Month: May 2017

On the day we walked this stretch the workers from Port Talbot steel works were voting on an offer made by owners Tata, to accept a reduced pension scheme in return for keeping the steel works. They accepted the offer.

My favourite memories of Port Talbot is returning from working in London in my late teens and twenties, and seeing the steel works lit up and the furnaces belching smoke and fire. I always felt I was nearing home even though it was still a long journey to Pembrokeshire.

My other fond memory is the National Theatre Wales production of the Passion with Michael Sheen.

Lucy has other fond memories from her days at St Joseph Catholic School and the weirdest experience of the day was our taxi driver taking us back from Aberavon to Margam had been to the same school – knew several people in common, and many stories were shared on the way back to our car.

Previously we had met a lady walking her dogs who knew a mutual friend. I love these random conversations with people who pass us on the path.

The sun shone as we walked along Aberavon Beach – a magnificent 5km – 3 mile stretch of sand – playground of many a Sunday school trip, and Lucy tales…..

After days of rain we risked a 10.5 mile walk along the stretch of the coastal path from Margam to Porthcawl. The weather forecast was changeable, but we were lucky to reach Porthcawl before it poured down!

The walk from Margam has the constant, dominating backdrop of Tata Steel works. Even walking through Kenfig Burrows alongside the Nature reserve (a site of special scientific interest) you still glimpse the works in the distance.

The beach which runs alongside the Burrows from Porthcawl to Port Talbot glistens in the bleak winter sun.

Sker beach, unofficially a naturist beach is deserted apart from a few horse riders and a single dog walker – all clothed!!

Sker Point was the tragic scene of the disaster which struck the US built Samtampa – which got caught in a gale on the 23 April 1947.  Eight lifeboat men from the Mumbles and the 39 sailors from ‘The Samtampa’ were killed.

The yellow washed Sker House can be seen from the path, R D Blackmore in 1872 wrote the novel “The Maid of Sker” – he eventually went on to write Lorna Doone.  The real Maid of Sker was a young lass, called Elizabeth Williams who was forced into a loveless marriage by her father Isaac Williams, despite the fact that the young lass was madly in love with a harp playing carpenter. There has been a house on the site for 900 years but it was remodelled in the 16th century.

The path takes us alongside the prestigious Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, founded in 1891, by a bunch of Cardiff businessmen. As well as the golfers, a small group of surfers were out to sea on Rest Bay, a hardy lot. The sky darkening, we stopped off for a cuppa near the Harbour before calling it a day as the rain came down, and my rubber boots split at the seams!

In walking the Wales Coast Park,  we don’t care if we attack it from west to east or north to south.

We do either start or finish exactly where we need to complete the whole length of the path.   That is the rule.

We started this walk from the Pelican in her Piety Pub. We follow the road and then the path goes between the road and the river.

Past the car park at Ogmore Beach, we stop for a coffee at Coffi Pig, a converted horsebox selling really decent coffee.

I am not quite sure what happened after that – we seem to have lost the directional signs, were straddling the unfenced cliff and we looked as if we were going to be coasteering down towards the sea.

Scrambling up the slope on hands and knees seemed to be the safer option. We righted ourselves at The Barn at West Farm and continued in a more orderly fashion towards the charming enclave of Dunraven Bay.

Down the steps we go, first to the toilets and then the Heritage Centre. Going up the track we stop at the walled garden. The original garden was built in the 16th century, but later altered.  A very peaceful spot for a well deserved picnic.

Dropping down steeply into the wooded area of Cwm Mawr and Cwm Bach followed by a relatively easy cliff path to Whitmore Stairs are impressive 70 metre cliffs . The path goes pretty close to the edge at Cwm Nash.   Burial remains from the 14th to 16th century have been discovered here… there may have been a graveyard for drowned sailors or for people who could not afford to be buried in the churchyard.  More remains were found in 2014 when storm damage uncovered further body parts!

Another easy stretch before a gentle descent to the roadway through to the car park near Nash Point.

LESSONS LEARNT: Don’t hurry along the path – stop and enjoy – pay attention to signposting and where these are minimal resort to a guide book or Wales Coast Path  app (if you have a signal)

A sunny morning and a few hours to spare, we drive out to Llantwit Major and to the beach at Tresilian Bay – WARNING – the Wales Coast Path can get under your skin!

We walk up the steps from the beach following the path through the bushes.  The Glamorgan Heritage Coast is a dramatic backdrop to this walk. You come to a slipway where you catch glimpses of St Donats – now home to sixth form Atlantic College with students from all over the world.   The newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, bought the house in 1925, and hosted amongst others Charlie Chaplin and a young John F Kennedy.

We visited the church to check out some of Lucy’s ancestors before continuing our walk through some woodland and then along the cliffs towards Nash Point Lighthouse, the last manned lighthouse in Wales, built in the 19th century and currently grade 2 listed. There are some super self catering cottages nearby, these would have been the lighthouse keepers’ cottages.

We finished our walk at the car park just beyond the lighthouses

It might seem odd to some to start walking the Wales Coastal Path on the Heritage coast – which is neither at the beginning or the end of the 890 mile path. It was here that the idea of walking around Wales was aired. Lucy was in training to walk a section of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route and I was planning a trip to South America, with a lot of walking at altitude. Neither of us were “match fit” as it were.

