Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

Back To The Future

Back To The Future

Well at least for the time being, Covid 19 seems to be in retreat. During lockdown we have enjoyed walks around the village, often discovering paths and trails we never imagined existed. At last we can now visit our local pubs again and venture further afield. It is great to see that things are opening up around the Vale again.

The excellent Visit the Vale website provides detailed information and a range of impressive brochures and mini guides covering ‘what’s occurring.’

From the site you can order a free copy of the Coast Countryside & Culture Guide, which showcases the best places to visit and features some stunning photography of the area. There are also some free and downloadable town guides, including those for Barry Island, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Penarth.

The Llantwit Major Guide includes a self-guided walk based on the town’s Blue Plaques, taking in historic buildings such as St Illtud’s Church and the Town Hall. You can end your walk with refreshments at the 16th century Old Swan Inn. During the Civil War period the innkeeper, Edward Maddocks, struck brass tokens, gaining the house a reputation as a mint. Monthly manorial courts were sometimes held there. In the 1930s when it was an inn, celebrities including the famous American owner of St Donats William Randolph Hearst and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain visited. The Visitor Centre in the Town Hall (check opening times) provides information on places to visit, events and activities. Trains run hourly to and from Llantwit Major to Barry and Cardiff. Platforms at the station are accessible for anyone with mobility challenges.

The Barry Guide highlights a range of activities many of you may not be aware of. There is a self-guided Gavin and Stacey Walking Tour and the 6 mile Barry Town Trail. The latter can be started at any point and walked in sections. It links Barry Island, Barry Waterfront and Barry Town with places of interest highlighted along the trail. Copies of the trail leaflet are available from the tourism department at the Vale of Glamorgan Council in Barry. Tel: (01446) 704867 E-mail: tourism@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

The Cowbridge Guide includes details of the Iolo Morganwg Circular Walk (6.5 miles). This celebrates the famous and colourful 18th century Welsh poet and antiquarian, while taking in the heart of historic Cowbridge, surrounding villages and woodland. An A5 leaflet, with pull out OS Map and walk instructions, is available from the Bear Hotel or Costa Coffee on the High Street.

Warren Mill Farm Park near Pendoylan (open) is included, with its large variety of miniature, rare and unusual farm animals, colourful waterfowl and a new family of wallabies. The farm is situated around a natural 4-acre coarse lake, well stocked with carp, perch, roach and bream. It can be found 1 mile north of the A48 near Bonvilston. (CF71 7UJ).

We can look forward then to enjoying what is left of the Summer and to supporting our local businesses, especially those in the hospitality and leisure sectors.

 

 

Thanks for Making My Travels Easy

Thanks for Making My Travels Easy

 

As someone who has spent many happy hours walking the footpaths around Wenvoe during lockdown I would like to thank the people who make my travels easy:

The walk leaders of Wenvoe Walkers who have shown so many of us the local routes around the village and made it possible for us to explore by ourselves once the social distancing rules were introduced.

Valeways and their volunteers, who have maintained the signage and stiles, and those who join in ‘Walk and Clear’ making sure the paths remain open.

Wildlife group for creating and maintaining the Orchid field and orchards.

Our local farmers and landowners who provide access to their land and even through these difficult times have smiled and waved if we pass one another.

Wenvoe Golf Club who were happy for us to wander freely across their land while the course was shut.

Thank you all for helping me and the residents of Wenvoe to explore safely.

Annie Bennett

 

 

Virus Tracing Scams

VIRUS TRACING SCAMS

How to tell if a contact tracing text is real

NHS Test and Trace might text or call you to warn you if you’ve recently been in contact with some-one who tests positive for the virus.

You can tell if it’s genuine if it includes a unique ID number. This ID number should allow you to log into the official Test and Trace website.

Instead of following any links included in the text, go to the website from your web browser and enter the ID number you’ve been given.

