Category: Footsteps

Footsteps

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St Nicholas to Peterston-super-Ely

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Escaping from Wenvoe, we parked in St Nicholas, near the church, and explored north to Peterston-super-Ely. I walked with 3 different households over a few days. As one of my companions said, ‘It’s so nice to have a view to the north after so long.’

The first outing took us west from the church, towards the school and a footpath alongside the school. Opposite the church was a fruit tree in full blossom – beautiful. The school has several large, raised beds, an outside classroom, a playing field and a small pond, with a plastic duck. A good fence surrounds the whole area, but we saw several rabbits ‘trespassing’.

Crossing a couple of fields to the west we were surrounded by one of the sounds of spring – ewes calling their bleating lambs – so young and tiny. We stayed clear of them and came to a track leading north through trees. At a junction we took a left to cross Cottrell Park golf course and entered woodland. This is delightful now bright yellow celandine, white wood anemones, pussy willows, violets – white and blue, primroses, and the first signs of bluebells all jostled for our attention. I gathered wild garlic for supper.

The lane joins a road at a babbling stream and leads to a Chapel in Peterston-super-Ely. It is worth exploring the graveyard  there are some interesting headstones, but the ground is uneven. Turning right at the T junction we walked across the bridge over the river Ely to follow the river. There are benches along the river, a good place to rest and have a snack. You can walk further into the village to explore the village and church but return to the footbridge over the river to Wyndham Park. A wide avenue of trees takes you uphill past lovely houses. Snakes head fritillaries were spotted on the roadside verge. You can walk around this estate to find the ‘Moroccan’ houses and street names reminiscent of Dyffryn gardens.

Near the top of the hill, on the right, the footpath passes between two houses. At the field, we walked away from the houses and through a gap in the hedge on the left to follow the righthand boundary of the next field, emerging at Homri where building work is taking place. The drive becomes a road and leads back to St Nicholas. If you have not seen it already look for the grave of the blacksmith in the churchyard. This route is 3 miles.

On the second outing we started the walk in the same way but on reaching Peterston-super-Ely we did not cross the river but entered the National Trust meadows (footpath on the left just before the river). After a short walk there is an orchard on the right with a living willow shelter. We could not resist stopping for elevenses in the morning sunshine.

Re-joining the footpath, we turned right after crossing a small stream to walk along the river. This area is Pendoylan Moors (the other side of the river being Peterston Moors) and in winter is a flood plain. We were surprised to find it dried out so early in the year and walked north until we came near the farm. As you walk here you need to look ahead for the next footpath sign and keep to that line, if you follow the river itself you will wind all over the place and walk a lot further. It was quiet here apart from the regular trains running past in the distance – we saw 2 goods trains with 21 carriages. We espied buzzards soaring overhead and clouds of house martins swooping down over the water. Retracing our steps to Peterston-super-Ely, we crossed the bridge to pick up the previous walk. – There is a Valeways leaflet describing a 7-mile route which travels further north and comes back to Peterston-super-Ely on the eastern side of the river.

A third outing involved leaving St Nicholas via the road on the eastern side of the church. Before reaching Homri there is a footpath on the right which takes you down the valley to the Natural Burial ground. There are way markers showing where the path goes. We explored the paths in the Natural burial ground, where there are lots of bluebells but no flowers yet, before returning via the same route and aiming for Peterston-super- Ely, reversing the route described in the first outing above.

We were walking through a wood and could hear a ewe calling loudly; was she hurt? But as we neared the edge of the wood, we could see a lamb in the wood with its mother and sibling on the path outside, but the lamb couldn’t find a way out. We tried to usher the lamb through the kissing gate, but it ran off in the opposite direction. We spent a while rounding it up again before it got trapped momentarily between the fence and a tree trunk; somehow it scrambled out but ran into the next gated field. After a few more minutes of its mother calling, (and us trying to round it up) it came to the gate and we opened it to let it through. Ewe ran off with her two lambs without a backward glance (and certainly no Thank you!), both lambs eagerly suckling when they stopped. This took quite a few minutes, and we were now ready for our lunch which we ate with a view to the north.

