Dai's walk around Wales blog

There was a probability of a good sunrise so I headed of to Port Eynon Bay on the Gower for a sunrise and swim experience. The weather was good as I left home but gradually it got darker and as I arrived at Port Eynon 20 minutes before sunrise, the heavens fell upon me in the form of water droplets. I identified this as the phenomenon called rain and headed off to the beach. As I approached the beach I witnessed the sunrise photo queue and fell in behind the early birds to take my turn photographing the sunrise. The queue failed to disappear and the sun also had a rising day off so I donned my wetsuit and swum away...................

The photo queue was a photography course run by Robert Canis who also kindly provided the photo below of me posing/stretching prior to my swim.

It was the most miserable morning in Glynneath-by-River, dark, rain, rain and more rain falling from the sky. Simon & I headed off to the Gower at 6.00am shaking our heads and asking ourselves "what are we doing". We placed our trust the positive weather forecast that things would get better................. and they did, the rain stopped when we reached Neath and we arrived on the beach at Oxwich Bay-on-Sea 30 minutes before sunrise and 2 hours later we had to drag ourselves away from perfect conditions, beautiful body surfing waves, warmish water, almost flat calm beyond the swell and the sun eventually popping it's head up above the clouds 30 minutes into the swim. The only thing destroying the perfection of the morning is that stupid bloke who has always got his goggles upside down in the photos................ There's always one!!!!!.............. Why is it always me !!!!

The rain had only just stopped and I could see from the river Neath flowing close to home that the rivers were in flood. I headed off to Waterfall Country with my camera for some photos. I caught up Miranda Wells, a Canadian visitor to Wales on the way to Sgwd-yr-Eira. Miranda's plan was to head back to Pontneddfechan after Sgwd-yr-Eira so I kidnapped her for the rest of the afternoon and took her on the full waterfall tour. She loved them especially Sgwd-yr-Eira which in her opinion is better than Niagra Falls. Its my opinion too but she's been there and I've only seen it in pictures and on the tele. See more about the afternoon on a youtube video I've uploaded.

https://youtu.be/6cynXzVmomU

It was off to Oxwich Bay this morning for a sunrise walk & swim. Temperatures had dropped overnight and the car needed defrosting. The sea is still toasty but the sand was freezing. More of the sea, it was one of those mornings where the sea was calmer than the local swimming pool and once into a rhythm I felt I could have swum all day. As with previous swims on Oxwich Bay I swum in the one direction and walked back on the shoreline, that way I get the best of both worlds.

I took the mountain track option on my way home from Neath on the mountain bike. There was the possibility of a half decent sunset but the clouds over Swansea put paid to this and I was left with a light glow in the north. The skies did get a little more red but I couldn't find a nice spot to take a photo plus the light was fading fast and I had to get off the mountain sharply or I would have been coming down in the dark. This is the equation for a broken collar bone.

Downhill speed + poor visibility = crash bang wallop ouch.

Even at dusk travelling downhill at speed can get a bit hairy because the contours (dips and bumps) on the ground are more difficult to read.

I met Bazza and Nigel and we walked over the coast path from Mumbles to Langland and back. With a Welsh cake refuelling at Langland.

On arriving at Rotherslade / Langland Bay I spied on the series of benches that welcome you a pebble on each. Further research has shown that these were placed by the Swansea poet / historian Jim Young, some contained an inscription or quote pointing us to his blog at

http://haikueye.blogspot.com/

His blog which gives his interests as photography, walking and swimming in the sea (sound familiar) points us to another blog called Jim's World

http://jimyoung14.blogspot.com/

and strangely enough he looked very familiar because I think he's the chap I saw on Sunday after my sunrise swim at Tor Bay (Oxwich Bay). This is a photo pinched from his blog;

I'm sure he won't mind, my footsteps are on the far left and this photo must have been taken about 5 minutes after I made them. On checking with Jim (AKA Jim the Swim) it would seem that he wasn't the guy I thought I almost bumped into and the photo is of his son and grandson, but Jim knows Bazza and Bazza has met the Queen three times so that makes me almost Royalty.

It's a small world when you are walking around Wales and there should be red carpet laid out in front of me as I walk (maybe).

The coast path from Langland Bay to Caswell Bay, Gower Peninsula (a red carpet free zone)

For my walk with Jim the Swim please CLICK HERE