Entry Posted June 06, 2009
Broad Pool is Gower's largest pond and is a characterful feature of the peninsula worthy of being in every photographer's porfolio of the area. Having said that, I have only photographed Broad Pool a couple times and on both those occassions the ground surrounding the pond was as soggy as hell - boggy enough to prevent even the most half-hearted attempt to walk it full circle. I have thus been unable to acquire much variety in my photographs of this stretch of water (you can see my other attempt at photographing this pond here and here).
To illustrate the conditions often encountered here, I'll give a quick insight into the story behind the picture below - which I took in April 2006:
Broad Pool, Cefn Bryn
Unfortunately, I got myself into a bit of a tricky situation with the above shot. I was travelling down Cefn Bryn during a particularly long spell of heavy rain when I noticed the sun rays breaking through the dark clouds. We pulled the car in sharply at Broad Pool so I could capture a photo of the rather dramatic-looking sky with the pond in the foreground and I have to admit with being fairly happy with the resultant image. However, upon returning to the awaiting car, I found it had gotten stuck in the mud at the side of the road. Pushing the car free from the quagmire, a particularly nasty wheel spin covered me, the car exterior and (thanks to me leaving the passenger window open) the interior of the car, with loads of wet Gower dirt.
That's the kind of muddy fun you can expect to have at Broad Pool.