You could also check whether the text came from the only number dedicated to the NHS tracing service, which is 0300 013 5000. However, there are concerns it could be affected by number spoofing.

No other messaging services are being used to contact people. If you get a message like this on WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook, for example, you can be sure it’s fake.

Fake NHS texts: how you can tell the difference

Be cautious and report suspicious messages

If you do receive a suspect Test and Trace message, report it to Action Fraud. The National Cyber Security Centre is also encouraging reporting phishing attempts to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Scammers are taking advantage of the pandemic in any way they can to try and steal information and money.

Be generally suspicious of any unusual or unexpected messages that ask for personal information about you or your friends and family

Source Which.

 

 

Recycling Bag Suggestions

Recycling Bag Suggestions

After a recent very windy rubbish/recycling collection day, I have been reflecting on the small changes we could all make to help improve our great village.

I am lucky that a kind neighbour will bring my recycling bins and bags to my front door, and tuck them safely away, if I am not at home. I appreciate that some people are out at work all day and cannot take their receptacles in promptly; I also appreciate that when it is very windy these things quickly blow away once they have been emptied. After this recent windy Friday I found myself in possession of an extra blue bag and an extra orange bag – 6 days later they still hadn’t been claimed (I, for one, couldn’t afford to lose these too often – they do cost money to replace!). If they’d only had a house number written on them I would happily have returned them to their rightful home. Please folks – take 5 minutes to label your bins and bags, and there’s a chance we wouldn’t end up with so many strewn around certain streets on a regular basis.

On a similar note, perhaps I could suggest that at the same time people take another 5 minutes to look up the current recycling guidelines and refresh their memory. I came outside on that same day to see my front lawn strewn with rubbish that filled half a black bag when collected. This was clearly the contents of someone’s plastic recycling bag – but amongst this waste was black plastic (not suitable for plastic recycling) and dirty food containers (which should be rinsed out and clean before being put in recycling). Cleaning up someone else’s dirty food containers, particularly in the current climate of this health pandemic, is not how I would choose to spend part of my Friday afternoon.

 

Let’s keep our lovely little village looking it’s best!

Burdons Close

 

 

The Chainworks Of Brown Lenox

THE CHAINWORKS OF BROWN LENOX
‘Not the cheapest, but the best’

Established as Samuel Brown & Co., but changing to reflect the financial support of Samuel Lenox, this is a multi-stranded business story that covers the development of iron chain cables and suspension bridges. Brown Lenox figures strongly in the industrial history of south Wales and beyond. First and foremost it was a commercial undertaking, started by Samuel Brown and his Welsh born smith and works manager Philip Thomas, to manufacture iron chains for the anchoring, mooring and even the rigging of ships. It would lead to the establishment of purpose built chainworks at Millwall on the Thames and Newbridge (Ynysangharad) at Pontypridd, the latter works supplying round eye bar suspension chain for Brown’s chainbridges. In the field Brown was the first to erect iron level deck suspension bridges in the country, and the Newbridge works produced the major part of the chainwork for his suspension bridges with maritime chain cable production beginning in 1818.

Captain Sir Samuel Brown, to give him his full title, died in 1852, outliving Samuel Lenox who died in 1836. Lenox’s nephew George William Lenox took over the management of the works in 1840 after the death of Philip Thomas; the family name still represented at the works by a Lenox into the 1950s. In 1969 Brown Lenox became a wholly owned part of the F H Lloyd Group and with the change of ownership came new products particularly quarry plant; ore and waste processing machinery under licence. The last chain cable order was for the Cunarder QE2.

Part of the site had been sold off to form a retail estate in 1987 and the site finally closed in 1999 drawing an end to one of the longest standing and consistently successful companies in Wales with a history as celebrated as any in the country

 

 

A Day To Remember On Skis

A DAY TO REMEMBER ON SKIS

It was a Saturday morning in the early spring and I had woken up in Chamonix, the historic town in the heart of the French alps under the shadow of the mighty Mont Blanc. We were having a rest day and planned to do one of the longest ski descents in Europe, a 20 km run called the Vallee Blanche. But first breakfast was calling and off we went to the restaurant for our baguette, croissants and coffee. Candidly we never felt that the French quite hit the mark with their breakfasts, but they were just about worth get-ting out of bed for.