Sunshine helped make all these walks a joy and we saw our first butterfly of spring; a comma. A longer walk could be created by walking south to Tinkinswood and Dyffryn as described last month, or even extending the walk to Wenvoe. Walk 3-7 miles depending on route taken. Map 151

 

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Footsteps

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Dyffryn

A favourite walk is to Dyffryn as there are several routes that can be taken. Hopefully before long Dyffryn Gardens will open and refreshment can be taken there before returning home. The photo below is of the mid-week walkers a couple of years ago, everyone with a smile on their faces despite a thorough drenching.

The first and most straight-forward route is to walk along the road to Dyffryn via St Lythans, though the road is a bit busy for this to be truly relaxing. From the village you can go along Pound Lane and into Wenvoe woods, which emerges onto a track running from Burdon’s Hill to the St Lythans Rd. From here there is a footpath to 12th C St Lythans Church where you can explore the churchyard and spot the vent at the top of the tower which was an outlet for the oven where bread was baked.

Walking along the St Lythans – Dyffryn road you reach Dyffryn Gardens in about 1 mile. Returning along this road follow the brown tourist sign for the footpath to the St Lythans burial chamber, a megalithic dolmen built in the Neolithic period around 4000 BC. The dolmen has three upright stones and a capstone which is 3 metres wide and 4 metres long; all the stones are mudstone.

 

From the dolmen you travel to Maesyfelin (the mill field) farmhouse. The footpath passes between the house and some outbuildings and through a gate. Over a couple of stiles straight ahead (east), you will often encounter a herd of cows. Across a couple of fields with the Goldsland woods (private) on your right and you emerge onto a stony track. Remains from seven Neolithic humans have been excavated from a cave in these woods. It is thought the corpses had been placed there to decompose before being removed to sites such as Tinkinswood or St Lythans burial chambers. This seems to be the sole site in Britain where corpses were left to rot prior to placement in communal tombs.

On an open piece of land is the Bee Loud Glade with a noticeboard giving information about the ongoing work to attract pollinators. The rest of the open area had a good display of flowers last summer, including one of my favourites the tiny but gorgeous blue flax which can be used to produce linen or flax oil. The footpath runs along the southern edge of this area and into a small woodland, along the northern boundary of Wenvoe golf course, and back to Burdon’s Hill. Going south here leads to the Port Rd or turn left going up the track, almost always with some mud, and take the stile on the right back into Wenvoe woods, to retrace your steps to Walston Rd.

For a longer walk you can continue past Dyffryn Gardens along the road and take the footpath to 6000 -year-old, Tinkinswood burial chamber (through a field and over a stream to reach the chamber from the road). A larger dolmen than the one at St Lythans, the Tinkinswood site contained human remains and pottery dating to the early Bronze Age. It is a good place to stop for a while. Instead of returning to the road you can cross a field and a small holding. There is a large open field, with Dyffryn Gardens to the left which seems to have a sense of quiet peace. Eventually the path emerges beside the Nant river and you can walk through Dyffryn village, with a stream either side of the road and some lovely houses.

At the end of the village there is a footpath around a small farm, where there are llamas, sheep and other animals. This leads into Dyffryn Springs fishery where you skirt a lake and can spot waterfowl and heron. After this are Old Wallace and New Wallace farms, where you walk through the stable yard and can look across the valley towards Barry and the airport. After New Wallace the track becomes a road, leading to Goldsland farm and the golf course and eventually the Port Rd south of Wenvoe

Other variations allow diversions through the Wild Orchard and Coed Nant Bran, even taking in St Nicholas and/or the Downs. Whichever path you take you can rely on mud somewhere, the possibility of having to wade through an inch or so of water (or 3inches this winter) and the vagaries of the British weather. But you will also see some beautiful countryside, lots of history beneath your feet and around you, and plants and animals aplenty if you keep your eyes and ears open. Many of these paths cross farmland and it is important to keep to the footpaths, keep any dogs on a lead and leave nothing but footsteps. I hope you enjoy your rambling as much as I do.

Walk 5-8.5 miles depending on which route is taken. Map 151

 

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Footsteps

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Wenvoe

The winter rain has turned most footpaths into quagmires and more of us than usual are walking them but there are places we can visit on firm ground. You are advised to wear good footwear – walking boots, wellies or sturdy shoes on all but the driest days as the lanes around our village can be muddy, wet (either streams or large puddles) and sometimes icy.

