Category: Community Groups

Gower – A Visit to The Worm’s Head

Gower – A Visit to The Worm’s Head

A glorious day in September saw five of us travelling to Rhossili in a quest to walk over to Worms Head – the island which sits in Rhossili Bay and is accessible at low tide.

The National Trust (NT) car park was neat and green with lots of picnic tables. We walked to the end of the headland and after one of us said ‘I’d love to be certain I had seen a chough’, we were thrilled to see them, with red beaks and legs, doing acrobatics in the breeze and calling. Further along were horses grazing.

Soon we were descending the slope to the beach and clambering across rocks. With almost 2 hours to low tide, and a sign stating that the causeway is safe until 3p.m., there was plenty of time for the crossing. Although a little concerned that the rocks would be slippery with seaweed, there was no need as all the rocks are covered in barnacles and tiny mussels. Soon the sea was either side of us, but it is a wide causeway at low tide.

Arriving at the island we walked to the end of the main section. An easy climb to the ridge of the island, then a climb above the path to sit where a small ridge gives a view of Rhossili and Llangenith beaches to have a snack. As we sit, we exclaim together ‘oh look seals’ about 6 of them basking on the rocks below us. Cormorants fly, dive and stretch their wings. As we eat our lunch we watch as seals try to knock each other off rocks and make ‘friends’. A large bull is about twice the size of all the others and lifts his head and tail together posturing. More seals are spotted swimming in the sea and gradually clamber onto the rocks so that by the time we leave there are 9 of them.

We haven’t walked to the far end, the Outer Head via Devil’s Bridge, but it looks more uneven from here and the tide is already turning so we call it a day and start our return to the mainland. We head away from our earlier path to a flatter route and are careful not to trip. Those barnacles would rip your skin if you fell! Our path seems more uneven with some stretches of large rocks to scramble over.

Arriving back on the beach we walk south east along the ledge above the beach. Streaks of quartz sparkle in the chunky stones apparently untouched by man and washed by the sea on every tide. The sea sparkles in the sun reflecting a beautiful blue sky.

Now we head inland and make our way over to the next bay – Fall Bay – Rather than clamber over rocks again we walk around the bay and down a narrow path which finishes with a few steep drops over polished rocks. Just a few people are settled around the edge of the bay.

Everyone changed into swimming gear and ran down to the sea for a dip – I don’t swim well so paddled in the shallows. And Auri, the dog, who hates water stood at the edge and ran every time a wave approached. As I walk out of the sea to race the incoming waves, there are sensations of vertigo from the rushing patterns of the frothy water on the sand.

We climbed back up above the bay and across fields to the NT carpark. Several fields have been planted with flowers by the NT: the first has sunflowers and several different types of clover, a 4th plant with a pink flower is probably also a clover with an incredible honey scent which completely fills the air, the second has sunflowers, cornflowers and a few other meadow flowers and the third has wildflowers but no sunflowers – calendula, poppies, cornflower etc. A delight especially as there are still quite a few blooms so late in the season.

Back at the cars we make our way to the balcony of the pub and sip beers gazing over Rhossili bay. The wreck of the Helvetia (wrecked 1887) gradually disappears as the tide comes in. We could sit for hours but eventually we set off home, leaving one person to find a campsite where she was staying in her motorhome overnight

What a magical day, sunshine from dawn to dusk, good company, some amazing wildlife, flowers none of us knew and a visit to the Worm’s Head achieved. And to cap it all that night there was a full moon shining clearly after we got home. What a shame only five of us were able to make it!

“Drift” by Caryl Lewis

“Drift” by Caryl Lewis

Why do people join Book Clubs? To widen their reading choices and read new genres? To have interesting, challenging or informative discussions about books? To sit in comfortable surroundings and socialise? To eat delicious cakes? If so, all boxes were ticked at the latest meeting of the Page Turners at May’s house.

The book choice was, Drift, a winner of the Welsh Book of the year, by Welsh author, Caryl Lewis. This was her first book written in English; one Page Turner who is a fluent Welsh speaker believed her Welsh language novels were more accomplished.

