walk/cycle trail towards some waterfalls
at the very top of the Neath valley.

Another shot of the same trail.

At the foot of the falls, I'll have to look up the name.

This is the end of the trail, looking up at the falls.
This is actually a bridge over the dissused section
of the Neath canal, built to carry coal from Cwmgwrach washery.
Fascinating how it's become overgrown.
This is the road I travel on my local rides, as well
my commute, passing the above bridge on the right.
Looking back up the valley towards the sunrise
from the same spot.

This is the dissused canal looking back towards
Glynneath, this is where I saw the female otter
and her two cubs, earlier in the year.
Still on the same bridge, looking down the canal,
notice it's only a trickle this side, the canal preservation
society has been levelling the left side, and strengthening
the bank. Sadly it comes to a deadend a couple of hundred
yards on.
Here's the river Neath, looking from the now
defunct railway bridge, that used to carry coal
over it, to the washery, and back again, before being
carried down to Swansea docks, via Neath, either
by rail or the canal.
Looking upstream from the same bridge.


Sadly my phone camera completely fails to
portray the beautiful autumnal colours of the
trees, on the edge of Rheola forest, approx.,
halfway between Glynneath and Resolven.
I cycled up into the forest along a forestry road
and took this picture of a stream flowing towards
the Neath river.
This is Pontwalby, my part of Glynneath, I live
up the hill, turning left past the top house. When
I first started cycling, I found it hard, still do, on
occasion, when I'm tired after a long day at work.
This is the bridge at Pontwalby, which means
Walby bridge, but what you see is the Neath
river, Walby must refer to the tributary that
joins the river just round the bend downstream.

Looking back upstream from Pontwalby bridge.

The Subway 1.

Looking down the Neath canal towards Ynysarwed,
which means Arwed island, presumably because the village,
or should I say, small terrace of houses, sits on a little hill
at the side of the valley. Notice the towpath, which I cycle along,
and the bridge, which is mainly used by a farmer to get to
his farmhouse to the left.

This part of the canal is in total disrepair, this
used to be one of the locks, at Abergarwed.


Looking towards Ynysarwed again, but this time
from the lock, quite a pleasant scene, as nature
reclaims its own.
Here's the Neath river at Abergarwed which means
mouth of the Arwed, this is where the Arwed river or
stream joins the Neath river.
A quieter section of the river upstream from
Abergarwed.


And again.
This is the cycle trail I use at Cwmgwrach.
Well I hope this gives any reader a further taste of my neck of the woods.

3 comments:

Nick said...

Your pictures make me quite envious of the landscapes through which you cycle. Sometimes, living where I do, I miss that kind of countryside very much indeed. It's good to see it again through your pictures.

we;shcyclist said...

O.K., nick I must agree that I do live in a beautiful part of the world. Cycling here is never boring if you're into scenery, widlife, watercourses, history, and so on. Two problems though that can't be overcome, there's so much to see, and so little time to see it all, we can only try. Having said that, you have all those things to appreciate where you live also. By the way I didn't go out on my bike this morning and I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms already.

Anonymous said...

Lovely to see the photos of Pontwalby , Cwmgrach and Resolven etc. I grew up in that area and it really is picturesque. The canal at Resolven is in a much better state than when I was little (in the 1950's) but my Mam and Dad used to walk a long way along it(after church on Sundays) in the 1930's. It was a very popular walkway in those days.

Keep up with the piccies.