Once again, the golf course has been closed to players and we have been allowed to explore the extensive grounds, if we keep off the greens, fairways and bunkers and keep any dogs on a lead.

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The first and easiest route, which is used by lots of people, is to walk along the main road past the garden centre and take the first turning – Burdons Hill. It is uphill with snowdrops under a hedge and a 3D aeroplane on the side of a garage. You will come to a junction turning right goes north past Burdons farm and it is worth going past the stone stile, for a quick visit to the Elizabethan orchard on the left, which offers views across farmland, but then retrace your steps to the junction.

At the junction you follow the good track alongside the golf course (left turn from the top of Burdons Hill) that leads down to the golf course road. When you arrive at this road, turn left to come back to the Port Rd and another left leads to Wenvoe.

For a slightly longer walk on grass, another option, is to go through the kissing gate straight ahead and enter the golf course, to walk around its boundary. Stay along the top edge of the golf course and you will find a footpath sign. Currently, you can avoid this and stay within the golf course. Follow the boundary of the golf course until you see an opening onto the road, turn left onto the road and you will come back to the Port Rd.

 

This short walk has lots to offer – excellent views across the golf course, snowdrops and lots of birds – people have seen a tree creeper, nuthatch, wren and green woodpecker as well as the usual cheery robins, tits, blackbirds, crows, buzzards and sparrows chattering in the hedges. If you venture across the golf course road as far as the lake on the golf course you might be lucky enough to spot frog spawn. And on the way back to the main road you can see the sole lamb, that appeared in January, in amongst the sheep.

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My second suggestion is to do a linear walk to Michaelston-le-Pit. Cross the main road using the pedestrian bridge and walk along Station Rd. A footpath on the left has purple crocuses growing along it – there were cottages here at one time. Continuing, you pass Station Terrace where the railway station used to be and walk over the old railway bridge. This is an area which often has mud and standing water (several inches deep). Carry on, there are fields either side of the road and as it winds it becomes narrower, I walk quickly here in case any cars come by – there is nowhere to stand aside. There are lots of lambs in one of the fields.

When you reach the T-junction turn right to follow the road to Wrinstone Farm. At the farm turn left up a stony track, near the top you will have views of the Channel in winter. Follow the footpath signs to the right near the top of the hill and soon head downhill to join a tarmacked road. Turning right leads to Michaelston-le-Pit. You will pass Cwrt Yr Ala (a large house which once belonged to the Raleigh Family) and then a footpath on the right (noticeable because there is a sign telling you all the things you must not do) at Salmon Leaps which will bring you back to Wrinstone farm, It is lovely, but the path can be slippery and muddy.

Carry on along the road to enjoy the water cascading down the weirs and spot ducks and sometimes a heron. The raised village green is covered in purple crocuses now. Can you find the stone protruding from its wall which is a foothold for mounting a horse? Opposite, behind the telephone kiosk, is a covered well which at one time was the village’s only source of drinking water.

A few minutes later you will arrive at the grade I listed, church lychgate, a World War 1 memorial to local soldiers. Enter St Michael churchyard, to explore and maybe have a rest on one of the benches supplied, the Yew tree is impressive.

 

Leaving the churchyard retrace your steps to return to Wenvoe (maybe via the footpath at Salmons Leap if the weather is good).

Walk 2-7 miles depending on which route is taken. Map 151

 

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Ogmore

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We walked in the Ogmore area several times last year, using the Vale Trails leaflet no.1 ‘Ogmore by Sea Walk’ as a basis for our routes and starting from St Brides Major. From here we walked past St Bridget’s Church and were soon on footpaths leading onto Ogmore Down. This part of the walk is across open countryside with good wide grass pathways.

We have seen swallows sitting along a fence and gracefully swooping for insects in the air. At Pant Mari Flanders there is a hollow cut into limestone with a stone structure covering an ancient well. If you take the more northerly route you pass the golf course where the views are extensive.

After crossing the Down, you come to the river Ewenny and walking south soon arrive at its confluence with the River Ogmore, the site of Ogmore Castle. From here it is a lovely walk along the river and estuary towards the sea. The dunes of Merthyr Mawr Warren are on the other side of the river and horse riders gallop along the other bank. Stepping-stones offer a safe river crossing unless the water is extremely high.