Drift is based in Wales, and has a cast of Welsh characters and a prisoner in the local army camp from war-torn Syria. Drift is described as a love story with a difference, a hypnotic tale of lost identity, the quest for home and the wondrous resilience of the human spirit.

Most Page Turners agreed it was written very well with beautiful language and vivid descriptions of the sea and Welsh coastline. Some enjoyed the magical, mystical aspects of the story and became immersed in the story and the characters. Others found it confusing and didn’t like the descriptions of war, torture and conflict. Some found the ending confusing and there was some discussion about what happened…or didn’t happen.

Scores ranged from 10 to 5, with an average of 7.5. Is it a book for you? It’s different…give it a try. Everybody agreed that May’s lemon cake was worth a 10!!

Ideas Pointing in the Right Direction

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“Ideas Pointing in the Right Direction ”

I recently read an interesting blog about a private sector attempt to provide a route to changing the NHS from a megalithic organisation that treats people who are sick and injured into one whose primary task in to keep the population well. The entrepreneurial team have devised a package that offers appointments at which all the latest tech including a full body scan is employed to try to detect any potential problems early, allowing for treatment, lifestyle change or whatever is recommended should take place before too much damage is done. This is not part of the NHS and seems to be targeted at the reasonably well off 30+ age group. At £300 an appointment it is not hugely expensive but well out of reach for the NHS’s biggest client group for whom poverty affects many, many of the determinants of health such as poor housing, unhealthy diets, low paid jobs, etc etc. They will not be in the position to have one appointment, never mind the follow ups every 2 or 3 years that will probably be needed.

Whether these assessments are useful, even for the well off, I don’t know and the Forum is not recommending them, nevertheless; there is an underlying idea which seems to points in the right direction. Intervening much earlier in life and persuading individuals to make appropriate changes could reduce the incidence of so many conditions that are life limiting both in terms of length and quality.

As the Covid pandemic demonstrated so clearly public health is the responsibility of government at all levels using all the tools available from legislation through to advertising and the work of the “Nudge unit” now known as the Behavioural Insights Team. Their combined force would not have succeeded without the willing cooperation of the public. Vaccination programmes that have hopefully defeated smallpox and certainly turned Covid into something we could live with have been worldwide efforts. In the UK the campaign to reduce sickness and death related to tobacco smoking is succeeding but has taken decades so far and if we are to make the changes needed to turn the NHS oil tanker, we the public will have to contribute to our own health not only with our taxes but with actions and fairly swift action too. But what can we, here in Wenvoe actually do?

Some things we can do for ourselves like improving our diet. Let’s use this as an example. It sounds simple and it sounds personal but to achieve it some people need some help. Working families are time poor and it is so easy to fill the supermarket trolley with quick to prepare, highly processed food which is less healthy. If healthy food were to be available on their doorstep it might just make the difference and change their behaviour especially if it were at a reasonable price. For some it’s a case of not knowing what is healthy and what is not and often the information is not clear and as time goes by further research changes the message, so a regular set of health lectures might be useful.

 

But I write as someone in their 70s making a suggestion from my perspective and I acknowledge that what would work for me might not be right for others. If we, as a community, are to see change that will benefit us all then we must all put on our thinking caps and our action shoes.

There is an opportunity to shape an imminent Community Planning Exercise which will undertake its main survey in the New Year. From the beginning of October to the end of the year your thoughts and ideas about what important topics are to be included in the new community plan should be sent tocpe@wenvoecouncil.org.uk. This is a real opportunity to express how you would like life in Wenvoe to be in 5, 10, 15 years time. All aspects of community life can be considered, planning, services, resources, green spaces, ecology, wildlife, environment… Working together it is possible to achieve so much, and it can be fun too, so if you have ambitious plans lets hear them. The results of the last planning exercise can be seen on thewww.wenvoecouncil.org.uk website.

