An Autumn Walk

I am very much not the first person to say so, but this autumn has been a stunner for some beautiful colour. The forests around us are either very boring commercial conifer plantations, or very ancient woodland, with a beautiful diversity of broadleaf trees. Every day has been a real treat looking out of the window.

We did a Geocache circuit that goes from Cymer Abbey along the Mawddach River. Not a very long walk, but pretty to look at, and with some hard to find caches to hunt for. 

Of course, it being Wales, there were sheep. Mules (cross breeds) of some sort , judging by the size, cropped tails and general appearance. It was tupping time, and in every field there was a ram or two wandering around making a nuisance of himself. Hence the very highly coloured sheep, they use raddle on the rams chest , so he marks the ewes when he mates them. 

This particular ram looked like he'd been swamp wading, but was a very magnificent specimen. 

This ewe was enjoying a good scratch on this branch, itching the back of your neck must be tricky if you're a sheep.

Now this one I do know... it's a Torddu (pronounced Tor-thee) which is the white form of a Welsh Badgerfaced sheep. It was the only one in the field amongst a flock of white mules, and having a very nice time eating things growing at the base of the drystone wall.