Wales (other)

This is the Near Hearkening Rock, an overhanging outcrop of Upper Devonian Quartz Conglomerate, in High Meadow Woods, an outlier of the Forest of Dean. It is so called because you are supposed to be able hear distant sounds (such as conversations or the horse hooves of an approaching army) which are amplified by the shape of the rock outcrop.

This lovely field system is seen from Mynydd Gwyddel, near Aberdaron on the Lleyn Peninsula in the top left-hand corner of Wales.

This photo shows Llyn Idwal and the Idwal Syncline in the Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd, North Wales. The summits of Twll Ddu and Y Garn are just out of shot to the left and right, respectively.

This is the superb western facing scarp of Creigiau Eglwyseg (Eglwyseg Rocks) near Llangollen, Wales. This is composed of Carboniferous Limestone (Dinantian). The lower foreground and the hill on which I was standing are comprised of Silurian slaty mudstones. A major fault line runs along the foot of the escarpment. Scanned from a Kodachrome 25 transparency.

This is a view in 1969 from Swansea University southwest towards Oystermouth and the Mumbles. The campus looks a bit bleak and empty compared with what it is like now. Parts of the site were still under construction then. This photo has quite a significance for me in some ways. It was taken from Neuadd Lewis Jones, one of the on-campus student halls of residence, where I was staying for a week during a geology/geography field course. I was 16 at the time. On one of the days we had an underground visit at Cynheidre colliery near Llanelli, my first ever underground trip, which left a real lasting impression on me. Little did I know then that I was to subsequently work in the UK coal industry for 20 years, including a four-year stint back at Cynheidre some 13 years later. Neuadd Lewis Jones* was named after Lewis Jones (1897-1939). Born in Clydach Vale, not far from Swansea, he is regarded as one of the finest of modern British novelists. He wrote two working class novels: 'Cwmardy' (1937) and 'We Live' (1939), which are generally recognised as being outstanding depictions of life in the South Wales mining valleys during the first part of the twentieth century. More information about him here: www.agor.org.uk/cwm/themes/people/lewis_jones.asp Taken with an old Kodak bellows camera on 120 roll film; scanned from a print. *Post Scriptum: I believe that Neuadd Lewis Jones has now been renamed Neuadd Preseli; pretty, but a bit more of our history liable to be forgotten.

Originally uploaded for the GWUK group. This is on Mynydd y Gwair - an extensive moorland commons between Swansea and Ammanford in the South Wales coalfield. The camera location is on Mynydd Garn Fach and is looking north-westerly. The photo shows a Foraky rotary drilling rig on a borehole known as 'Ceunant Borehole' (named after nearby Ceunant Farm just out of view to the left). This was drilled to prove the Red Vein coal seam in October-November 1982 as part of a series of boreholes to prove additional coal reserves for Betws Mine, about 5 km to the north, near Ammanford.

Originally posted for the Guesswhere UK group. The Flying Scotsman No. 60013 pays a guest visit to the Llangollen Railway. Here it is at Glyndyfrdwy station waiting for the return run to Llangollen.

Originally uploaded for the Guesswhere UK group. This is the Henrhyd waterfall at Coelbren near the upper Swansea Valley in South Wales. You can walk behind this waterfall, but you need to ensure you have good waterproofs; the spray goes everywhere, especially when the river is in spate after wet weather (as in the photo). An old photo, taken with a Zenit E camera; scanned from a Kodacolor 64 negative, hence rather poor quality.

The "Great Open Cast" - abandoned open-pit copper workings at Parys Mountain, Anglesey, North Wales. Scanned from Kodachrome 25 transparency film. Useful Links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parys_Mountain www.parysmountain.co.uk/