Ogmore Castle is one of 3 fortresses built, at the time of the Norman invasion, to guard Glamorgan against attacks from the Welsh-held west. Beginning as a castle of earth and wood in the early 12th century, it was quickly fortified in stone before being further strengthened with a curtain wall in the early 13th century. Unusually the original defensive banks and ditches are still visible, the deep ditch in the inner ward was designed to fill with sea water at high tide.

The castle was given to one of the 12 knights of Glamorgan, William de Londres, who left when the Welsh attacked in 1116. Allegedly, the castle was saved by his butler, Arnold, and for this he was knighted Sir Arnold Butler and given the castle and manor at Dunraven as a reward. Ogmore Castle continued to serve as a residence until the 16thC and hosted the Court House until 1803.The present-day castle remains consist of the keep and some outer walls.

A ghost Y Ladi Wen (“the White Lady”) is said to guard the castle’s hidden treasure. In the story, a spirit was long said to wander the wider area until a man finally had the courage to approach her. When someone eventually did so, the spirit led him to treasure (a cauldron filled with gold) hidden under a heavy stone, he could take half for himself. Later, he returned to take the rest; the angry spirit attacked him as he returned home. The man became gravely ill but did not die until he confessed his greed.

The river always has lots of birds swimming along and feeding – seagulls, Canada geese and ducks to name a few. Soon we reach the estuary where the horizon opens out and the sun glistens on the sea – it seems to do this even on grey days though you may need to look far away to see it. The route now heads east towards Southerndown and Dunraven Castle, through the car park with the sea on the right. As soon as we were away from the concreted area, we scrambled over some rocks to sit gazing out to sea whilst eating our lunch and trying to work out whether any of the black birds hopping about on the grass were choughs. For some reason it is hard to spot their red beaks and legs but eventually, we were all convinced we had seen one (should have brought binoculars).

Looking over my shoulder briefly I noticed someone walking along the path that I thought I recognised – a celebrity. I quietly said something to my companions who said I was wrong. But… when we resumed our walk who should walk towards us but Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas of Welsh rugby. We were so cool, and he was very gracious exchanging greetings with us but underneath two of us were excited and the other two (English) had no idea who he was.

This stretch of the coast is picturesque and mostly level with a short steep climb near Southerndown. Then there is a steep drop down to Dunraven Bay where there are facilities and Dunraven castle and Walled garden (where according to legend there is another ghost!)

From here we walked inland passing the Heritage centre and then across farmland to come out opposite the Farmers Arms. Passing the pond and pump, we turned right to avoid the busy main road, climbing the road behind a row of houses. At the top there was a steep descent back to the road and our cars.

Walk 5-8 miles depending on which route is taken. Map 151

 

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Sirhowy Valley Country Park

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Sirhowy Valley Country park is south of Caerphilly, with 4 miles of flat well surfaced path along the former railway track. The entrance to the park follows the old railway and we drove past Full Moon, once the site of the Full Moon Inn and a small community of cottages but all that remains is the crossing keeper’s cottage. We parked at Nine-mile point car park.

It was a gloomy morning, but the air was fresh as we set off, not along the level railway but straight up the hillside to reach Mynydd Machen Common. The steep valley walls of bare cliff made it seem steeper than it is. A large tree had fallen across the path but luckily it was a good distance off the ground and we easily ducked under it.

Up here we had good views across the valley, houses old and new nestling into the red hillside rising behind them. Ferns lift the spirits at this time of year in their winter russet coats (if you can look at them from a distance rather than walk through them!). The rain-soaked ground beneath our feet was soft but, in most places, there were stones beneath the surface, so we did not sink far.

A feature of the walk was the number of fungi we spotted. Some traditional mushroom shaped glowing an orange colour, lacy frills around twigs and fallen tree branches and some climbing through dead trees. The trees looking as if they are being eaten alive by the fungi but of course they are only there because the tree is dead, and they are clearing the dead wood with many insects helping them.

 

The trees form sculptures as bereft of their leaves you can see their structure. A fallen tree covered in moss looked like a creature stalking through the wood. Old beech hedges, now several trees, with their lower limbs and roots exposed and wrapped around one another along a boundary were fascinating. Two trees apparently reaching out to each other as two branches were wedded together about 3ft from the ground, created a seat. An old stone wall was steadily being destroyed by a tree pushing its way through the restriction.

