Valeways Walks June 2024




Valeways Walks June 2024


 

In addition to the longer walks listed above, Valeways offers a “Coffee Shop Strollers” walk programme suitable for those walkers that want to enjoy a pleasant walk, over a firm surface, avoiding stiles and enjoy the surroundings and the company of others. All followed by a visit to a coffee shop, time for refreshment and a natter. Just turn up and walk!

There are groups meeting in Cold Knap, Cowbridge, Cosmeston and Llantwit Major on alter-nate Wednesdays; St Athan alternate Thursdays and Well Being Strollers, Barry waterfront eve-ry Thursday. There are also some monthly targeted groups but anybody can join, namely; “Living with Cancer” at Cosmeston, “Walk for Carers” at Barry Island and “Stress Buster” at Romilly Park.

For more details, visit www.valeways.org.uk or email info@valeways.org.uk

 



Mr Greedy’s Goodbye



Mr Greedy’s Goodbye


After 10 years of producing his recipe column for What’s On Mr Greedy  has decided to hang up his ladle and hand the chef’s hat over to somebody new.

Is there a volunteer who would love to produce some of their favourite recipes for others to try. Maybe a small group of you would like to take on the challenge.

Please contact one of the What’s On team ( Information Here) if interested.

Thank you Mr Greedy for the pleasure you have given us over many years.



The Life And Times Of The Schooner “Result”



THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE SCHOONER “RESULT”



In the April edition of What’s On, I  presented an article about the old  Bristol Channel Pilot sailing cutters. In  that article I mentioned in passing a  ship named the Result which I said was  worthy of its own article. Here is that  article as summarised from Wikipedia  by Tony Hodge.


The Result is a three-masted cargo  schooner built in Carrickfergus,  Northern Ireland in 1893. She was a  working ship until 1967, and served for a short time in  the Royal Navy as a Q-ship during World War I. She  currently rests on land at the Ulster Folk and  Transport Museum and in 1996 was added to the  National Register of Historic Vessels.

Construction of the ship was commenced in 1892 in  the Paul Rodgers & Co. yard in Carrickfergus, for the  shipping company Thomas Ashburner & Co., based in  Barrow. Her overall length is 31m and her beam is  6.6m. She was launched a year later and operated by  the Ashburner company until 1909, when she was  sold for £1,100 to Capt. Henry Clarke of Braunton,  North Devon. In March 1914 a 45 bhp single-cylinder  Kromhout auxiliary engine was fitted.

In January 1917 Result was requisitioned by the Royal  Navy to act as a Q-ship (namely one to entrap Uboats)  and armed with two 12-pounder guns forward  and aft of the mainmast, a 6-pounder gun forward,  and two fixed 14-inch torpedo tubes aft. The crew of  23 were commanded by Lieutenant Philip Mack RN.

On 15 March 1917, Result was on her first patrol,  sailing off the south end of the Dogger Bank, under  the flag of the neutral Netherlands, when she spotted  the German submarine UC-45 on the surface astern  about two miles off. The UC-45 approached to 2,000  yards before opening fire. The “panic party” of five  men rowed away in a small boat, leaving the  seemingly abandoned vessel to the Germans.  However the submarine, wary of deception, closed to  no more 1,000 yards, keeping up a steady and rather  inaccurate fire. Result sustained some damage to her  sails and rigging, and eventually Mack gave the order  to attack, and the aft 12-pounder hit the submarine in  the conning tower with its first shot. The 6-pounder  also hit the submarine, but it then dived, and the 12-  pounders second shot missed. Result then headed for  the English coast, but that night encountered another  German U-boat. Result fired a torpedo, which missed,  and both vessels opened fire, to little effect, before the  submarine dived. For his actions Lt. Mack received a  mention in despatches. Other such missions followed  with a variety of subterfuges and levels of success.

