Category: Community Groups

Margam Park and Merthyr Mawr

Margam Park

We parked at the small fishing lake near Margam Abbey, the drive over had been misty and as we started out it was raining. Heading north we passed the lake with ducks and swans.

Margam park is one of 22 sentinel sites across Wales acting as an early warning system for any plant pests and diseases. There is a hillfort just above the abbey, we decided not to climb it as there would have been no view. A memorial bench dedication struck a chord, ‘come and sit and watch the seasons change’, we were ready for an end to this winter’s rainfall.

Everything was festooned with moss, fungi and water droplets. The views were restricted as the mist and rain continued. We walked alongside woodland, through woodland and almost up to the Ogwr Ridgeway walk. Lunch was taken in a wood where some of us sat on tree stumps but most stood, as the incessant rain dripped from the trees onto us and our sandwiches.

After lunch the rain was heavier with a wind driving it horizontally. We saw frog spawn and squelched across an open area as the footpath was water-logged. Bare trees grew from ponds which are almost certainly not there normally.

The mist became thicker and a herd of deer stood staring at us through the gloom. Soon after we reached the highlight of the walk, a visit to an ancient ash tree. Its trunk had split open and a couple of branches had reached down to the ground. On one of these, above our heads, a group of daffodils were growing amongst ferns – an amazing sight. Hidden by the mist, beyond the tree was Port Talbot steel works.

Margam

Margam’s tamer paths formed the rest of the walk as we passed information boards about bike rides and walks in the area and a sculpture of a stag outside the remains of the abbey. More than one of us will return to visit the Margam Stones museum with its Celtic crosses.

At the end, we were all soaked through and we opted to go straight home rather than stop for a drink. One person declared it ‘the wettest walk ever’. But that ash tree and the deer made it all worthwhile, I think!

Walk 7 miles 1110ft Maps OS165,166,151

 

Merthyr Mawr

Parking at Castleton we walked up the surprisingly busy road, but the weather was dry. A footpath led us uphill across a grassy field and down to a stream which had spread over the grass. White violets, vibrant red cup-shaped elfin cap and other fungi were abundant.

At Merthyr Mawr the dunes are fenced and cattle or ponies graze to keep the dunes open, preventing overgrowth by dense grasses and scrub. We walked through some scrub where gorse and hazel were in flower and spiky sea buckthorn bordered the paths together with the seed heads of evening primrose.

Natural Resources Wales’s website explains how dunes are formed. Waves carry offshore sand to the beach and storms and tides stir sand from the seabed. Coastal erosion can contribute and rivers may bring inland sand. Sand deposited on the beach, gradually builds to dunes, typically in areas with a wide sandy beach.

Waves and wind leave obstacles such as wood, pebbles and seaweed on the beach at the high tide mark. Once the sand is higher up the beach it can be blown by the wind, is trapped by the obstacles and dunes start to form. Plants like marram grass colonise the dunes, their roots stabilise the sand allowing more sand to build higher dune ridges. As plants die organic matter allows other plants to grow perpetuating the growth of the dunes.

Arriving at the beach, we noted the huge amount of wood which sat at the hightide line and walked halfway to the river Ogmore before choosing a tree trunk to sit on for lunch. A cool breeze picked up and reaching the river we saw ripples running across it in strange patterns.

Walking upriver we noticed holes dotted in the sand dunes, continuing for a good distance, rabbit burrows we guessed as they looked too large for birds, and we had seen a few rabbits. Good paths led us past a stand of silver birch and then beech trees with their russet leaves and back to the car park.

Walk 6.5miles 450ft Map OS151

“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ” By James McBride

 

“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ” By James McBride

In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania were digging foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of the well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where Jewish immigrants and African Americans lived side by side.

In this novel about small town secrets and the people who keep them, James McBride shows us that even in dark times it is love and community that sustain us. The novel has been described by some as historical fiction and by others as a historical mystery.