Vallee Blanche

It was rather inconvenient that the main cable car we needed to use to reach the Aiguille du Midi, our starting point, was closed for repairs so we decided to drive our minibus through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy and to take the cable car up from that side. Hearing our conversation over breakfast a French mountain guide asked if he could join us, as he too had the day off and would like to ski the Vallee Blanche with us. So we welcomed Yves to the party and set off for Italy. We caught the first possible cable car to reach Pointe Helbronner from where we could put on our skis and ski down to join our original route back to Chamonix.

Sadly the weather at the top station was awful, a full white out which is a condition when the sky and snow appear as a white sheet in front of you which makes skiing and navigation really tricky. So we drank the inevitable coffees until it cleared. When it did we shot out of the door to make up for lost time and readied ourselves for this challenging ski descent down a glacier. As we lined up, Yves asked if he might lead us down and we thought that was a good idea as, being a Chamonix guide, he would know the safest route. So he went first, followed by John our guide who carried a rope, and I skied at the back of the group with a spare rope. We all started off in high spirits.

It was good to be skiing at last. Yves called back that we should follow his tracks as he picked his way be-tween the visible crevasses of the Geant glacier. After a few minutes, Yves and John stopped and we all pulled up, keeping a safe distance between each other. Yves had decided to rope up with John so that if he fell down an unseen crevasse John would be able to arrest his fall with the rope. Being guides they were quick and professional and in a few minutes, someone shouted that Yves had gone. I replied that was fine and we would follow on shortly. “No – he has really gone!” came the reply. In fact, as soon as he had skied off he had fallen straight down a deep crevasse. John had done a textbook arrest by simply dropping down with his skis at a right angle to the pull of the rope, which otherwise might have dragged him in on top of Yves. I told everyone to stay still and went forward with my spare rope ready to carry out a much-practised crevasse rescue of Yves. First I had to establish a belay or anchor, so I took off my skis and thrust the first one deep into the snow – to my horror the snow, about the size of a table, fell away at my feet and I was staring into a deep ice-cold blue crevasse and I was about to fall into it. Quickly I put my skis back on to spread my weight and I moved towards John. A crevasse fall is very serious. It can result in a head injury or broken bones which make extraction more difficult. In the worst case the victim becomes wedged at the bottom, where the sides narrow, and body heat melts the ice which soon refreezes and locks the body to the ice. In this case we knew from his shouts that Yves was uninjured and together we set up a pulley system and hauled Yves out, not without a few Gallic expletives on his part. Alas, he had lost a ski down the crevasse but was otherwise fine; only his pride was hurt. We were lucky to get away so lightly from this potentially dangerous incident.

Shocked as he was he insisted on leading again, now skiing with great skill and balance on a single ski. Amazingly he soon disappeared over the lip of an-other crevasse, but this time John had him on a tight-rope and he did not go far down. Again we pulled him out but we had a long descent to make which on his one ski would have been very difficult. So we made our way to the Requin hut at the side of the glacier where the kindly guardian gave us coffee and found a spare ski for Yves to use. Our adrenalin reserves were running low – it was good to take a breath.

We were now past the Geant icefall and the crevasse risk was behind us, so we skied down happily as far as we could to a point where the snow runs out. Here we took off our boots and put on the trainers we had packed in our rucksacks for the hike up a steep path, to join a modern metal staircase which had been built to give summer visitors easy access to the glacier. At the top of the steps was the small train station of Montenvers. This was the end of the line for a narrow-gauge railway, using a rack and pinion system, which was built in 1908 for the Victorian tourists. How we wished the service was running that day, but sadly it was not so we set off for the long walk back to Chamonix. Our various diversions had set us back so the sun was setting as we reached the town where we quenched our thirsts with good French beers at the Bar National. It really had been a day to remember.

