Category: Community Groups

Barry Docks to Penarth Marina

Barry Docks to Penarth Marina

It was Easter weekend and we stayed local to avoid traffic. We started opposite the household waste centre in Barry, at Hayes point, on the edge of an exposed industrial area but walking through a gap in the verge we found ourselves on rocks at the top of a beach. High tide was recent, and the sea was lapping not too far away.

No-one else was near as we made our way east and looked back over the grey Bristol Channel towards Nell’s point in Barry, which with Friars point creates the sandy Whitmore Bay. Although it was cloudy the sun was peeping through small patches of blue sky and glinting on the sea. We passed the new flats at Hayes point and Ty Hafan children’s hospice, the latter being easy to spot with the colourful dog sculptures on the side of the building facing the sea.

At Sully the famous dinosaur footprints were away from the footpath. Before long the line of bungalows that skirt the beach were in sight and the day was getting brighter by the minute. A Millenium plaque presented by the W.I. to the left of the path helpfully oriented us and showed the directions of many places in the area such as Cardiff, Llancarfan, Steep Holme, Burnham on sea and Flat Holme.

We passed the open spaces around Sully sports and social club and then had to head inland to get around a caravan park. Our return to the coast was the muddiest stretch of the day but at least it was soft underfoot. As we returned to the coast Sully island came into view and we could see people on its beach who must have been out there for some hours and possibly overnight – we guessed they were fishermen. The temptations of the café and the Captain’s Wife public house were safely passed as we continued.

Lavernock point beckoned with the 20-acre nature reserve which surrounds a second world war anti-aircraft gun battery complex. A variety of plants and butterflies thrive here and Lavernock is a good place to observe migrating birds. In the autumn flocks of swallows, redwing, fieldfare and finches can be seen. A wooden bench with a leaf on its back support and a carved inscription to Colin Vyvyan ‘ a volunteer who loved this nature reserve’ was unusual.

We were planning to have lunch on the beach but decided to head for the church instead as a breeze was coming off the sea. We basked in the heat of the sun as we ate and then explored the information available. This was where Marconi and Kemp exchanged the first radio messages across water between Lavernock and Flat Holme on 11th May and Lavernock and Breadon Down on 18th May 1897.

From here Penarth is north and we stayed on the coast, meeting more people as we neared the clifftop car park. Just before the clifftop café, we headed inland to take the Penarth Railway path, which follows the route of the old Cadoxton branch line,between Cosmeston and Penarth town centre. At one point there is a row of interesting terraces either side of the footpath each terrace has a different name.

During the walk we saw a surprising number of plants including blue borage, purple honesty, and lots of blackthorn with its white flowers.

Once in the busy centre we kept away from the shops and climbed streets leading to the top of a hill where there is a small garden dedicated to seafarers. Tall Iroko posts with holes drilled form ‘Bee hotels’ for solitary bees. Large stones have images of tattoos associated with sailors and a plaque explains their significance: Swallow guarantees a safe return; Golden dragon is the international date line; chicken and pig protect from drowning; anchor signifies stability, loyalty and honour; heart and dagger signify a lost comrade.

 

A view of Penarth Marina and Cardiff Bay with the expanse of the sea opens from here. St Joseph’s park is a traffic-free route connecting Penarth, the Marina and Cardiff and we descended through it to the Marina where our leader and his wife invited us to enjoy homemade cookies and chocolate cake adorned with Easter chicks with our teas and beers. A splendid end to an interesting walk

Walk 7.3 miles 500ft. Map OS151.

“An Equal Music ” By Vikram Seth

 

“An Equal Music ” By Vikram Seth

He was a student in Vienna ten years ago, his name is Michael. He is a violinist who was in love with Julia, a pianist. Their paths separated; she got married to someone else and after ten years she enters into the life of Michael once again. It’s a story of Michael and his music quartet, and it’s a story of Michael and Julia and their love.

If you are a music lover, then this book will be for you; Seth talks about so much music throughout – there’s Bach and Schubert and Beethoven and Mozart and their musical pieces in great detail.

If you aren’t a music lover, you can just enjoy Seth’s poetic prose and his descriptions of London, Vienna and Venice. This is a moving story of two musicians who love to make music and love. There is always a constant threat of loss which maintains the book’s melancholy. They feel it. They make music from it. They move forward together and alone, but joined forever by their music.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of this novel is the way in which it manages to convey music through language. One Page Turner loved the way Seth writes about music and the way he integrates music into the lives of the characters (all professional musicians).

The book is very informative about music and quartets and about Bach and many other composers. Some felt the music descriptions were tedious and difficult to understand. Others thought Michael was not a likeable character, especially regarding his obsession with Julia. Ultimately this is a love story, a tragedy, a loving tribute to chamber music and insights into the world of performance and maybe a book for classical music lovers.

Scores ranged from 5 to 8, with an overall average of 6.

“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides

OFF THE SHELF

“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides

This month’s book is a compelling psychological thriller that initially drew us in. We felt that the opening half of the novel was particularly strong and well-written. Alicia Berenson’s silence, following the shocking murder of her husband, is a powerful narrative hook, and the gradual uncovering of her past through diary entries is both effective and absorbing.

Theo Faber, the psychotherapist determined to treat Alicia, is an engaging narrator at first. His professional curiosity and persistence appear believable, and the clinical setting of The Grove adds an intriguing backdrop. However, as the story progresses, some of the psychological elements begin to stretch credibility—particularly in relation to boundaries within the therapeutic relationship. Theo’s level of personal involvement with Alicia, and the lack of oversight from colleagues, raised ethical questions that are difficult to ignore.

The novel’s twist ending, while clearly designed to be shocking, felt abrupt and somewhat far-fetched. Rather than a satisfying culmination of the psychological tension, the final revelation relied heavily on coincidence and narrative sleight of hand, which left us questioning its plausibility.

Overall, we rated this as an engaging and well-written thriller that excels in its first half but loses some of its credibility towards the end. It was let down by an implausible conclusion and ethical concerns within the storyline.

Rating: 7/10

The Tennis Season Is on Its Way!

Spring is in the air and the tennis season is on its way! While Wimbledon may not start until July, the tennis world really begins to get going from April.

We’re excited to once again be starting our weekly sessions at the newly refurbished courts at Wenvoe sports field and we invite you to come and enjoy tennis and all the physical and mental wellbeing benefits that come with it. If you would like to try it, please join us on a Tuesday evening. No playing experience is needed, and we’ll soon get you playing and enjoying this lifelong sport. If you’ve any questions or concerns, please speak to Pete on 07891 828019

  • Tuesday Evenings start 5pm – First one Tues 7th April 2026
  • Open sessions. Join us at any time after 5pm
  • Ideal for beginners or improvers age 16+ – you can borrow equipment
  • The focus is on the enjoyment and the social and mental benefits of playing tennis

Public Booking

The Wenvoe sports field tennis courts are available to book all year round.
£4.50 per hour per court (£2.25 30 mins if you prefer)
Scan the QR code to book online and receive your access code. You’ll need to create an account

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/WenvoePark/Booking/BookByDate#?date=2026-04-01&role=guest

Simple self-service facility

Please note that equipment is not provided for public bookings

 

Additional Options

Annual passes available from £39. Can be used by any family member within the same house-hold. Scan the QR code to sign-up and obtain your annual pass.

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/tenniswalesinthepark/Membership/Join

FREE family court bookings on Sunday afternoons from 3pm (Bring your own equipment)

Annual pass for 12 months for students with a valid .ac.uk email address £19.

 

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

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