We started training together and decided that if we still wanted a challenge when we returned from our travels, we would continue walking with the aim of completing the Wales Coastal Path in 90 days – with time out for holidays and other commitments that would bring us up to April 2018. We hadn’t done much pre planning so we were walking in one direction then walking back to the car – using this technique we would have walked 1780 miles before we completed our journey round the coast of Wales.

We decided on one car and a taxi return to the starting point initially, then a two car solution with the option in the summer season to take the local buses.

This walk was done in autumn 2016 and starts with a climb up the steps at Tresilian Bay, Llantwit; Silian was a Welsh Prince and Saint. The walk is mainly over large fields passing the Seawatch Centre at Summer house Point, then winding down to Penry Bay – which is very pebbly and not easy to walk across.

Take time to look back at the dramatic cliffs of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. It will distract you from the Aberthaw Power Station which dominates the landscape ahead. At this stage we are only walking some 4 to 5 miles as we walk back to our car….

Lessons learnt: Pre planning your travel logistics is a good idea. Oh, how naïve – and what a learning curve!

We started our day by leaving one car in Porthkerry Park and taking the other car to the Aberthaw Power Station at the end of Limpert Bay.

I don’t mind gritty but really hate shitty. The narrow area skirting the Power station was spattered in dog poo, despite dog poo litter bins provided by the local authority.  It was an obstacle walk – not nice!

That said, the biodiversity site was pleasant, the best thing about walking in winter is the easy sighting of bird life, and the heritage coastline is always a joy.

We saw a couple of planes coming into Cardiff airport, but they certainly didn’t disturb our walking. There are two caravan parks on this stretch of coast.

Very tasty bacon butties at Marios café when we got to Porthkerry Park.

Lesson to Learn: If you are using two cars – do not leave the keys to one of the cars in the other car as you will then either need to walk back to where you started of get a taxi!

We opted for the taxi!!!!

We are using this journey to get fit and enjoy a part of Wales that you don’t necessarily see as you head down our main roads to key attractions and major
beaches.

At this stage of our progress along the path we are walking some 5 -7 miles a day, at a decent pace, but also taking time out to enjoy the experience and engage with the locals.

Most of the South Wales path is walked in the winter of 2017 – the weather has been kind and we have been able to walk on most of the designated days.

Starting off in Porthkerry park with its magnificent viaduct, we head towards the Knap and reminisce about the outdoor lido, which is no more – it was said to be the largest outdoor swimming pool in Wales. We moan about the price of progress, before getting nostalgic about Sunday School trips to Barry Island.

We head towards Barry Island and have a coffee at Mario’s café very familiar to Gavin and Stacey fans.

Walking around Barry island we love the bright colour beach huts and wide expanse of beach, and the fun fair or are they called Amusement Parks these days?

The route takes us back out towards the Ship Inn and we turn towards the docks. The old Docks Office is impressive. We were asked by one friendly local if we were marking out the route for the 10k race, and did we want money for charity – that’s how friendly the locals are!

Passing the Barry Docks railway station we head up the busy FFordd y Milenium towards Cadoxton. Not a pleasant end to the walk but best foot forward!

We use two guidebooks:
Cicerone Walking the Wales Coast Path
The Wales Coast Path – A Practical guide for Walkers by Christopher Goddard & Katharine Evans.

We also use the official Wales Coast Path app. Which is helpful should there be a need to see if we have strayed off the path (sounds very biblical that). If in doubt, out comes Lucy’s phone and we stop to check our position.

We skirt the capital city, Cardiff during this walk. Much of this stage is along busy roads, even the guide book tells you to “ grit your teeth”, during the early stages.

Sully Bay, the walk through Penarth across the Cardiff Bay Barrage and through the Bay itself are the highlights.

The low lights is the depressing amount of litter in verges through Ocean Way and East Moors, the sewage works is massive.

But what glory just out of view, the Cardiff mudflats shone and shimmered in the sunshine. Passing a travellers site, dogs were barking furiously, so we moved swiftly on to the large supermarket at Pengam Green where we had parked the car.

Overall more highlights than lowlights. Definitely a city walk of contrasts!

We followed the tidal basin of the Afon Rhymney and soon drop off the main road into the lovely wilderness of Trederlech Park with a fishing lake and bird watching opportunities. Quite a lot of urban rubbish blown into the bushes leading up to the park though – it always disappoints.

We had been dreading the stretch along Lamby Way as it approaches the largest refuse site in Cardiff. Thankfully, it was largely unobtrusive apart from the sound of trucks churning away out of site.

The walk takes us along the waterway until we reach the Great Rumney Wharf –
excavations place the site as Roman. Ancient horse bones have been
discovered. It is suggested that the Roman garrison at Caerleon might have grazed their horses here.

Walking along the sea defences looking inland at the low lying fields – this landscape is so vulnerable. The horses still graze, the land is drained by ditches called reens.

The mud flats and the jigsaw puzzle salt marshes complete the landscape.
Described as uninspiring by a number of writers we find the landscape mesmerising. There is a fine balance between man’s management of the landscape and cruel nature. The Bristol Channel Flood of 1607 wiped out some 3000 people from Chepstow to Carmarthen.

The Lighthouse Inn is a very welcome stop at the end of this walk – with very
friendly staff and locals – the food was pretty good too!

We took a taxi back to Cardiff. The driver confessed that she didn’t have a clue about where anything was in Cardiff! ‘The thought of Cardiff brings me out in a sweat’ she said but with a bit of coaching we got back safely