The majority of the Page Turners almost forgot about the ‘body in the well’ and felt that the murder mystery element of the story was inconsequential. Instead, they enjoyed the description of life in a small community, the melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. There were many characters described in the book and it was difficult at times to keep up with them all and remember where they fitted into the story. Indeed, it was felt that many of the characters could have been the subject of a book in themselves!

A lively discussion was generated from the historical element and the effects of the Jim Crow laws on discrimination; to the delights of living in a community that felt at times like Wenvoe. Overall, the book was given a score of 7.

“The Colour Purple ” by Alice Walker

OFF THE SHELF

“The Colour Purple ” by Alice Walker

 

 

This is a modern classic first published in 1982. It is a powerful story of severe trauma, domestic abuse, racism and violence that came with being a black woman in the Southern States of America in the early 20th Century. However, it is also a beautiful story of triumph, resilience, love, family and self-discovery.

It is a novel composed of letters written by two sisters, Celie the main protagonist and Nettie who becomes a missionary in Africa. It is not always an easy read. But it does contain humour and the reader can really empathise and sympathise with the characters.

It is well worth the effort and highly recommended. We gave it 8/10

March Events

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

March Events

At the end of January, the Standing with Giants charity asked WI members to make poppies to help refresh their installations. Wenvoe members rose to the challenge and made 125 poppies during February. Well done everyone.

At the beginning of March we welcomed Marc Harris from Dinas Powys as our speaker. Marc is a naturalist and author who has travelled thousands of miles in his lifetime, by bicycle and on foot, exploring the wonders of nature in the British countryside, which has inspired his writing. He gave us a very interesting and informative talk about his life, shared some of his excellent photographs with us and read a selection of articles from his book about South and West Wales along with some of his poems.

Due to Easter, our next meeting will be on May 7th for our AGM.

Visitors and prospective members are always welcome to our meetings. Please ring 07881853032 for further details

Carol Charlson (President)

February Events

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

February Events

Our planned speaker for the February meeting had to cancel due to illness, but Charlotte is hoping to come and talk to us at a future meeting.

However, we had invited one of our longest standing speakers, Viv Truran, to our meeting to present her with a gift in recognition of all the entertaining meetings that she had provided us with, so she gave a short update on her more recent activities before we spent the rest of the evening socialising.

On 5th March we are looking forward to our talk from local author, Marc Harris. Our April meeting would have fallen on Maundy Thursday so we have moved it to March 26th when we will have an Easter themed workshop.

Visitors and prospective members are always welcome to our meetings in the Church Hall at 7.00pm, usually on the first Thursday of the month.

Please ring 07881853032 for further details.

Carol Charlson (President)

 

 

“I Am Malala ” by Malala Yousafzai

OFF THE SHELF

“I Am Malala ” by Malala Yousafzai

For this month’s book, I Am Malala, an autobiographical work by Malala Yousafzai co-written with Christina Lamb, was a powerful and deeply moving read. Beautifully written and highly informative, it combines personal memoir with a clear-eyed account of politics, culture, and the transformative importance of education.

Alongside the political narrative, Malala’s lyrical descriptions of the Swat Valley – its mountains, rivers, and close-knit communities – bring a strong sense of place and poignantly underline what was at stake when extremism took hold of such a beautiful region.

Malala’s story powerfully exposes the oppression of the Taliban, particularly their attempt to silence girls through fear and the denial of education. Several of her words stayed with us long after closing the book. When she writes, “I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard,” she captures the quiet moral authority that runs through the entire narrative. Her story is never about personal heroism for its own sake; it is about responsibility, solidarity, and the necessity of speaking out when silence allows injustice to flourish.

The idea that “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world” lies at the heart of her message. Even under brutal repression, Malala shows how education remains a quiet but formidable force. Her simple assertion that “Education is education” cuts through ideology and extremism.

Overall, I Am Malala is inspiring without being sentimental, informative without being heavy, and hopeful without ignoring harsh realities. It sparked thoughtful discussion in our group and left us with a renewed appreciation of the power of education – and of voices raised not to shout, but to be heard.

We rated the book 9.5/10.