 

 

Forever Amber

FOREVER AMBER

On the landing in Gran’s little house was a large oak chest of drawers on which rested the treasured family Bible. In those days just about every home had one and I remember being fascinated by the contents – the faithfully recorded entries in fading ink, the sepia photographs of long-dead relatives, clothed on their Sunday best clothes, glaring ferociously at the camera, the papery pressed flowers from long ago all of which gave me some idea of life in those times. What happened to these treasures I will never know.

The drawers of the chest were largely taken over by household linen, delicately perfumed with dried lavender from Gran’s garden, but one drawer was devoted to what she called her ‘special things’ which she treasured above all else. There were gloves and a handbag in the softest leather with an amber clasp, a set of beautifully illustrated postcards entitled “The Volunteer Organist” from the 1914-1918 War and lastly two long necklaces, one of jet beads and the other of amber, only worn on Sundays to go to chapel. As a child I was allowed to play with these things, if I behaved myself.

Imagine my surprise recently when I chanced on the TV show, ‘Flog It’, as far as I could tell, an identical necklace of amber beads went under the hammer for £830.00, to the astonishment of the vendors who had put a reserve of only £200.00 on it.

Sadly all Gran’s treasures are lost in the mists of time, but when I next have a good sort- out , I shall pay more attention to what I’m discarding which my family might appreciate.‘

Point of interest.— ‘Forever Amber’ is the title of an historical novel by American author, Kathleen Windsor and was first published in 1944.

 

 

Reflections on Wenvoe – A Caring Village

REFLECTIONS

The current situation we find ourselves in has allowed time for reflection.

I am thankful for:- My family, albeit that I can only see the grandchildren and other relatives via facetime

My health; neither my family nor I having suffered COVID19;

My job offering me security and allowing me to work from home and not risk bringing infection home.

I wonder just how many times in conversation I have uttered the phrase ‘well, in the grand scheme of things’, when considering some minor mishap or inconvenience.

Then I got to thinking about the wider picture, and this is when I came to the conclusion that I am very fortunate to be living in Wenvoe. Having lived here for over thirty years, you tend to take things a little for granted. Looking back over the years, I have been involved with and in so many organisations:

Toddler Group, Playgroup, PTA, Beavers, Wenvoe Junior Football, Judo, Dance Classes, Keep fit, Cubs, Badminton, Scouts, Village Hall, Pilates, Tuesday Group, Wenvoe Library, Gwenfo School, Wenvoe Youth Club, Wenvoe Arms, St Mary’s Church, Wenvoe Choir, Wenvoe What’s On, Wenvoe Reuse and Recycle.

Then there’s the attendance at various fetes, fayres, coffee mornings, charity evenings, lectures, art and craft demonstrations and meetings. What a wonderful experience I have had. I would like to thank all of those people who have helped in making all of the above possible at any time.

Then we move to current times, and I find myself continuously amazed by how the people of Wenvoe have reacted to the situation we all have found ourselves in. Some people put up information boards in their gardens. Others provided their contact details to villagers, offering someone to talk to and assistance with chores. Cheering messages appeared on signs, changing on a weekly basis. The Easter Bunny walked the streets, waving at everyone and making them smile.

VE Day celebrations went ahead in a socially distanced manner, with several residents going above and beyond for the benefit of the rest of the village.

Footprints were painted outside the shop, including doggy prints, so everyone was reminded to keep their distance.

The Village Shop remained open, providing a much needed and appreciated service, and with a welcoming smile too. Local suppliers provided delivery/collection services.

