Category: Footsteps

St Brides Major

We started at St Brides Major and walked north-west across Beacons Down on a bright Sunday morning. As we approached the river Ogmore we could see a long line of runners coming towards us and then sharing our route. In places it was pretty muddy underfoot following Saturday’s rain and we didn’t envy them having to run through it.

They were participating in the Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding race, which is a challenging multi-terrain six mile race. The pudding race was started in 1990 by Bridgend AC who organised the race for 10 years, handing over to the Brackla Harriers club in 2000. The original race took in the stepping stones by Ogmore castle, a route abandoned after heavy rain submerged the stones in year 2!

Many runners were in festive costumes and we left them to enjoy mince pies and mulled wine at their half way point as we turned south along the river. They crossed the river back towards Merthyr Mawr and their second ascent of the highest dune in Europe, known as ‘The Big Dipper‘. The sun sparkled on birds in the river and looking east we could see walkers and horse riders with the runners behind them. From here we followed the coast towards Southerndown before heading inland through some woodland and arriving at the Heritage centre. Now we took a slight diversion down to the coast to enjoy our very welcome lunch, with the luxury of picnic tables. Then north-east towards Pitcot, where opposite Pitcot pool we were surprised to find the Farmers Arms closed. From here it was a short walk along the road to where we had parked in St Brides Major. A walk of 7 miles and 500ft.

Merthyr Mawr, Newton and Candleston

The car park at Candleston, Merthyr Mawr was the starting point for our walk and we headed west across the dunes towards the beach at Newton. Initially we climbed a steep dune and then undulated through the sandy paths admiring the seed heads of the many wild flowers standing tall around us.

Merthyr Mawr is the highest dune system in Wales. Sand has settled on top of an ancient limestone cliff creating a special habitat for insects, fungi and plants. Springs arise from the bottom of the cliff giving rise to pools and temporary streams. Flints from the Stone Age, burial mounds and pottery from the Bronze Age, hearths from the Iron Age and Roman tiles discovered here have resulted in much of the Warren being scheduled as an Ancient Monument.

It was a misty morning and we could just make out the banks of the river Ogmore and the sea in the distance, where we had walked last weekend. As the dunes led us to the sea, the last stretch of our walk west was on the beach where there were quite a few people, mostly walking their dogs. Unfortunately it was too early for lunch so before reaching the road at Newton we headed inland and then generally east following a path through woodland. We passed the scout camp at Wigfach and an interesting building near it, built in art deco style. Many different fungi were spotted on the ground and rotting wood, including a timely outcrop of turkey tail. Finding a clearing in the wood we ate our lunch and then made our way along Cwm y Befos, emerging onto farmland and more normal terrain. Passing Candleston farm, we headed north alongside a wood and then south-east. A friendly horse and donkey came close and followed us across their field before we arrived at the pretty Merthyr Mawr village near the church. Now we walked along the road finishing at Candleston castle. The castle is a 14thC fortified manor house, in ruins since the 19thC. The castle is believed to be named after the Norman family of Cantilupe, thought to be its first feudal tenants. In the 21stC, the castle is an ‘ivy covered ruin’: wildfowl, butterflies, moths, autumn gentian, violets and orchids are seen in its area. We had walked 8 miles and climbed 600ft.

We parked at Tintern Abbey and started by walking across the bridge at Abbey Mill over a full river Wye. The Abbey Mill’s old water wheel was made around 1870 and ran until 1951 when electricity replaced water power. The mill paid an important role in the industrial history of Tintern. Originally a corn mill to Tintern Abbey, it later became an iron wire works and finally a wood turnery and sawmill. The Abbey mill still stands after 870 years of change and the Wheel, lovingly restored in 2009, turns again.

Good paths took us on a steady climb up to Brockweir in brilliant sunshine. Still climbing we crossed a field towards Madgett Hill which we shared with a herd of cows and as we got higher realised there was also a herd of goats, and sheep in the field to our right.

At the top we arrived at a campsite on Beeches farm – barbeques were distributed around the site as well as a central washing area and small shop. We chatted to the farmer who pointed to his gateposts; a dragon for Wales on one side and lion for England on the other, the campsite is on the border of the 2 countries and Offa’s dyke. We avoided the Offa’s Dyke path from here, missing the Devil’s pulpit, as we knew it would be busy on such a lovely day. Instead we walked along the access road for the farm which was straight for an amazing distance – several kilometres to Tidenham . This is Miss Grace’s Lane, presumably originally built to reach Miss Grace’s home. Interestingly there is a 4 Km caving system between Brockweir and Tidenham named after the road, which took a number of years to locate as it is very deep. This is the largest cave in Wales.

