Last week, we had a day trip to #Torquay but rather than drive or take the train, we decided on a different route. The first leg was a #cycle trip to #Exmouth, about 17 km, followed by a boat trip around the #Devon #coast. The weather was a bit changeable but there were only prospects of short showers.

Well the first shower- didn't take long to arrive and here you can see the drops falling into the #EnglishChannel in the #wake of the #boat. An interesting combination of periodicity and irregularity on the water's surface.

But soon the rain cleared up and the Sun poked through the broken clouds.

The first part of the #coast travelling #west is primarily #sandstone with its distinctive orange colour. You can see the layers tilted through geological action. #Erosion is always evident at the surface but on the action is the sea. The rocks are dated at about 250 million years.

On to a bit of #EngineeringGeology and #GeotechnicalEngineering, the erosion is a serious problem for any structures built on or near the coast and there is a mainline railway track on the route to London which runs along it on this stretch. #NetworkRail is busy trying to stabilize and strengthen the cliffs using #RockAnchor, #RockBolts and #meshing to retard the process. Here you can see workers #abseiling as part of their work.

The erosion causes all manner of interesting irregular shapes in the rocks which make ideal place for #Seabirds to live. These include #Cormorants, #Shags and #Gulls.

As you travel further west, the stratum abruptly changes to #limestone which is over 300 million years old. The form of erosion is also different as limestone is also chemically eroded by slightly acidic water. You can also see that the colour of the sea here is a very deep green.

The #limestone also forms small #islets just off the #coast, again on which birds alight.

A close approach to an islet reveals the beautiful detailed patterns of #rock and #vegetation.

Approaching our destination, some brave souls were clambering over this islet and perhaps were preparing to dive into the water.

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It's bright and #sunny today and a quick stroll through the #garden shows it's full of life.

The #grapes are ripening and there's a good crop this year..

Of course, not just the #fruit but the #vine #leaves are also edible in dishes like dolmades which I find particularly good for digestion.

On the other side, the #RunnerBean #plants are #flowering and are being frequented by many #pollinators such as this #bee.

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Having had two dry(ish) days in #BannauBrycheiniog, it is not surprising that that the third was wet and not by a little. I usually like using my paper maps and #DeadReckoning to #navigate my way around a new place but I forgot to bring my compass on this occasion and so I had to revert to #GPS (don't tell anyone else) in order to find #SugarLoaf near #Abergavenny. I couldn't see much else but at least our #hike was 12 km and so it was still worth it.

Here I am surrounded by #ferns trying to figure out where I should go in the #rain and #fog.

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The second full day of our visit to #BannauBrycheiniog was devoted to visiting #PenYFan, the tallest #peak in south #Wales. This was a very nice #walk of 15 km with some steep ascents and descents but no climbing.

Starting from the car park, a path started to climb gently upwards. You can see Pen Y Fan on the horizon near the centre of the image.

As we approached the #mountain, we could make out a #path up towards the summit.

The path passes a small #reservoir and the #dam has an interesting castellated feature on it.

Along the way there are several valleys leading to #farm #fields.

As the path turns, you can see where you've just come from.

The land around the mountains are used for grazing #sheep. Here are two who have been shorn of their winter #fleeces.

On the final steeper ascent up Pen Y Fan you can here see the craggy north side of the neighbouring mountain, #Cribyn.

Looking back south, you can make out the edge of the reservoir we passed.

The path gets steadily steeper and is partially paved to provide durability and grip. The view keeps getting better.

Arriving at the summit with some effort, you are rewarded with an all-round view. We were very lucky as I was told by someone that the day before, the peak had been shrouded in cloud. Dozens of other people were also enjoying the spectacle.

Here I am at the summit at an elevation of 886 m. From the start point, that's a climb of about 650 m.

The path back to the start is along a #ridge affording views of the valleys either side.

The path on the ridge is not dangerous unless you get carelessly close to the edge but it is uneven and has large stones in places whereas in others, it is covered in black #peat.

Looking back towards Pen Y Fan, you can just make out the figures of people waling on the horizon.

The valley edge looks precarious but in summer, I don't think it is a great danger.

In the south western horizon are a group of #WindTurbines. I am sure wind will be an important energy resource for #Wales in the coming decades.

The return to the car park as along this path down across the valley.

To get to it, required us to descend some steep roughly buiilt stone stairs. For me this was the most hazardous part of the walk as I was tired by now and my knees were getting very sore. It was a relief to get back to the car.

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In the afternoon of the first full day in #BannauBrycheiniog, we travelled to #Crickhowell or #Crughywel to climb #TableMountain, which is also the location of an #IronAge #fort. So, equipped with my #OrdnanceSurveyMap we made steady progress up the slopes, on #roads and then #footpaths, often across #farmland. The total walk was 12.5 km.

Approaching the summit, you can see that the area is covered with #ferns.

Looking south from the summit, Crickhowell can be seen in the valley below.

On the descent, this is the profile of the western side of the mountain.

Also on the way down, here is a view looking west once more with the valley in the mid ground and hills in the background. Natural haze makes the distant mountains seem to fade away.

Here's a moment where the #Sun is shining through clouds giving an eerie effect in the fading light on a hill, while the foreground is silhouetted.