The sun came out and we enjoyed its heat and the views all around us. We found a relatively dry, grassy ledge to sit on for lunch, and gazed out at the distant Channel watching clouds blow across and then towards us, the view disappeared just as we finished.

Now it was time to head downhill. Partly on a tarmacadamed road but also along a stretch of particularly muddy path, luckily there was a stream flowing down it and we walked in the stream to use the stones for purchase. Then the stream ran out and one of us (me!) slipped and almost ended up with their face in the mud! Apparently, it looked quite dramatic, but the landing was soft, and the only damage was a small graze and muddy hands and trousers. Some long, wet grass took care of the hands and we were on our way. Before long we arrived at the railway with a level walk back to the cars.

To the miners of the valleys a ‘journey’ meant a line of coal trams joined together. The Sirhowy Valley has been a place of journeys for the past two centuries. Iron and coal travelled down the valley by horse, canal, road and rail. Salmon and trout made their way up and down the river to mate or find their way back to the sea.

An intricate metalwork sculpture stood at the top of a post showing horse drawn carts, steam trains, cyclists and trees. Bright pink open-ended boxes hung from lots of the trees and we decided they were for detecting the presence of small mammals. It was a while before we could see the river at the bottom of the valley even though we could hear it and narrow waterfalls tumbled down the hillside to it.

The Sirhowy valley tramroad joined the Monmouthshire canal tramroad at Nine-mile point on its way to Newport. Sir Charles Morgan, of Tredegar house, and his business partner John Jones had a colliery at Blackwood and needed a new tramroad to get their coal to Newport. The Sirhowy company fought the construction of the new road. Only the threat of an Act of Parliament brought agreement and the Penllwyn tramroad was built by1824. By 1864 the practical use of the tramroad was finished as it was replaced by the railway. Penllwyn Tramroad Bridge crosses the river near Nine-mile point. it has an impressive arch and is a grade II listed structure, with the original stone sleepers still visible.

Walk 8.3 miles Map 166

 

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Footsteps on the Severn Bridges

Our plan to walk between the two Severn bridges, was postponed due to lockdown so we were going to go for it despite a wet weather forecast. We parked at Portskewett and set off in a north-easterly direction on a course parallel with the river but a short distance inland, we caught glimpses of the 2nd Severn crossing (the Prince of Wales bridge). The route took us through fields and past huge electricity pylons ‘marching’ across the countryside.

On a slight rise there is a group of stones and we climbed to look at them. We watched a group of long tailed tits flitting between trees. A herd of bullocks with their mothers and gorgeous coats of various warm shades of brown followed us along a fence. We climbed onto a low bank and found a small harbour with 6 boats stranded in mud – it was low tide. Starlings flew in clouds and landed on one of the electricity pylons, even knocking each other off to claim a chosen perch.

Now we headed towards the railway. This is a mainline, we had heard quite a few trains, and were careful crossing but as the track is straight, although misty rain was falling, we could see a long way.

Reaching the river, we were on the Wales Coast Path and could see the 1st Severn bridge to the north and the 2nd crossing (completed 1996) to the south. Looking towards England we caught glimpses of brightness coming our way through very dark clouds. Nearing the new bridge, there is a small island with a beacon and the nuclear power station was just visible.

Rocks underlying the Severn estuary are old red sandstone and carboniferous limestone, the same ancient rocks which form the Brecon Beacons. 15,000 years ago, this area was untamed grassland and forest. Early Britons lived and hunted here but global climate change at the end of the last Ice Age transformed it. Increased temperatures caused Ice sheets to melt, leading to major rises in sea levels and the result is the estuary we see today.

It is easy to forget as we trundle across the bridges to England that crossing the River Severn has been a challenge for centuries – even the Romans were regular users ferrying legions across to Aust. The Severn Railway tunnel was built by the Victorians, connecting Sudbrook with England, at a cost of £2 million, it opened in 1896.

At Black Rock we stopped for lunch and the heavens opened, rain hammering down. It was here that the ferry, established in 1930s, crossed to England. This avoided the drive up to Gloucester though at times queues (possibly of several hours if you missed the tide) could mean no time was saved. It stopped when the bridge opened in 1966 (initial toll 2s6d – 12.5p).