On November 23rd, the Community Council will be bringing together some other organisations for an open day to get the ball rolling on collecting ideas. See the next edition of WWO for more details

IT’S YOUR COMMUNITY!

LET’S HEAR YOUR VOICE!

HAPPY HOP GROWERS – In mid-September,5.55Kg of Wenvoe grown hops were delivered by Sian and Steve Jones to PIPES brewery in Cardiff, where they are already in the brew that will be this year’s community brew of Taff Temptress. The harvest was much better than 2023 so we have great hopes for our hops.

 

 

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https:// www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https:// wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.

 

Defynnog  and Swansea Valley

Defynnog  and Swansea Valley

Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog

We have explored the Brecon Beacons this summer, a big thank you to everyone who has suggested or plotted walks. We have had a veritable feast of wild food finding hazelnuts, bilberries, blackberries, wild strawberries and raspberries, and in one field left fallow, fresh peas (amongst wheat, barley and other old crops) which were so delicious. Here are another two walks in this awesome place.

Defynnog

We set off from Defynnog, to make our way around Cwm Treweryn. A road led to Pantymaes where ponies grazed near the footpath, and we approached a quarry. Peregrines have been nesting here and successfully raising young. We saw some adult birds flying above the ridge and heard their screaming cries.

As we continued a flock of sheep walked in front of us until they ran to their mates in an open area. Shortly after we spotted an ewe which had got itself stuck in the roots of a tree. Its head was under a root, and it couldn’t back up as there was another root behind it. One of us lifted it out and it ran off bleating but not before giving its rescuer a kick.

To the east we could see the entrance to the valley we had walked last week. We spotted delicate blue harebells, explored the graveyard of a chapel with a hexagonal end and spotted a white chapel on the opposite hillside. We passed Glwydcaenewydd farm and walked through Crai before walking along a flower strewn lane. Needing lunch, we trudged uphill beside a wood to reach a height where we sat on a bank and ate while gazing at the landscape spread in front of us.

Walking along a road for a while we turned homeward on a good path to another chapel, and we peered through dusty windows to see a small austere space crammed with pews and tiny porches in two corners. One of the stones in the graveyard had a picture of a tractor on it which led to a discussion about what type of tractor it was.

Views of the surrounding hills diminished as we descended and entered a sunlight dappled path through trees, whose roots reached like long fingers down the bank.

Returning to Defynnog we were disappointed to find the highly recommended International Rarebit Café shut so had to be satisfied with a visit to the pub.

Four of us went to the church to visit the famous Defynnog yew and were mightily impressed. There are several yews all obviously ancient but one is so large we were all able to climb into its centre. Wow! It is thought that the Defynnog tree is between 2000 and 3000 years old. Although we thought we saw several trees it is probable that they were one tree. It may have been used for large gatherings (Cantrefi or hundreds). Between the 12th and 13th centuries Cantref Mawr was the Defynnog Hundred which would have made Defynnog an important centre in Wales rather than the small village it is today. [Walk 8m, 1200ft. Map OL12]

Swansea Valley

This was a glorious walk. Starting at Tafarn y Garreg on the A4067, we walked up a rugged valley broadly following a stream, and steadily climbing. Waterfalls, rocks, grassland, wind beaten trees, leaps across streams and a climb across moorland all featured in the morning.

And then we arrived at the source of the stream, Llyn y Fan Fawr, which is in fact the source of the River Tawe. We were surprised to see several groups of people around the lake, as we had seen hardly anyone all morning – there is a shorter route from Sennybridge. It was wonderful to see its clear waters and a few of us immediately bared our feet to paddle; so refreshing.

We lunched on its shores and were visited by a red kite swooping down low over us. There were discussions about what we all felt capable of as there was a steep 400ft climb straight after lunch (which we try to avoid). Most of us were up for it, once we realised that it would be flat on the top of the escarpment that towered over us. We were surprised to achieve the climb easily; it is a good path reinforced with large stones. Meanwhile a couple of us walked around the lake and back down the valley.