After the war Result was employed transporting  Welsh slate, sailing from Portmadoc to Antwerp and  other ports, and then along the south coast of England.  For most of this time she was jointly owned by Capt.  Clarke and Capt. Tom Welch, also of Braunton, but  shortly before the outbreak of World War II sole  ownership passed to Capt. Welch. During the war she  was employed in the Bristol Channel, transporting  coal from ports in south Wales

In 1946 she was refitted with a new  120 hp engine. In 1950 she was hired  to take part in the filming of Outcast of  the Islands, directed by Carol Reed,  and starring Trevor Howard and Ralph  Richardson. She was refitted for her  part at Appledore, and filming took  place around the Scilly Isles.  Result returned to her previous trade in  January 1951 and, under the ownership  of Capt. Peter Welch, was employed up  until 1967, by which time she was the last vessel of  her type still in operation. She was at Jersey being  converted into a charter yacht when Capt. Welch died  and was laid up at Exeter before eventually being sold  by Mrs. Welch to the Ulster Folk and Transport  Museum. Result sailed to Belfast in late 1970 for some  restoration work at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. In  1979 she was transported to the museum’s site at  Cultra where she remains on display to this day.

 



Blackmill & Treorchy

Blackmill & Treorchy 



Blackmill – This walk took us to some beautiful countryside, although wet underfoot there were stones in most places, so it was not too muddy! We began in Blackmill and walked up the Ogwr Fawr towards the Ogmore forest and back via Cwm Dimbach. Blackmill is at the confluence of two Ogwr rivers, three railway lines and two main roads – the gateway to the Ogmore valleys.

We walked in sunshine with big fluffy clouds in the sky. The climb was gradual, and we looked over the valley observing that buildings were appearing much higher up the hills. The views were extensive and the hills lush and green. At our high point of the day, we could see the channel in the far distance.

We stopped for lunch at the side of a stream, where water tumbled down the hillside. It was the first time this year we could feel the heat of the sun as we sat.

The ground was saturated, but we walked down a stream which was stony making it comfortable walking downhill. A river separated us from a woodland of bare trees with a carpet of moss across the whole space. Apart from occasional birdsong and the noise of flowing water the place was peaceful with a deep silence. In one area rocks at the side were covered in ferns and mosses, dripping with water, just as you would imagine a fairy glen.

We came to an isolated house where a ford crossed the river. Two of us were a bit behind everyone else and pretended that we thought we had to cross the ford, and everyone egged us on, only for us to turn at the last moment and use the pedestrian bridge. Moments later a car drove across the ford creating a small bow wave.

The end of the walk was along the Great Glamorgan Way. We finished at a café in Blackmill which supplied us with piping hot cups of tea – a wonderful day. [Walk 7.25m, 1100ft. Map OS166]

 


Treorchy – As the weather has improved, we have enjoyed some wonderful walks in the sunshine. This was one of them. Thirteen of us and three dogs parked on a steep street in Cwmparc. It was not long before we had left the houses behind and were climbing a forest track. The valley of houses sat in a bowl, formed by the hills.

The day warmed, something we had not experienced in a while. Leaves were starting to uncurl on shrubs, and we spotted the yellow flowers of coltsfoot which emerge before the leaves.

As we got higher an expanse of wind turbines appeared, as did the shell of a burnt-out car. Towards the top of the walk, we arrived at a crossroads and chose it as a lunch stop. Soon everyone started spreading out, a few in a depression, some on a bank with their backs to the sun, some facing the sun on the opposite bank and a couple even went into the woods to lean on a tree. It was all reminiscent of lockdown with none of us closer than 6 ft to one another. Some traffic passed, a few cyclists (one without a helmet, crazy!), several walkers and inevitably, disturbing the peace, a few offroad motorbikes.

The views on the walk were excellent; there were continuous rolling hills, but we also caught glimpses of Pen y Fan and Sugar Loaf. Surprisingly, from this distance (we were at the top of the Valleys) we could see the Bristol Channel and England. In the sky we had spotted a buzzard and kite and, on the ground, a tiny eggshell.

We came off the stony track onto a boggy footpath, then a short distance along a road. All too soon we reached ‘the descent’. We had been warned that walking poles were advisable. The hill rose steeply to our right where a rickety old fence stopped us heading inland and to our left was a rocky gorge. A couple of ewes with their lambs were scrambling on the craggy hillside. The footpath was a mix of loose stones and grass and we descended at varying rates depending on our fitness and head for heights. A small herd of cattle, with young calves, grazed in the valley which opened out below us.