People are conscientiously adhering to social distancing rules, stepping to one side or crossing into the road to ensure the 2 metre rule is observed. So many people participated in the Thursday Clap for

Carers. It was wonderful to see everyone out, clapping and waving to their neighbours. Some also took the opportunity for a socially distanced gossip.

Local tradesman have been available to assist with minor emergencies. Carers, delivery drivers, postmen, refuse collectors and others, too many to mention, have been thanked and offered gifts in recognition of their work. The What’s On has kept us up to date with current events.

Everyone is willing to offer advice and help on most subjects you can think of, and point you in the right direction. Villagers are happy to chat as you take your daily exercise. Everyone has been so friendly.

And for all of this I would like to say thank you to you all. I am, indeed, very fortunate to live in such a caring village. I’m not sure how much longer things will continue as they are, or when restrictions will be lifted, but I only hope I remember this feeling.

 

Again, thanks to you all.

 

 

Welsh Engineering and A Guinness World Record

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS

The World’s Oldest Suspension Bridge And The Welsh Link

On 26th July 2020 an event was planned to commemorate the bicentenary of the Union Chain Bridge, including the unveiling of an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark plaque by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and Japan Society of Civil Engineers, for the 200 year-old Union Chain Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Prior to this the bridge was to undergo a major restoration, the plaque to be cast in the USA and a special anniversary booklet prepared. Whilst work on the bridge had been delayed, it was not going to upset the celebrations but of course the event was upset, like normal everyday life, by COVID – 19.


In 1820 Union Chain Bridge united England and Scotland by spanning the Tweed with Welsh iron, iron chain links made in Newbridge, Pontypridd. The works that made the chains, Brown Lenox, used to be a prominent sight along the A470 through Pontypridd up to closure in 1999 and now is Sainsburys. Founded by Captain Sir Samuel Brown, it was opened in 1818 for the manufacture of maritime iron chain cables and Brown decided to manufacture a new line here, that of iron chain suspension bridges. In this field he was the first in Britain to erect iron suspension bridges for road traffic following James Finley’s lead in erecting the first bridge of this type in America in 1801. Newburyport in Massachusetts was the last surviving Finley designed bridge. But it is akin to Trigger’s broom or Washington’s axe, in that the road deck, chains and towers have been replaced, only the abutments remain to support what is a bridge of 1910 date. Union had beaten Telford’s Menai and Conway suspension bridges to opening by six years, so with its original chain, ironwork and masonry towers it can now claim to be the world’s oldest suspension bridge still open to traffic, although it is temporarily closed for restoration work at present!
So with the disappointment of a once in two hundred year celebration being cancelled, it was suggested by Chris Baglee, the conservation architect for the bridge restoration, that we get the Union Chain Bridge accepted by the Guinness World Records as the World’s oldest suspension bridge still carrying vehicles. I’ve just contributed a list of qualifications to support this and the nomination appears to have been accepted – so some compensation. Luckily we (ICE Wales Cymru) had celebrated the establishment of the Brown Lenox Chainworks and the bicentenary of start of work on the Union Chain Bridge at Pontypridd on 26 July 2019. The Friends of the Union Chain Bridge also unveiled a plaque on the same day to commemorate the start of work at Horncliffe near Berwick-upon-Tweed, where the bridge crosses from England over the river Tweed to Scotland – England and Scotland united by Welsh iron.

Stephen K. Jones

 

 

Trekking in the Himalayas

After my adventures in Kenya, and particularly, on Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro, it was time to leave Africa. Before leaving I received a phone call from BBC Radio Wales: my dad had rung in to tell them I was embarking on a trip to Everest. The interviewer tried to hide his disappointment when I said I was going trekking in the Himalayas, and would more than likely see Everest, but the intention was to bypass it rather than ascend the highest mountain in the world!