The views from the top were fantastic but humidity meant they faded in the distance, producing impressions of mountains. At the end of the escarpment, we seemed to descend forever, quite steeply at times. Until suddenly, we were back near the beginning of the walk with a gentle stroll along a wooded river back to the cars.

A stunning day, it had been ideal for walking, dry and cool with occasional sunshine, and we rounded it off with a drink in the local inn. [Walk 7m, 2050ft. Map OL12]

 

 

“Act of Oblivion” by Robert Harris

“Act of Oblivion” by Robert Harris

An historical novel that imagines one of the greatest manhunts in history: the search for two Englishmen involved in the killing of King Charles I and the merciless foe on their trail—an epic journey into the wilds of seventeeth-century New England, and a chase like no other.
1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son -in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the climax of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control. Ten years on and the royalists are back in power and under the Act of Oblivion have tried the 59 men who signed the death warrant and found them all guilty of treason. Some have already been hung drawn and quartered but there are two,
Whalley and Goffe who have escaped to The New World. On the run and dependant on help from people with an award of £100 on their heads. Whalley and Goffe have to survive in an inhospitable, if magnificent, unknown wilderness and harsh weather conditions. The exceptional writing of Harris paints a picture of their surroundings. Living under a cellar in virtual imprisonment, having to develop survival skills, learning from and bartering with Native American Indians.
Fascinating story, great atmosphere- fear, danger, – incredible description- well researched, good pace, were comments heard during the discussion. Most of the group thought it was well researched and skilfully written. The incredible description of survival in caves and underground rooms for months on end in a very dark period in history. We were greatly helped to understand this period in history by Helen, one of our members. But none of us liked the ending which was imagined by the author and seemed implausible. .
A very enjoyable and thought provoking afternoon with our hostess Babs providing us with delicious cake. Overall the score was 8.5.

Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog – Craig Cerrig Gleisiad

Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog

Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog

Craig Cerrig Gleisiad 

We parked near Forest Lodge cottages and set off along Sarn Helen, the 2000-year-old Roman road which runs from North Wales to Neath. The route would take us around Craig Cerrig Gleisiad Nature Reserve, Fan Frynych, climbing to the trig point and descending towards Twyn Dylluan-ddu before returning to Sarn Helen and the cars.

The first section along Sarn Helen is easy walking and we passed some interesting black and white sheep, cattle and lovely views. Taking a left turn we entered the nature reserve to walk along the valley and immediately spotted wind battered trees on the top of a hill. A noticeboard declared ‘It is a wild and craggy place and home to some arctic survivors. Glaciers carved out this special landscape. The steep rocky slopes, sharp escarpments and crags are home to rare arctic-alpine plants.’ The birdlife includes peregrines, kestrels, red grouse and rare ring ouzels. Archaeological remains found on the reserve show that the area has been inhabited for many thousands of years, including Iron Age huts.

As we progressed along Cwm du the state of the trees attracted our attention. On a visit 8 years ago, they were wind battered but now many seemed to have sparse leaves, one had a heavy crown of greenery. The path alongside the stream also seemed more overgrown but we had walked it on almost the same date last time.

The path gradually became more difficult with craggy, slippery rocks and narrow ledges. To continue past a waterfall, we needed to cross the stream. Large rocks were very slippery, so we went downstream, crossing to a bank of tall plants and made our way to a vertical wall with footholds cut into it. One of us is an experienced climber and she guided each of us until we were all safely at the top.

We were above the waterfall and followed the stream a little further before crossing it again to climb up to a grass covered area which proved much easier to navigate, following paths created by animals. We came across a herd of wild horses with foals which trotted off as we approached. The views were breathtaking, and we decided to stop for lunch looking back down the valley towards the Carmarthen Fans.

Arriving at a T-junction of paths we saw the first people we had seen all day and turned left towards Fan Frynych. At the trig point, we had awesome 360o views of the Brecon Beacons from the far west, north and around to Pen y Fan.