The end of the walk was open moorland and after crossing this we followed a fast-flowing stream. Painted stones bordered the path as we neared housing, and a sign told us it was ‘Cwmparc Pathway of Hope created in 2020’ another reminder of lockdown.

We chatted to a few of the locals as we passed them outside their houses which looked out onto the hill. A great day in the hills with wall-to-wall sunshine dotted with a few wispy clouds and rounded off with drinks outside a pub in Porth. [Walk 7.5m, 1500ft. Map OS166]

 

 



So Much To Be Getting On With

THE VILLAGE GARDENER


So Much To Be Getting On With


As always there is so much to be getting on with in our gardens. Regular watering is another task to add this time of year, along with weeding and feeding. All this is essential to make the best of our displays. Hanging baskets will need feeding every week and watering every day. There never seems enough time to sit and enjoy the garden during the growing season but that’s the way of gardening. Just being amongst the plants makes us feel better.

Now is the time to take cuttings from lavender, forsythia and fuchsias. Plant seeds of primroses and pansies for transplanting out in the autumn. Canterbury bells and foxglove seeds can be planted now for flowering next year. Seeds planted at this time of year take a bit more looking after as shallow seed trays seem to dry out very quickly.

Watering is key to success. We are advised by the RHS of the need to water wisely due to some areas of the UK having severe water shortages. They advise we water in the mornings as plants start to use water when the sun comes up, with the soil and foliage likely to stay drier for longer than when watering in the evening, which will discourage slugs snails and mildew diseases. When watering soak the soil well as light watering encourages root systems to reach towards the surface and as soon as the top of the soil dries out the plants will suffer. The less room a plant has to collect water the more water it needs as in containers or pots.

If the weather patterns continue with very long dry spells, we will need to consider the plants we buy and look for more drought tolerant varieties, which seems not in keeping considering we have just had the wettest spring on record. So it’s a water butt on every down pipe on every house with a garden in future.

The National Allotment Society advice on jobs for June. Hoe at every opportunity to remove weeds and break up the surface of the soil to allow water to soak in. Train in your climbing beans and continue to add sticks to the peas and water these well to get the pods to swell. Successional sowing of salad crops and sow winter cabbage seed. Use soapy water on any black fly or greenly. Cabbage root fly can be a problem, the fly lays her eggs in the soil close to the young plant. When transplanting put a collar of cardboard at the base of plant to prevent the laying of eggs. There are nematodes for this problem that destroy the larvae.

Take care and happy gardening

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 



The Villages Of St Lythans And Dyffryn



THE VILLAGES OF ST LYTHANS AND DYFFRYN



The villages of St Lythans and Dyffryn in the parish of St Bleiddian (Lythan) nestle into the hills and valley following the sources and meandering course of the river Weycock. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years and here in Dyffryn / St Lythans, we are surrounded by pre history and history.

We know that people living here 6000 years ago built two burial chambers dated to 4000BCE. These are just a 10 minute walk away from the church of St Lythans, and the Tinkinswood burial chamber has the largest capstone in Britain weighing 40 tons. It would have needed around 200 people to put it in place, suggesting that the local community must have been flourishing and equal to organising such a mammoth task. There are many legends about the burial chambers, including stones going down to the river to bathe, and dog kennels, but recent excavations found pottery, flint and bones, suggesting burial, possibly of cremated remains. These Neolithic people were early farmers, who seem to have migrated from the Middle East, replacing previous populations, (according to recent DNA analysis of their remains) and bringing farming ideas, and their cromlech tombs. Interestingly the St Lythans burial chamber has a man made hole in the back wall and amazingly the sunset shines through this at the equinox.

The Romans settled nearby, with a villa excavated a few years ago when Five mile lane was straightened, where decapitated bodies were discovered. There are also the remains of a Roman building at Cold Knap on the coast to the west of Barry, which is from where a ferry to Somerset would set sail, perhaps a lodging house for weary travellers.

