I spent a lovely few days camping just outside of Hay on Wye and managed a recce to Tympa or "Lord Herefords Knob" an easy walk from the Gospel Pass parking point. I must confess an area I hadn't explored much at all. That is definately about to change, fabulous area and well worth a good explore.

The vista from the top of Twmpa is extra-ordinary, looking down into glorious Welsh Valleys

A brief stop allowed me to recce some lone trees for an on-going personal project which has actaully become more of an obsession!

The Gospel Pass takes you down through Capel y ffin into Llantony Priory (http://www.breconbeacons.org/visit-us/easy-access/places-to-visit-with-easier...

The weather began to change and the rain and mist descended quickly covering the priory, but a terrific afternoon and way too many additional landscape locations now added to an ever increasing list!

I'll be back during the Bank Holiday weekend.

All images are availabel here: www.neilmansfield.com

A very long and overdue Brecon Beacons sunrise shoot!

The only issue with that particular plan is that summer sunrise are clearly very early, in this case my alarm went off at 3.30AM. The A470 was absolutely devoid of traffic, so the journey from Cardiff took about an hour,   I was also meeting a fellow landscape photogarpher Dan Santillo, we met up at just after 5.00Am, giving us 30+ minutes before the sun rose from behind us. 

Oddly it's a tricky place for acces to the lake with boat clubs and camp sites either side and way to many gated fences for my liking. Anyhow after a good hunt around for a good spot, I settled on the jetty.

Sunrise was muted and soft and also over fairly quickly, managed a couple of exposures, but this is a venue for a return and much more of a recce around the lake. With the Brecon Beacons, Pen y fan ridge as a backdrop it has definite potential.

 

I thought the quay acted as quite a lovely lead-in to the shot, but had my new Gitzo at full stretch to get the angles I wanted, it still slightly clips the reflection on the land at the far side. I don't want to moan too much, we got a sunrise, mist and a still lake giving rather nice reflections.

All images are available here: www.neilmansfield.com