Walk along the old Elan Valley Railway

This spectacular trail climbs past three reservoirs in the heart of beautiful, mountainous Mid Wales following the line of the old Birmingham Corporation Railway, which was built to help construct the  Elan Valley reservoirs. These were built between 1892 and 1904 

The ride climbs 165 ft from the Elan Valley Visitor Centre past Caban Coch and Garreg Ddu Reservoirs with their fine dams and an ornamental water tower, to the end of Penygarreg Reservoir leaving you with a very fine descent back to the start. 

Foel Tower in Puddle

Rainbows

Tynllidiart House

Waterfalls












Foel in Black and white

Farming and Snow

I love snow. It transforms the landscape for a time, features you may not have noticed can suddenly stand proud and become rediscovered to your eye. As well as its beauty Snow reminds me of its potential difficulties and hardships. We have had to manage 3 months without electricity in one particularly snowy winter. Then our water froze in -15 temperatures.We pulled visitors out of snow drifts and have had to cope with lambing in snowdrifts. Where I can recollect wandering the moonlit hills listening for the bleating of lambs on the hills. Our food was kept in a dustbin in the yard to keep the food frozen as the freezer could not get the electricity and we had to get water from the spout at the back of the house..... it was like returning 50 years ago and adapting and coping the best you can. It made me realise how one other property in the Valley in the 1947 snow storm used all their wood in the house (floorboards and furniture) to provide fuel for a fire. I have tasted real snow here, but those years is still told in the hills by the older gents. Below i have added some photos of good snow times and stock yesterday, before it had all melted. I haven't put the settings.... i need to get out now and sort out some of the jobs on the list! All taken of the dogs playing with a canon 100 - 400 lens on 5D3. x

Taff in the snow

You can`t see me !

Herdwick girls waiting for food

King of the Castle, Herdwick Tup

I think I look pretty wearing the mountains

Necklace of moss, bracken and snow.

The Wolf

Taff has style.

Jusy the Beardie

Why oh why white! happiest little scruffy Dog

The Fox - Sky

Jess

Jim the Huntaway, does not work but guards                                                                     hens - very important!

Herdwick Girl

www.facebook.com/ElanValleyMidWales

And snow fluttered down onto the upper hills

It was a white and wintery scene yesterday morning as I looked out from the window. Snow had fallen on the hills and I could not wait to get to my camera. So as soon as jobs were done I rushed off to get some snowy valley shots. The landscape is always amplifies by the snow, a treat to eyes that are so familiar with the landscape. I went out armed with my tripod, an ND filter and 35mm camera. The light was so amazing I hoped the photos I took would do justice to the landscape... and justify the unusual colour the light was casting.

Claerwen Dam F16 1/8 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Craig Goch Dam and Reservoir F7.1 1/25 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

David Vincent Lewis Memorial Bench F8 1/15 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

I have always loved stopping here, is it the view is it the connection with the bench?

View from the house - easy breakfast view.  F8 1/2 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Penygarreg Island and Troedrhiwdrain Planting (Gwaelod) 

F8 1/10 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Craig Goch Dam F7.1 1/8 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Craig Goch snow touched. F7.1 1/20 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Craig Goch a dam for all seasons. F7.1 1/10 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

Over the stile. F7.1 1/25 ISO 100 Exp Bias +0.7 35mm

I returned back to the farm after and then took out my 100 - 400 lens to get some photos of the livestock and dogs.... I will post those soon for you....

Half Term busy bees

Half term is busy and everyone gets stuck into life on the farm. Its great to have the children home and everything is so on the go. Lots planned on top of farming to keep us all busy and spend some time together, because soon its all hands to lambing and getting away becomes less likely. 

Garreg Ddu in the snow.

 

Dolfolau in the snow

Dens are what keep children outside for hours...... especially with a picnic!

f 5 1/1600 ISO 100 114mm

Sky one of the working sheepdog pups is growing and watching all that goes on.

 f 5 1/1250 ISO 1600 164mm

Helper for the week.

Rides in the back of the trailer

Hill tup on the top as the sun falls behind the hill.

f  1/6400 ISO 1600 200mm

Storm Doris hits the Elan and Claerwen Valleys

We are used to seeing the dams coming over with force through winters it's quite common. The big wow about storm Doris was how quick waters rose on the Estate. It's been 2 years since I have seen the banks burst on the streams and rivers like it has this time. Water on the roads and some wind blown branches to pick up and trees down in Troedrhiwdrain Planting opposite us. We left the sheep not giving them their morning feed as it was so rough, it was better to leave them in the shelter which they had found within the hill sides.

Some photos taken around the valley over the storm period.

Craig Goch under the stormy Sky, you can our sheep in the background sheltering on the hillside.

f11 1/15sec ISO 125 35mm

Penygarreg under the winds blowing across - I wanted to slow down the water and yet get the drama of the waves... I enjoyed the challenge - i may try this again - 

only problem is everything keeps getting raindrops on it, worse of all on the lens.

F 16 1/3sec ISO 100 35mm ND grad

Penygarreg wild in the water

F16 1/3sec ISO 100 35mm

Craig Goch

F 7.1 1/80 ISO 360 35mm

Mighty Claerwen Dam as the sun sets

F? 1/4 sec ISO 100 24mm

Dolfolau bench and falls

F11 0.6 sec ISO 125 35mm

Ciloerwynt Rocks, Claerwen Valley

F 8 1/10sec ISO 100 35mm

Few wet blobs on the camera lens, but still worth seeing the water rage through the rocks.

F5.6 0.6sec ISO 160 35mm

5 Dams and Wild Waters as storm Doris hits the elan Valley

February Life so far

Its been a really mixed bag in the hills the last few weeks. There has been a range of weathers from snow, rain and some sunshine. Jobs around the farm keep us busy with fallen trees to sort and new trees to plant over the next couple of weeks. The ewes are a couple of months away from lambing so much of the work involves ensuring they are well looked to in this important period. Feeding sheep some of the SSSI cropped meadow hay is mostly on the cards. Opening up a bale of hay and basking in a few moments of the summer gone, and little pieces of meadow flowers fall from the hay bale. Over head the kites are flying and pairing, Roe deer have been heard, snipe drumming, woodcock and barn owl are frequently seen around the farm... and signs of the spring to come as skylarks are seen more frequently on the hillsides. 

Gruffalo and sheep on our hill waiting for the hay.

f 6.3 1/250 ISO 640 35mm

Upland stream as the sun goes down on the Day

f  16 3.2sec ISO 50 35mm

Jess in the snow 

f 6.3 1/320 ISO 400 278mm

Claerwen Rocks in the snow

f ? 1/6 ISO 100 

Herdwick girls curious as always

f 5.6 1/160 ISO 100 109mm

Brian catching sheep on our hill by Craig Goch Dam, strangers to go back to their hill.

f 5 1/640 ISO 320 43mm

The vehicle of choice which enables us to bring food to our stock.

f 5.6 1/60 ISO 800 55mm

Dashed out to get this one morning before kids off to school, was most chuffed it was put on the Welsh Weather forecast.

This is what I have named the eye of horus or the all seeing eye. Capturing the rays of the sun onto Caban Coch Dam. It was taken in HDR as i wanted the range of Shadow and light.