There is a large wooden sculpture of a lave fisherman and a salmon towering over the area. The Estuary has the second highest tidal range in the world. Knowledge passed down over generations allows the lave fishermen to wade out into the estuary to fish for salmon with their lave nets. Fishing can only take place for 1.5 hours either side of low tide. It was first recorded on the Severn estuary in the 1700s, but almost certainly predates this time. The craft was featured in a BBC Countryfile programme about the Gwent Levels earlier this year. We were disappointed that birds seemed to be in short supply, as we could have expected to see migrating birds at this time of year but enjoyed the call of the curlew and a flock of terns.

Sudbrook village was created, between 1883 and 1876, to house the 3000 workers, with their families, who built the Severn Railway tunnel. As well as houses a school, mission hall, two hospitals, a coffee house and reading room were constructed. In 1883 a 6ft tidal wave flooded the village and people had to be rescued from their single storey homes.

During construction, the Severn tunnel was completely flooded by a breach of the Great Spring and the project was saved by a diver, Alexander Lambert, who had to walk through the drowned workings in complete darkness to seal it off. Sudbrook pumping station was built to extract water from the Great Spring; it still pumps millions of gallons of water daily.

Following the estuary, we came upon the ruin of Holy Trinity Chapel and then walked under the 2nd Severn Crossing before travelling inland towards Portskewett. We walked through the Cornfield project which is an open space maintained and enjoyed by the community. An historic map of the village is on a notice board near St Mary the Virgin C12th church.

Driving home the motorway had speed restrictions because of heavy rain and standing water affecting visibility – we were very lucky to have escaped with only one short heavy shower.

A flat walk of 6.5 miles

 

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Footsteps To Pontypool

We started from the Pontypool active living centre. Soon we were walking through Pontypool park to climb up to the shell grotto (groto cregyn) and the Folly tower.

It was uphill to the grotto. As we climbed, we had good views of Pontypool behind us. The grotto itself was closed (coronavirus restrictions) but even from the outside it is an unusual building. It was built in 1794 and many improvements were made by Molly, the wife of Caple Hanbury-Leigh in about 1830. The inside is much bigger than the outside suggests. It is circular and built of rough stone with a conical stone tiled roof. The ceiling is vaulted and supported by 6 pillars decorated with stones and shells. The floor is reputed to be deer bones, but closer inspection reveals a mixture of backbones and teeth from a variety of animals. The grotto fell into disrepair at the end of the last century and was painstakingly repaired in 1996 with funds from Cadw and European aid.

This is arguably the first proper mountain spur in Wales. It is certainly a geographical fault line between the prosperous agricultural lands of Monmouthshire and the radical mineral belt of South Wales.

Continuing north along the Cambrian Way we glimpsed the Bristol Channel glistening in sunlight and the hills around us. Arriving at the Folly tower, we had an early lunch. The 230-year-old tower was rebuilt in 1994 after war time destruction. The views were brilliant in all directions: the channel sparkling in midday sun, Skirrid and Sugar Loaf shaping the horizon and Pontypool nestling in the valley. It had been showery with coats on and off throughout the morning but now the weather settled, though clouds returned briefly as we finished lunch.

The route took us towards Mamilhad via a Roman Road, it was a rough stony track leading downhill through woods and quite slippery after the rain. We were glad to reach the bottom of the road but admired the construction and longevity of the Roman Road.

At the bottom we came across a badge on a stone wall for the Brecon Beacons National Park. Now we turned onto the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal which was built between 1791 and 1812 to transport stone and lime to Newport. After decaying into stagnant disuse, it was reopened in 1970 and today is a vibrant leisure waterway. Navigable from Brecon to Pontypool and walkable for most of the rest of the route to Newport.

We followed the canal for about 3 miles and were bathed in sunshine the whole time. The Folly tower stood out on the hill above us and we passed the old 1960s British Nylon Spinners works at Mamhilad.

The flat canal enabled us to stride out and we were delighted with the local wildlife. There were lots of fish in the water – one of our group thought they were probably roach. Moorhens and ducks busied about the water and a heron, stood stock-still, in the field on the opposite bank, flying up just after we passed it. A large raptor took to the air along the canal just in front of us, reminding us that we had seen 3 buzzards at the Folly at lunchtime. Then best of all one of our group spotted a kingfisher as it flashed along the canal, the rest of us were sorry we had missed it but then we came to an area where the canal widened and there was a kingfisher perched on a metal railing – brilliant. A local told us that this is the kingfishers favourite fishing spot and he regularly sees two birds. A plant with arrow shaped leaves grew in the water, probably arrowhead.