After the Romans left, the country split into small kingdoms and the local king of Gwent was Arthwrys Ap Meurig who reigned in Caerleon in the 600s AD, making him a possible contender as the origin of the legend of King Arthur. According to local history, his son Ithil ap Arthwrys fell from his horse here, and was injured. He was saved from peril, recovered, and in gratitude his father donated the land to the Bishop Oedaceous ( or Euddogwy) of Llandaff, (evidenced by the 7th century Book of Llandaff), who then built a church here. The church of St Lythans is one of the few churches in the vale to exist before the Norman conquest.

Other local links to the Bishop of Llandaff are the remains of a moated Manor House in Doghill, derived from the name de Horguill who were tenant farmers. Dyffryn which belonged to the Bishop, and the site of Dyffryn house which was also in his possession and were known then as the manor of Worleton.

St Lythan, to whom the church was dedicated, was St Bleiddian, also known as Lupus, a bishop of Gaul. He came to Britain to put down widespread heresy in 429AD. He spent much time in South Wales, becoming well loved by the Welsh who

gave him the name of Bleddian or Bleiddian meaning ‘Little Wolf’.

Archaeologists believe that the location of the church was originally a site of pagan worship, as were many early Christian sites, because the churchyard, unusually, is round. The church site, as a place of worship, is one of the few that can be documented as an early Christian foundation in the Diocese.

The current structure dates from the late 12th century, built in the Early English form of architecture. The chancel arch, corbels and south wall windows are original, as is the holy water stoop. The Norman font decorated with a chevron design was probably big enough for total immersion of babies. (Imagine the screams). The other surviving item of note is the Button chapel. This was built as a mourning chapel for the Button family. The connecting wall is supported by an enormous pillar, and 2 arches. The R and B carved on the spandrels of the Tudor doorway relate to Roger Button, who was under sheriff in 1565 and probably the father of Thomas Button (see later). There is an unusual medieval bread oven in the tower for baking communion wafers, and an exterior chimney.

The roof and porch, and east and north wall windows were restored by the Victorians in an extensive project in 1861.

The Button family, who built the side chapel, rose to prominence in Tudor times and were an important naval family. This can be seen celebrated by later inhabitants of Dyffryn house in the stained glass window in the large reception room. They built the first house on the site of the current Dyffryn House, and occupied the house for several generations from the 16th to the 18th century.

Sir Thomas Button, their most famous member, went to sea about 1589. In 1612-13 he commanded an expedition dispatched to inquire into the fate of Henry Hudson after his crew mutinied, and to search for a north-west passage to Asia. He sailed in 2 ships, the Discovery and the Resolution. Button explored a great part of Hudson Bay, but they wintered at Port Nelson and lost many men (including one of his officers called Nelson) to pack ice, which crushed one of his ships, and never found the passage. Despite this, he was knighted on his return in 1613 by James I. He was a rear admiral in the campaign of 1620–21 against the pirates of the Algerian coast, but his independent mind and outspoken criticism of the Navy Board, led to a reputation for insubordination and a series of legal disputes with the Admiralty. These legal disputes, in addition to his previous debts, impoverished him and remained unresolved at his death.

After the Buttons, in the 18th century, the big house passed into the hands of Thomas Pryce, a coal owner and from there in the 19th century to John Cory, a ship-owner, who was shipping coal to all parts of the Empire, and was extremely wealthy. He

rebuilt the house, and his son Reginald sent plant finders out to bring home rare plant species for his arboretum. During this time the church renovation was undertaken.

Recently during the digging of French drains around the church the ancient remains of a woman and child were found close to the church wall. These were not carbon dated, but are thought to be a clandestine burial, to be close to holy ground but without a payment, as was not unusual. The remains were re buried and are remembered with a stone.

Many local old friends and families are buried in the church yard and remembered with affection and flowers.

