With the remnants of Hurricane Katia hitting the country right now, I headed down to Mumbles after dropping the children at nursery. But, unfortunately, the waves were disappointing. So I drove back home, made a flask of coffee and drove up the valley to Pontneddfechan. I walked to Sgwd Gwladus and got the camera ready on the tripod – I knew that the best place to shoot from meant getting into the river. Using the tripod to steady myself, I stepped into the river and felt the gentle flow of cold water into my boots as it breached my gaiters – quite pleasant really! The current was pretty fast so I took a few shots and then moved deeper into the river, all the time use the tripod to help brace me against the current. The water was up to my knees and the pressure of the water closed the tripod leg if it wasn’t on the ground. Spray from the waterfall and occasional drizzle meant I had to clean the front of the lens after every photo or so. The final shots taken were at 17mm with the camera about 10cm from the surface of the water. I then carefully got out of the river – it meant going back through a particularly fast flowing channel – and drank my coffee before sloshing my way back to the car.
Sgwd Gwladus, Brecon Beacons National Park