Now we approached Pontymoile Basin, where two canals merge connecting Brecon with the coast in Newport, cause for much celebration in 1812. It was the Merthyr Tydfil ironmaster Richard Crawshay that pushed the project to completion, eager to ensure his iron reached Newport docks more competitively. We left the canal at bridge 52, Pontymoile junction, where there is a picnic area and small café. After a short walk along the main road we re-entered Pontypool park through the ornate Pontymoile gates, the original main entrance to the park. The gates are grade II listed and affectionately called the ‘Sally gates’ – Sally was the Duchess of Marlborough and legend has it that they were a present to the Hanbury family for help with the execution of her late husband’s will. Of particular interest on the pillars are the vines and bunches of grapes which originally, would have been gilded along with the acanthus leaves and finials of the gates. A short stroll took us back to the cars.

Map OS 152. Walk 7 miles.

 

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Hensol Forest

On another sunny day, Wenvoe walkers met as a group (12 of us), for the first time since the beginning of March, to walk in Hensol forest.

We crossed fields with long grass heavy with dew which soaked our trousers, but we knew they would soon dry in the heat of the sun. A thorny hedge absolutely smothered in spiders’ webs glistened in the morning sunshine as it too was covered in dew. Our route was a figure 8 using tracks within the forest and some open farmland.

 

We passed some beautiful black cattle and spotted a colourful dragonfly resting at the edge of the road. At a path junction we stopped maintaining social distancing while everyone double checked our next path.

Ty Fry House, farm and Lodge appeared. Ty Fry Lodge looks like one might imagine a Hansel and Gretel house. It is a 19thC lodge to the Ty Fry estate. Originally the lodge to the country estate of the Insole family of The Court, Llandaff. It is a Grade II listed building constructed of local random rubble with Bath stone dressings and quoins. Its chimneys are unusual and seem large for the house.

We had lunch at Pysgodlyn Mawr, a lake which is a designated SSSI site. Several large clumps of water lilies were in full bloom and with clear blue skies and sunshine it was glorious. As we ate, House Martins swooped low over the water, no doubt feasting on insects hovering over the water.

Soon we were back at the cars having exercised tongues as much as our legs. How good it was to be together again.

Walk 5 miles. Map 151.

 

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Draethen and Ruperra Castle

It was a hot day in early August when 4 of us parked in a woodland at Llwyn Hir, near Draethen and headed into the woods. We soon came across a tree with a large vertical hole in it where the trunk had split into two and then reformed.

Emerging from the woods we walked through Draethen, a pretty village with good views of the surrounding countryside. We crossed a river and entered a field of maize which proved difficult to navigate as the corn was tall with only a small space at the edge (the footpath was covered by maize). We turned towards the river walking along it. Dogs played in the water and there were plenty of picnic spots on the bank, with one family enjoying the shallows of the river. We spotted a church in the village of Lower Machen, St Michael and All Angels, which was possibly founded during the Celtic period in the 6th century, and Plas Machen in the distance.

We entered Coed Craig Ruperra, an ancient woodland, originally part of the Ruperra castle estate and now managed by the Ruperra Conservation Trust. Here the river Rhymney is spanned by a 16- metre iron foot bridge. The Iron Bridge was constructed in 1829 as part of a carriage drive across the estate owned by the Morgan family. It linked Ruperra castle with Machen church and the 16thC Plas Machen farmhouse (a 16thC mansion house, seat of the Morgan family before their move to Tredegar House in the 1660s).

The bridge is a Grade II listed structure and its restoration was undertaken 2008-2010. Phase 1 involved stripping all the ironworks and repair of the riverbank and stone abutments. The work included searching the riverbank for missing pieces while protecting wildlife such as bats in the locality. During phase 2, winter of 2009/10, the whole bridge was sent in sections to a foundry in Kent where missing and damaged pieces were recast and sections cleaned and painted. Phase 3 saw the bridge returned in 2010, it was secured in its original position, where hopefully it will last another 180 years.