The path downhill led us back to Sarn Helen and the cars. The Mountain Centre provided a very welcome cup of tea and ice-cream. Looking at photos from 8 years ago, one person commented ‘we’re still wearing the same walking clothes’! Walk 7m, 1200ft. Map OL12

 

 

 

The Village Hop Harvest

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“The Village Hop Harvest ”

Some readers will know that Sian and Steve Jones coordinate the Village HOP Harvest on behalf of the Wenvoe Forum. Our hops go to join a Cardiff community hop growing scheme that results in a beer called Taff Temptress. If you would like to join the hop growers then please get in touch via gwenfo.forum@gmail.com. Existing hop growers please read a message from Sian about this year’s harvest.

Hi village hop growers,

The hops have been a bit slow but I am sure like us you can see some flowering. We hope that you will be able to pick them on Friday 13th September for Steve to take them to Pipes Brewery on Saturday 14th. The Taff Temptress beer should then be ready three weeks later.

Like last year I don’t think we will have a huge crop but every little helps! We look forward to seeing you all on 13th September.

Sian and Steve Jones

 

To join our Facebook group, please ‘friend up’ with the Gwen Fo account @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1 and then jon the Wenvoe Forum @ https:// www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402

Some further information and updates, blog site https:// wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/. Any Wenvoe community member is welcome to join the Forum meetings, via Zoom, which are normally held 19.00 on the second Thursday of each month. E-mail gwenfo.forum@gmail.com if you wish to join.

 

“I Kiss Myself Goodbye: The Many lives of Aunt Munca”

a

OFF THE SHELF

“I Kiss Myself Goodbye:
The Many lives of Aunt Munca”

 

This is a memoir written by Sir William Robert Ferdinand Mount (3rd Baronet). Principally he is writing about his relationship with his aunt, an apparent millionairess who calls herself Aunt Munca after the mouse in a Beatrix Potter book (it was never explained why). According to Mount, his aunt is a bit of an enigma and a consummate liar, “Nothing about her back story seems to add up”. Mount writes about his summer holidays at her house by the sea and the comings and goings of various guests. He name-drops frequently throughout the book and paints the characters who come and go but in a very superficial or irreverent way. There is no depth to any of the characters.
Mount does get to find out about his aunt’s background – probably the most interesting part of the whole book. Despite that there was a general feeling of so what? The title, I kiss myself goodbye is a reference that Aunt Munca makes to her background – a background that she wants to disown and forget.
This book has been well reviewed elsewhere – but take a deep sigh here – none of our book club members liked the book, only one gave it a six out of 10, with the rest scoring it as low as 2, 3 or 4. Three of us failed to finish it. It was described variously as tedious, boring, pointless and self-indulgent. Overall rating 4 ½ out of 10.

“Akin ” by Emma Donohue

“Akin ” by Emma Donohue

A retired New York professor’s life is thrown into chaos, when he takes his great-nephew to the French Riviera, in hopes of uncovering his own mother’s wartime secrets.

Akin is a tender tale of love, loss and family, from Emma Donahue, the international best selling author of Room. It is a funny, heart-wrenching story of an old man and a boy who unpick their painful story and start to write a new one together.

In the main, the group thoroughly enjoyed the book with two even scoring it 9 and found it a definite page turner! Most felt that it was nice to read a straight forward book without numerous characters and eras that involved going back time and again to remind oneself of characters and events. The description of the developing relationship between the two was well written without being over emotional. Nice was brought alive both present and the WWII history.

Two members of the group found the book less well written in comparison to Room which they had both found extremely good.

Overall the score was 7.5 and made all the more enjoyable by sitting in beautiful sunshine, in a most delightful garden with good company and of course the obligatory moreish lemon drizzle cake!

Firstly, A Big Thank You

WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today

“The one that didn’t get away”

 

Firstly, a BIG THANK YOU to those that donated unwanted garden equipment, tools and plant pots to our SWAPS table at Tucker’s Spring Plant Sale, earlier in May. Our table quickly became tables, as we were inundated with donations including lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and an industrial tile cutter. Thanks also to the volunteers that helped run the stall and make it such a success. Donations from satisfied “swappers” added significantly to the overall total, with all proceeds going to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group (WWG).

