11 stunning photos of the Gwent valleys in summer

We are blessed with stunning surroundings which offer great views any time of the year, but none arguably more so than in summer when the sun is shining.

Up in Blaenau Gwent and the surrounding valleys, a small group of keen photographers have been taking photos as the countryside comes to life for summer.

Here, we have a selection of some of those taken and submitted to the online group called ‘Through a Lens - Llanhilleth and Blaenau Gwent Landscapes’.

Linda Stemp, who created the group, told the Argus: “It is just an online group for anyone with links to the area who enjoys photography and loves the valleys and South Wales in general.

“I think a lot of people who are not from this area still see the stereotypical scenes of coal mines and slag heaps. There is so much beauty out there and you don't have to go far to find it.”

Find out more at facebook.com/groups/throughalens/

1. Pen Y Fan pond, by Linda Stemp

2. The view from Brynithel Common, by Saz Griffiths

3.  An impressive sky from the top of Brynithel mountain. By Saz Griffiths

4. This butterfly resting on a flower. By Linda Stemp

5. Two birds on a tree. By Lesley Rickard

6. This beautiful rainbow. By Lesley Rickard

7. Another rainbow by Lesley Rickard 

8. Horses grazing in the valleys by Linda Stemp

9. Looking across the town by Neil Godwin

10. Pen-Y-Fan pond in Blackwood by Linda Stemp

11. Another lakeside view at Pen-Y-Fan pond in Blackwood. By Linda Stemp.