Crossing the bridge, we saw a large modern house on the bank of the river which we circumnavigated before climbing the field behind it. Looking back, we could see it was quite splendid. A pond in its grounds played host to 100 or more Canada geese and other wildfowl.

We had enjoyed excellent shade throughout most of the walk but now we emerged into the sunshine to climb to the Ruperra Iron Age hill fort (200 BC). A motte and bailey castle (1200) was built on the site probably by the Normans, a 17thC 2-storey summerhouse replaced the motte and at the beginning of 20thC it became a thatched summerhouse. We rested here in the shade of a tree, for lunch – relaxed and cool.

Continuing, we passed the ruins of Ruperra Castle, a Grade II listed building built in 1626. King Charles I stayed here after the battle of Naseby. It has twice been ravaged by fire.

Now we had superb views of the Bristol Channel before turning north to return to the cars.

Walk 6 miles. Map 152

 

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Footsteps on Blorenge

Blorenge – We began at Keepers Pond (officially Pen-ffordd-goch Pond) in the south-eastern corner of the Black Mountains which is nestled in the hills of the area. Keepers was the final of three reservoirs built to supply water for the forges and works of Garn Ddyrys foundry. The car park was busy with cars also parked across the road. We were surprised to find a good number of people in wet suits who had just finished a swim in the pool. Although it was a sunny morning the water did not look very inviting to us! A group of men had remote controlled motorboats on the water which were making a whining sound and spoiling the peaceful atmosphere of the place.

Setting off we walked along the edge of the pond towards the aerials in the distance at the Foxhunter carpark, our aim to walk anticlockwise around the mountain.

This area is a world heritage site, an SSSI and part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It was once prized for the raw materials it provided for industrial processes. Limestone was quarried and coal mined with Blaenavon Ironworks to the southwest.

But the landscape is now treasured and protected for wildlife. The limestone cliffs are home to a rare species of whitebeam tree and nesting birds. The coal measures are covered in heather, the moorland providing habitat for many birds and shallow pools left by old coal workings are rich in dragonflies.

Arriving at the aerials we found the grave of Foxhunter, a Champion International Show Jumper. Best known as part of the 1952 summer Olympics team which won Britain’s only Gold medal at Helsinki. They also won bronze in the 1948 Olympics and amongst many other wins the King George cup in 1948, 1950 and 1953. Foxhunter’s skeleton was preserved and donated to the Royal Veterinary College where it was put on permanent display. His hide was buried on the Blorenge and when his rider Sir Harry Llewellyn died aged 88 years in 1999 his ashes were scattered around the horse’s memorial. He had 2 sons Dai and Roddy, both of whom became well known media personalities, the latter because of an 8 -year affair with Princess Margaret.

We followed a path leading northwest towards the trig point marking the top of the Blorenge mountain (559m), spotting cotton grass in the moorland. To the side of the trig point is a much older stone cairn which marks a Bronze age burial site. Visibility was excellent and we could even see the Bristol Channel in the distance. The whole of Abergavenny could be seen in the Usk valley with the Skirrid and Sugar loaf providing a backdrop whilst England stretched flat into the distance. The Welsh hills, to the west, were also clear – a wind turbine and semi-circular upper part of a white bridge glowing in the sunshine.

We descended slightly towards Abergavenny and walked along the edge of the escarpment keeping our height and contouring around the mountain. A post at one point marked the Iron Mountain Trail. This is a route of 12 miles which can be split into 2 walks. It follows the routes of former tramways, inclines and footpaths linking many of the historic features which make up the landscape of the World Heritage Site between Blaenavon and Abergavenny,

It was a glorious summer day and we lingered a while over lunch which was spent looking across the valley to Abergavenny. We tried to identify the distant hills before a local passer-by confirmed they were the Malverns. A few hang-gliders who looked as though they were almost landing before soaring back up into the sky and finally landing in a field entertained us. Although the traffic in the valley was light it was amazing how much noise from it rose to us.

Walking on we found wild thyme growing on the stony ground and spotted a few fritillary butterflies. The heather was in full flower. As we approached the northernmost point of our day, we could see the distinctive outline of Pen y Fan and its neighbours on the skyline. Arriving back at Keepers Pond white fluffy clouds were gathering and the temperature dropping. We met swimmers tip toeing their way out of the water while begging a friend to throw them a towel.

An easy fairly level walk of 5.5 miles. Map OL13

 

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