At the main road, we turned right onto another road which led to a path through tunnels of trees offering shade from the intense heat of the sun which was much appreciated. The edges of the path were covered in a profusion of wild flowers and buddleias as well as some magnificent grasses. The sides of a quarry towered above us near the end of the path.Now we headed back towards Tintern along an old railway (of which no signs remain) and the banks of the Wye providing easy walking, again in the shade of trees. A surprisingly large rock sat in the middle of the path at one point. All of a sudden we had a superb view of Tintern Abbey through a gap in the trees. On arrival at Tintern we had walked 7.5miles and climbed 800ft. There was a large group of bikers, who had stopped for an ice-cream. We headed to the pub for a welcome drink, sitting near a lavender hedge, humming with the sound of bees (honey, white bottomed and orange bottomed). The bikers roared off, as we sat and relaxed.

Another beautiful day, starting in Goodrich we passed the church and headed uphill via Coppett Hill common, a nature reserve to Coppett Hill. The views were clear for miles across a relatively flat landscape and the church and the ruins of Goodrich castle stood out. We walked south catching occasional glimpses of the meandering River Wye in the distance.

Near Baynhams, a modern folly has been built together with a ha-ha – very impressive. Following a path around the edge of a wood we had our first close view of the Wye with canoeists paddling in the sun. We needed to cross the river via a rusty old railway bridge with a sign ‘Bridge Closed’, the footpath on its right-hand side was sturdy and we gained the other side with no problem. (To cross at the next nearest bridge involved a 5 mile detour)

We emerged into sunshine passing Stowfield Business Park, a police notice appealed for ‘witnesses to an incident on 22nd June’ and we could see a police car positioned there. We approached Lower Lydbrook, crossing Offa’s Dyke path. At Stowfield farm we spotted a sign ‘Please shut the gate after dark to prevent entry of wild boar’. After crossing a field where a large flock of sheep sheltered under trees from the heat, we joined the Heritage trail – a good path with the Wye below. At a clearing we stopped for lunch, the River Wye spread below us and in the distance we had views of the vertiginous Symonds Yat Rock; in the sky above us birds of prey made their high pitched calls.

Descending to the river we followed its southern bank and passed a sign for ‘tunnel beat’, one of the numerous stretches of water used by anglers. At the foot of Symonds Yat rocks were steep steps up to the rock and we joked about ‘popping up for an ice-cream’. Still following the river we were now on its west bank, emerging from woodland we walked along an open stretch of the river until we reached a road. Here we took a road bridge across the river and made our way back to Goodrich on paths across fields and through the churchyard.

A most enjoyable walk of 8miles and 1000ft, rounded off with a refreshing cup of tea. (Map OL14 for both walks)

This area of dramatic crags, cwm, & escarpment is the result of the carving action of glaciers. Turf covered mounds of earth & stone debris are another ice age legacy. Rare arctic-alpine plants find a refuge in these north facing hills.

We parked on the A470 beyond the Storey Arms on a lovely day. Inevitably we started uphill, a fairly steep gradient as far as Fan Frynych at 629metres. We needed a few rests on the way up and had ‘energy bites’ (nutritious balls of nuts, chocolate, dates and seeds) at midday. From Fan Frynych we had fantastic views of Pen y Fan. On the high moors good paths cross peat providing comfortable walking. Misty (Jane and Viain’s lovely spaniel) decided to explore one peat bog and came out a little worse for wear but soon cleaned up again after running through the long grasses.

We kept to the ridge for a while and then descended to the valley below, a steep descent through bilberry bushes and ferns which was difficult to negotiate. Reaching the stream at the bottom (Nant Cwm- du), we walked along a beautiful valley. Lone trees dotted the landscape and a group of ravens rode the thermals on the ridge high above us.

Reaching Sarn Helen, we stopped for lunch at a bridge over the stream, surrounded by mountains and a blissful silence. After lunch we were on the homeward stretch but took a long detour to avoid climbing the mountain again. Part of this route took us through some unlovely gooey mud, created by cows. In various remote spots we had seen flocks of sheep, herds of cows and numerous horses grazing. As we came lower we saw a man in the next field dressed in a light shirt, slacks and ordinary shoes looking at his sheep. Within a very short time he had climbed high up the hill to find a herd of cows, obviously he was the farmer and was familiar with the land but his fitness put us to shame. We had covered 8.7miles and 1500ft climb (Map OL12) and went down to the pub in Libanus for a very welcome drink.

(If you wish to walk any of the routes described in these column please contact ianmoody029@gmail.com for a map and additional information)

We started out from Mynydd Du forest car park, apparently this is the largest forest in the Brecon Beacons National Park. We walked along a stream and crossed it via a bridge. The track led us through trees and gradually we began to climb the valley. The track became narrower and in places there was a steep drop to the stream below. As our ascent continued we came out into the open to walk along the edge of a felled forest. The gradient had increased and with the sun coming out it was getting a ‘bit warm’, we were glad whenever a cloud arrived to give us some relief. The last section of the climb was very steep and the path rocky in places. The good news was that we had climbed to a ridge and the remainder of the walk would be relatively easy.

We reached the summit of Pen y Gadair Fawr at 800metres. There was a profound silence, nothing to remind us of modern society, not even any planes. And we could see for miles in all directions, uninterrupted views of mountains and no wind turbines! It was 12.45 but we decided to continue to the next high point before stopping for lunch.