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Finally for #Pontneddferchan and apropos nothing in particular, this fallen #tree #trunk across the #footpath just seemed interesting to look at with its jagged surface, fibrous structure and colour contrasting with verdant surroundings.

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The ##erosion of #rocks around #Pontneddfechan shows #sedimentary #layers as well as fracturing by hydraulic action.

Here, for example, is an exposed cliff with jagged, cuboid forms left my the erosion process. It reminds me of the #VideoGame #Qbert.

Here you can see that the layers of rock are slanted by #GeologicalForces.

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Finally on the theme of #flow, I photographed the #waterfall #SgwdGwladus from the other bank and was able to get much closer to it and so I used the same method to give different impressions of gushing or a freeze frame.

Shutter speed: 1/80 s

Shutter speed 1/15 s

Incidentally, if you're wondering if there's anything special about 1/15 s, well it's the longest exposure I could get with the juddering of my hand held camera became too noticeable..

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I'm sure proper amateur and professional photographers have a proper formula or at least a rule of thumb to follow to get good results with #FlowingWater but I used a suck-it-and-see approach and shot the same scene at various speeds to see which gave the best effect.

Automatic mode speed: 1/200 s

Intermediate shutter speed: 1/30 s

Slow shutter speed: 1/15 s

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Looking at the way photographers photograph moving water is quite interesting. In order to give the impression of rapid, gushing motion, the exposure should be longer and so, rather than photographing in #AutomaticMode, it is better to use #ShutterPriority and adjust #ShutterSpeed to achieve the desired effect.

Here the shutter speed in automatic mode is 1/100 s.

And here is the same in shutter priority mode with a speed of 1/15 s, which makes the water look that much more dynamic.

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By global standards, the #waterfalls near #Pontneddfechan are not huge but I still think they're impressive. Here is the largest one which is perhaps 15 m high. The recent rains meant that there was a good volume of flow on that day. This one is called #SgwdGwladus. I like the #mist rising from the #spray in this scene.

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We recently visited the #NationalPark in #Wales which used to be called the #BreconBeacons but is now known as #BannauBrycheiniog. I practised pronouncing it a few times and it's actually quite easy and roles off the back of the throat without a problem for someone who speaks Urdu. There was lots of walking to be done and on the morning of the first day, we went to the #waterfalls at #Pontneddfechan. The return trip was about 10.5 km long. It was a nice way to whet the appetite for hiking in this picturesque part of the country.

The river is called #NeddFechan and over that stretch falls about 200 m in total. This #photograph gives you a good flavour of the scenery.

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Today's model is a #Bumblebee on #Allium #Flowers. The flowers are attracting a steady stream of #Pollinators

This cropped image is not at full resolution as that would be bigger than my screen but it's nice to get a sharp image of the subject.

Moments later it flew onto another plant and I got this nice shot of it. Once again, the image is cropped.

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#Bumblebees are visiting the #allium #flowers quite frequently today as it's dry again. It's still quite #breezy and the stalks are swaying quite a bit in the #wind.

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We had a #cycletrip to #BudleighSalterton today, which is a nice round trip of 48 km. It was a very pleasant day, not too hot and with a refreshing breeze to keep you cool. Those of you in the know will be glad that I wore short trousers and so my pump could not get stuck in my trouser leg.

The #beach is made up of pebbles of various sizes ranging from the size of your hand (15-20 cm) down to less than a centimetre. The colours vary from #purple and #pink to #grey and #blue. Here's a typical assortment.

Looking out to #sea (the #EnglishChannel), you can see that the water is various colours too ranging from marine #blue and #green to #brown near the #shore where #sediment gets churned up. (Note, it is nothing to do with the current notorious practices of private water companies.)

Looking #west and #east respectively, you can see the #sandstone and #mudstone #geology of the #cliffs

Right up by the #sea, you can sea the small #waves lapping the #shore. I suppose this #photograph is technically a #selfie.

Finally, on the way home, I took a picture of the #cyclepath between BudleighSalterton and #Exmouth which stretches about 6 km and avoids motor traffic altogether. I can't think of many more pleasant routes to #cycle on.

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A #hoverfly on the #flower of an #allium plant.

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A #bee visits a #flower of a #blackberry bush.

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It's a hot late #spring day and I was sitting the conservatory as #birds were flitting around the back #garden. Here's a verdant scene of the #flowering #potato #plants I took while waiting with a #telephoto lens for any #sparrows to show up.

One #HouseSparrow did visit the #birdfeeder and I got this nice profile. It almost looks like it's holding a pose for me.

Seconds later, it flew right up to within 3-4 m under the shade of a #rose #bush no doubt looking for aphids and I caught this rather contrasting, scary image of the same #bird as it might look to one of its tiny victims.

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The #pollinators have done their job with the #apple #tree. There are now many nascent #fruit on it clumped in groups of about four to five. Here's a close up of one.

Elsewhere, the #potato #plants are flowering. Maybe you don't associate nice #flowers with a food plant but I think these look rather pretty.

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Last one on the #Dartmoor theme for today. #DartmoorPonies roam wild on the #moor and are free to do so as they are a protected species. They will usually leave people alone but they will defend themselves by biting or kicking if provoked. It's wise to keep a respectful distance from them.

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