It was a fantastic day, and we chatted about re-using, re-purposing and re-homing ideas with many local visitors. I thought I would share one tale from the day.

The one that didn’t get away…Mrs Sybil Green and her late husband Colin were founder members of the WWG. Sybil met Colin at university. They married after completing their degrees and moved to Wenvoe where Colin advised local farmers. On finding that many of the agricultural queries concerned legal issues, Colin subsequently went on to take a second degree, this time in law, so graduated both as a BSc and an LLB).

Sybil mentioned that Colin had been a keen fisherman in his spare time. She was in the process of tidying her garage and had recently found Colin’s old fishing tackle. A relative had told her that one of the rods potentially had a value. Sybil had been mulling over what to do with Colin’s angling equipment and kindly offered to donate the rod to support the WWG.

Google helped identify it as a Richard Walker designed 10 ft, two-piece Mark IV Avon split cane rod made by B James & Son, Ealing, London. A visit to Garry Evans tackle shop on Whitchurch Rd confirmed this, and that the freshwater rod was in good condition. The helpful folk at the shop put us in touch with a local collector of vintage rods, who lived in Sully. We contacted the collector, Mr Victor Bonutto, who expressed an interest in acquiring the rod and agreed to help identify it further and to value it.

Victor checked the rod and thought it had been made in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Sybil confirmed details of its history and it seems Colin’s grandfather may have bought it new, in Barnstaple, c. 1957, as a gift for Colin’s A Level success prior to going up to university

Victor agreed a purchase price with Sybil and is looking forward to using it, in local ponds, as a member of Glamorgan Anglers. He agreed to help identify Colin’s other equipment and subsequently offered to purchase a 1960s centre pin fishing reel and various floats and accessories. Sybil then kindly donated the total proceeds of the sale to the WWG.

Photo: Courtesy of Mr Victor Bonutto – ttaster@outlook.com: Colin’s rod, reel and floats alongside Victor’s collection of fish exhibitions.

Victor also agreed to find new homes for the other usable rods and reels via his contacts at local game fairs; possibly youngsters just starting out on the hobby. The remainder of the equipment will be re-used / re-homed via the local ‘tidy tip’ at Barry.

The tale(s) continue…Victor shared further interesting personal stories. He had caught his first fish in the Regents Canal, North London, in 1966, the same week as England won the World Cup at Wembley just a few miles away.

He became interested in collecting vintage fishing tackle as a youngster and it had become something of an obsession. He is one of the longest-running ‘fixtures’ of The Game Fair, at Blenheim Palace, having exhibited at the event for over 30 consecutive years.

Victor also collects late Victorian and early 20th century signs, typically produced using enamel on steel creating colourful and hardwearing forms of advertising, with some dating back more than 100 years. He has signs from all around the UK, advertising products including soap, chocolate and whisky. One of the signs in his collection was being used as a manhole cover and another as part of a garden fence. In June 2017, Victor curated an exhibition entitled “Sign of the Times” at the Penarth Pier Pavilion. He also remembers the Fry’s sign that used to be on the side wall of the old shop on Old Port Road. Sybil was able to tell him that this sign is still on exhibition locally in Wenvoe

Victor and his wife are both former Redcoats and met at the Barry Butlin’s resort. They’ve been together ever since.

Sources: Thanks to Sybil and Victor for their input and kind permission to relate their stories. Also, please remember the existing Facebook pages that already support the idea of reusing existing resources in the Village – the Wenvoe Recycling & Reuse Group @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870475136410648 and the Wenvoe Buy and Sell pages, @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/3019469164839088.Finally, a reminder that Wenvoe Forum members are focusing on ideas around the REUSE (including REPURPOSING and RE-HOMING) of various resources. Please keep an eye out for future activities, and join us or send messages on: Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402twitter @ForumGwenfo

 

 

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