Or at least that is how this particular woodland feels. Â Nestled on the crags and ledges of a remote North Wales valley but quite close to the sea, a walk, or scramble, through this wood takes you into a different world that works on a different timescale to the rest of us.
Centuries of timber harvesting, grazing by upland sheep and feral goats, and mining for manganese have shaped this wood. Â Boulders are covered in carpets of mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns because this is essentially the temperate rainforest, with high humidity and (relative) warmth and grazing by the wild goats has kept the under-story open, which the lichens and mosses love.
This is how we’re trying to keep the wild goats out. Â If we don’t they’ll eat and strip all of the saplings and young trees, and the woodland will never regenerate. Â But they still manage to get in…
And the remains of past lives can be seen in the wood. Â Sheep pens, boundary walls and mine entrances…
Spring is temporarily postponed on the Pembrokeshire coast
Another road trip this week took me back to the mountains in glorious spring sunshine 🙂
Many of you who follow my blog will be familiar with the beautiful photographs I often post by Mike Alexander.  I’m very proud to announce that my brother Rod has built a website called Scapeimages.com to host hundreds of Mike’s stunning photographs, where they can be bought, licensed and downloaded, or simply enjoyed by browsing through such a fantastic catalogue of work!
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s about time that Mikes wonderful work is available to the world!  Do your senses a favour and have a look 🙂
I rather like this photo by Mike Alexander, taken between the winter storms on a beach called Hells Mouth on the west coast of Wales
On the West Wales coast. Â Squally, stormy, bright sunshine one moment, dark ominous clouds and hail the next, but always very, very windy…
Mike Howe 