The paths are excellent on the top, grit having been laid by National Park rangers to preserve the moorland and peat. We had a glimpse of the reservoir at Gwynne Fawr as we headed towards our second peak of the day, Waun Fach at 811metres. By now we had split into two groups 3 people striding out ahead and 3 of us just a bit further back. It was definitely lunchtime but they kept going and a black cloud gathered in the sky above us. ‘Maybe they’re trying to get out of the cloud before lunch’ I thought. But no they eventually stopped and we were able to sit on piles of empty sacks which had been used to haul all the stone up the mountain for the paths. It was cool only 17degC under the cloud but all around was bathed in sunshine. It was so clear that we could see Hay on Wye to the north and the Malverns in the east.

After lunch we turned for home passing the Dragonsback on our left. Our descent was gradual taking us towards Gwynne Fawr reservoir which had a bothy at its head. It was now a very warm day and we enjoyed the proliferation of wildlife around us –

butterflies, bees, dragonflies, many plants and gorgeously cool mountain streams. The final stretch was rough stones which was a bit tough on the feet after such a demanding walk. We weren’t surprised to hear that the guide book had described the walk as ‘strenuous’. We’d covered 9.7miles and a 1500ft climb, which included the 2 highest peaks in the Black Mountains. (Map OL13)

Waterfall Country

 (OS map OL12)Pontneddfechan is a former silica mining hub and sits at the confluence of the rivers Mellte and Nedd Fechan. Silica mining took place in this area from the 18th century to the mid 1960s. Because of its high resistance to heat, silica was used to make ‘fire bricks’ used in the construction of kilns and furnaces for the copper, steel and iron industries. Although silica can be converted to silicon – the material used to create the tiny circuits which power computers – the mines had closed before global demand for pure silicon took off, and it is now mostly manufactured in China.

We arrived at Pontneddfechan on a misty morning and took a footpath after passing one of the local hostelries and soon found ourselves following the river Nedd Fechan on its western bank. It was immediately obvious that there was plenty water in the river as we could clearly hear the water rushing on its way. Hopefully this promised full waterfalls but a little worrying as we were hoping to cross the river further up. The footpath had clear signs of once carrying a railway and no doubt this would have brought silica from the mines.

Waterfall country is an area of deep valleys, rocky gorges and ancient woodlands. The footpaths are well marked but on a wet day some of them were quite slippery and as usual there were warnings ‘Danger Rivers in this area can be cold, deep, fast flowing’. Even with the persistent rain the valley was beautiful and we enjoyed many ‘minor waterfalls’. We soon reached the confluence of the Rivers Pyrddin and Nedd Fechan.

We followed the river Pyrddin in a north westerly direction, hoping to reach Sgwd Gwladys and Sgwd Einion. We reached Sgwd Gwladys (Lady falls), which was in full flow from a 6 metre drop. Below the waterfall the river enters a deep pool and then widens out with shingle areas making it possible for us to cross the water (somewhat tentatively in the faster flowing areas). We continued along the river Pyrddin and soon came to the place we would have to cross the river again in order to reach Sgwd Einion Gam. The river was wide and deep in places, with fast flowing water and very little prospect of a crosing place. The men walked along the bank and into the river but couldn’t find anywhere we’d all have been happy to cross so we had to save Sgwd Einion Gam for another day.

Legend has it that Gwladys, a daughter of Brychan, 5th century king of Brycheiniog, fell in love with Einion after whom a waterfall is named Sgwd Einion Gam. Although she could never be with him in life, in immortality their spirits still flow together merging in the pool below Sgwd Gwladys.

Our path took us back to the river Nedd Fechan where we saw a sign indicating a silica mine a short distance away. We were heading along the Elidir trail towards the Horseshoe Falls. On arrival at the falls, most of us walked out across slippery rocks to look upriver at the Lower Sgwd Ddwli. A select band elected to walk along the edge of the river to reach these spectacular falls; whilst the rest of us awaited their return.

Continuing the path led us above Upper Sgwd Ddwli where we spotted some splendid fungi growing along a fallen tree. At Pont Melin fach, a picnic spot, we stopped for lunch beside a now gentle river, thinking how lovely it would be on a sunny day. From here we headed across the bridge and on to Comin y Rhos. We were in the clouds now and could see little of our surroundings. The area had waist high grass, plenty of water underfoot and it was difficult to see signposts in the mist but our excellent map readers kept us on a steady route and we negotiated it successfully.

Heading south we continued across boggy ground until we reached the golf course near Pontneddfechan. At last, solid mown grass to walk on but still visibility was low. Having been surrounded by cloud, mizzle or rain all day we were all feeling very damp when we arrived at our starting point having covered 7.5 miles and climbed 1000ft. (Map OL12). How nice it would have been to do this walk on a summer’s day, but this was mid July. What would it be like in winter?