The plan was for myself and Jayne, a school friend from Wenvoe, to travel to India and Nepal and trek independently for 4-5 weeks through the Himalayas. Since the first ascent of Mt Everest, over 60 years ago, the Himalayas have become far more accessible to walkers. Hindu scriptures say that in “a hundred ages of the gods”, you could not do justice to the Himalayas. Choosing where to trek in this vast area (10 times the size of France) was difficult. We wanted to experience some of the highest mountains, gorges, forests, flowers, orchards, wild rivers, snow and sunshine that this region offers, as well as gain an insight into the different religions and cultures of the people who live in this area. We decided to start from Pokhara.

We flew into the bustling city of Delhi, where ear muffs to drown out the constant noise of horns, would have been a useful accessory. We arranged our bus transfer from Delhi to Kathmandu, then Pokhara. A crowded bus, with no air conditioning, but numerous live chickens, was our first challenge; the second was constantly saying “NO” to the insistent hands and pleading eyes of  villagers trying to sell us snacks through the bus windows at every stop.

Travel Route

Pokhara is a city on Phewa Lake and a gateway to many treks. The start of our trek was delayed by the onslaught of “Delhi belly”, something that my usual walkers at Cosmeston or Barry Island do not need to worry about!

Pokhara

Fully recovered and with rucksacks packed, we loaded ourselves onto the back of an open truck and were transported through the hills to start our trek. We knew there was a network of basic lodges to stay in, which provided local food so carried clothes and essential toiletries to get us through the next weeks. Lunch provisions had been brought from Wales: packets of crackers and jars of peanut butter! I am not sure Edmund Hillary had similar nutritional ideas when he made his final ascent but we thought instant energy would be important! The Nepalese children were intrigued by the peanut butter and were delighted to be offered a jar.

Trek Locations

We had deliberately chosen to do our trekking in April as there is no monsoon, the skies tend to be clearer and the hillsides are full of the most spectacular displays of bright red rhododendrons. Our trek was to take us through many small settlements and as we passed the villages of Landruk and Ghandruk we had stunning views of the Annapurna range. Ghandruk is a typical village of Gurungs with idyllic rural scenes, forests and a diversity of birds in the oak forests. At Tatopani, we had the luxury of immersing ourselves in hot springs. Tatopani means hot water in Nepali and the village gets its name from the hot springs that emanate from the rocks below the Kali Gandaki  river. The majority of people here are of ethnic Sherpa and Tamang. In Ghorepani( 3210m),  we got up early to climb Poon Hill and watch the sun rise over the colossal peak of Dhaulagiri, the 7th highest peak in the world. It was not a huge effort to get ourselves up as we had spent the night on straw beds in the kitchen in our lodging! The walking itself was not too difficult: there were trails to follow, friendly locals to point us in the right direction(always greeting us with a “Namaste”), rope bridges across gorges to navigate, the Kali Kandaki river to follow and narrow wooden beds in home stays or a mattress in a lodge, to rest up in between the walking.

Muktinath Vishnu Temple

Muktinath was the highest point on the trail (3710m).Muktinath is a Vishnu Temple, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. It is located at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass and is one of the world’s highest temples.  It is an impressive sight and is visited by thousands of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims every year. We were fortunate to have the place almost to ourselves. The peace and tranquillity of the temple, the awe inspiring snow covered mountains that surrounded us and the bright blue skies above us combined together to ensure this was the highlight of the trip.

AT Jomson there is a local airport, where many trekkers return by small planes to Pokhara.  Not us, we were walking back. The highlight on the return journey was Birethanti (1100m), a small village set at the foot of the Modi Khola valley. Mule trains set off from here to deliver goods to less well connected villages. Final stop was Nayapul, where a friendly truck driver picked us up and returned us to the relative comfort of a Pokhara hotel. After 30 days walking we could remove our walking boots!

In Nepal, the scenery, people and walking on our trek was special. But Cosmeston and Barry Island are special too:  you will be offered great scenery, a warm welcome, fresh air and time to reflect…… looking forward to meeting up again soon.

 

Namaste!

 

 

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