 

The Forecasted Deluge Did Not Happen

LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS

The Forecasted Deluge Did Not Happen

 

The forecasted deluge did not happen for this month’s strollers at Cosmeston. We avoided the muddy fields and large puddles, and enjoyed the birdsong on the peaceful paths meandering around the lakes.

Taff Trail and Morlais

Taff Trail and Morlais

Mud glorious mud! In my last article I commented that we had been lucky in January and had frosty clear days for our Saturday walks despite rain during the week. It couldn’t last and twice we walked on Sunday for better weather.

This was an exciting walk and a favourite. Parking outside a carpark, we went up the road (a hill) passing a property which was built as a sanatorium, an ideal location with lots of fresh air.

Having warmed our muscles and circulation, we turned onto a track taking us to Morlais quarry, a rocky expanse with craggy trees some of which were heavily laden with lichen. Although it was still January yellow hazel catkins were dripping from trees. Below we could see the Pontsarn Viaduct and the ‘Spanish House’ which was built by a Cardiff businessman. As we moved on, looking back, a line of structures could be seen above the quarry, they were chimneys belonging to a row of houses.

Even in winter nature has its treasures, and we were treated to trees dripping with beard like lichen, hawthorns festooned in red berries and raindrops catching the sun, red berries glistening against silvery green lichen, bright yellow gorse bushes shining out against grey trees and glowing green moss covering any bare surface.

The winter rainfall also treated us to gushing streams pouring downhill into gutters and spouting down to the Taff Fechan River. A stone bearing the inscription ‘It was time for tea’ made us think of lunch but it was too early.

Morlais tunnel was open from June 1879 until 1958. It is called ‘the Miler’ only half a mile long but, with the stretch of railway to Dowlais, a mile. The tunnel ran underneath the limestone quarries for Dowlais Ironworks. Workers drilled through 200yards of millstone grit and limestone at a rate of 25feet a week. Its arched structure is lined with 2,500,000 bricks and the project was completed in under two years. It ‘connected Merthyr with the Midlands and Monmouthshire hill towns.’ Incredibly a tree is growing on the outside arch of the tunnel, its roots following the line of the arch down towards the ground. As usual a few of us couldn’t resist looking inside the tunnel and were rewarded with ice cold drips of water down our necks.

We could hear the river below and soon were crossing the Pontsarn Viaduct, another engineering masterpiece, it is over 90ft high and 448ft long with seven stone arches and built in 1866 to transport coal and lime. Nearby an old building is encased in scaffolding, and at a window opening with no glass, several storeys up, is a chair – none of us could imagine being comfortable sitting there with the huge drop.

We were now following the Taff trail down the Taff Fechan River. At the remains of Pontsarn railway platform we stopped at a picnic table, to enjoy lunch in sunshine. Continuing, we met a local who said that a man had died 18 months ago at the blue pool (luckily not on our route) so ‘be careful’. Recently BBC news advocated more safety measures in waterfall country as three people had died in the last 18 months. At a path junction a horse and cart trotted past us. We were closer to the river than we had been throughout the walk and started to appreciate its dangerous beauty. We crossed a footbridge and turned north for the final stretch of the walk.

At this point we were walking upriver, nearer to it, and the volume of water was enormous. Churning water roared between the rocky banks and the noise put paid to most conversation. Towering rocks rose above us and tree roots crawled along rocks finding purchase. The path is quite wide, and we were safe, but we did watch our feet at times. A stream crossed the path, and the footbridge was underwater. There was a railing and it was fine to cross but most of us headed slightly upstream to cross on the rocks.

Before long we reached a stile which led to the beginning of the walk. A sodden sheet of A4 paper hanging from the stile declared ‘this footpath closed from December 2025 for up to 6 months’, no wonder the carpark was closed.

This was a lovely walk on a dry day, and the river was a spectacle, but proper walking gear had been important. A brief drive down the road took us to a local hostelry, for much appreciated refreshment.

Walk 6. 25m 830ft. Map OL12.

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