Twyn yr Odyn playing fields

Thank you for publishing my letter in last months “Whats On" magazine when I accused the Council of “Double Standards”. I have received a response and as promised I write to update you of their reply

I QUOTE – “No Analogy could reasonably be drawn between the two applications.

The BBC had already decided on their filming when

they approached the Council for assistance.

Had the Council refused to assist then this could have been viewed by residents as a failure by the Council to act to help alleviate possibly foreseeable problems arising for the residents."

From this reply can we therefore infer from this that any decision the BBC make with regard to filming has to be accommodated by Local Councils?

Originally the Council refused my application to place my Wedding Marquee in the field on grounds that it would “Set precedent and possibly damage the field”. Surely on that Sunday the BBC and others driving their vehicles in and out of the field were more likely to cause damage than my marquee?

At No point did I request to park cars in the field, which could have damaged the ground. I supplied the Council with contingencies for parking, rubbish disposal, H&S, Public Liability Bond etc etc…….

I remain disappointed and in my view “whats good for one is good for another” even if they are the prestigious BBC !

Therefore, I conclude that my original accusation of “Double Standards by the Council” remains unchanged.

Diane Stokes, Twyn-yr-Odyn

Twyn yr Odyn playing fields

The Community Council was quite right to refuse permission for a marquee for a wedding party in the Twyn yr Odyn playing fields. THIS WOULD HAVE SET A PRECEDENT.

I understand the BBC asked to use the field for the morning whilst filming and of course the public was not denied access. You cannot compare this with a wedding party, guests cars and of course the noise.

Ann Miller, Goldsland Walk

Parking tip

I was returning to my car which I had parked in a side street in the Cathays area of Cardiff‘. It was one of a few streets where there were no restrictions on parking. So I was surprised to see a Parking Enforcement Officer stride up to the car in front of mine and issue a ticket. Then the PEO crossed the road and issued a ticket to another car.

I was intrigued as there were no obvious reasons why these two cars should be ticketed when all the other cars in the street had not been punished. So I asked politely what was so wrong that both cars had a ticket.

He pointed to the ground and uttered two words – 'Dropped kerb'. Then he walked off.

I passed my driving test nearly 40 years ago, so I must admit I had forgotten that rule.

With help of google, I found several articles which indicate this is a recent change.

The Traffic Management Act 2004 (section86) was introduced to protect dropped kerbs from parked cars. It also covers places where the carriageway has been raised to meet the level of the footway for the same purpose. (The pavement at dropped kerbs and raised carriageways are usually distinguished by different coloured paving slabs and usually with a textured surface for the assistance of partially sighted or blind persons.)

Furthermore, during 2008, the Department for Transport deemed it unnecessary for the use of road markings or road sins to illustrate a prohibition for parking across a dropped kerb. (It is for this reason that yellow lines, it there any, stop and start either side of a dropped kerb.)

This offence applies to all motorists, including

Blue Badge holders

Motorcyclists

Permit holders

So, next time you park, look at the kerb.

R.Clark Heol Collen

Craig y Cilau Nature Reserve

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 SEPT### IMG_5398beautiful 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)

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