The church given its age, is in need of constant upkeep to withstand the elements, and to allow it to stand into another millennium. Recently the church has become a focus for the community with musical and family events. Everyone is welcome and a small donation is always helpful

 

 



“Nocturnes” by Kazuo Ishiguro




“Nocturnes” by Kazuo Ishiguro 


This could be the shortest Page Tuners book review ever as there was almost universal condemnation of their latest book choice. The group had previously read, and enjoyed some of Ishiguro’s novels and were looking forward to this series of 5 short stories. The book’s cover promised stories of Music and Nightfall and reviews had described it as a ” lovely, clever book”. Not one member of the book club used these words to describe their thoughts on the book, and many found it hard to remember what the stories were about as they were so unmemorable! Ishiguro tied the stories together with a musical theme; the PageTurners tied the stories together with these words…disappointing, silly, stupid, mundane, unfulfilling, unsatisfactory….do I need to continue? An overall score of 3, surprisingly, considering the very lively, negative views expressed! Have a read and see if you share our thoughts



“Fast Fashion”



WENVOE FORUM

Considering Tomorrow Today


“Fast Fashion”


Some time ago only the very rich could afford fashionable clothing made by a famous designer such as Gabrielle Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent and that to be a skilful seamstress and able to “copy” the designs was a very useful attribute, though of course matching the same fabrics was a different challenge. As the economy gradually grew after WW2 a bigger range of fashionable, (not designer) garments came within the reach of far more people. Now fast forward to the present when so called “Fast fashion” uses the abundant cheap labour in less economically prosperous countries and allows the fashion conscious to change their wardrobe 2 or 3 times a year.

It sounds like a very straightforward example of developing economies. We are mostly gradually getting richer and the consumption of resources seems almost to have become the reason for life. We know that climate is changing and that we must change our behaviour if our grandchildren are going to be able to live out their lives comfortably on Earth. But is the fashion industry an important target and what would we do anyway, we have to wear clothes!?

Well, a very short investigation on the world wide web will find you plenty of statistics that may surprise you. By some calculations, starting with the growing of crops and including the dying of materials and making up the final products, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is the third most polluting industry, worse than aviation; clothes production is growing and the length of time garments are in use is getting shorter.

Rather than fill the page with negative statistics let’s concentrate on some positive ideas others have had.

Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney’s, Institute for Sustainable Futures in Australia suggest that we must aim to reduce our purchase of new clothing by a whopping 75%, buying clothes designed to last and recycling them at the end of their lifetime.

An Oxfam blog tells us that we buy more new clothes per head in the UK than the rest of Europe. To help convince you that you really can manage

with many fewer clothes there are campaigns in which you choose 10 items from your wardrobe and restrict yourself to wearing only these for a month. Apparently having done so you soon learn about coordinating colours and valuing garments that can be worn in different ways.

Recycling clothes through charity shops or fashion swops makes good sense. Some readers may remember the scrum at the beginning of a really good jumble sale to come up with a bargain.

A little skill with a needle and thread can open up all sorts of possibilities.

If there is really no other option a surprising range of natural and synthetic fabrics can be recycled into new fabric often using less energy than is used with new fibres.

We may yet return to older practices. I remember my arms aching as I held them up to be used to hold a skein of wool taut, as my mother unravelled a jumper so that the wool could be reknitted into something else.

…………………………………

Many thanks to those who gave garden tools and pots to the Reuse table that Gareth and Glenys Stone organised at the Tucker’s plant sale. Not only were lots of items sent off to new homes, rather than the recycle unit, but donations made a healthy contribution to the overall proceeds for the Wild life group. We kept some of the less blemished pots with some plans for Christmas in mind.

Gwenfo.Forum@gmail.com or via Facebook: GwenFo@ https://www.facebook.com/gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://www.facebook.com/ groups/635369267864402

We do hope that you find these ideas and tips useful.  Good luck with your gardening. Please keep a look  out for our other activities, and join us or send  messages on:

Facebook: Gwen Fo @ https://www.facebook.com/  gwen.fo.1/ and Wenvoe Forum @ https://  www.facebook.com/groups/635369267864402  twitter @ForumGwenfo or e-mail –  gwenfo.forum@gmail.com

 



Bring Your Own Picnic



Bring Your Own Picnic



St Lythans Church,

Sunday 9th June 2pm till 4 pm


  • Bring your own picnic (and wine) and

come to meet some of your neighbours.

  • We cannot guarantee sunshine, (if only

we could) so we may need to picnic in the

church, but that won’t spoil the fun.

  • There will also be the chance to find

out a little about the history of this

beautiful building which has been here

for over 800 years, and has been a Holy

site for more than 5000 years.

  • This is part of building OUR community,

aking new friends and meeting old ones

too. It’s also a chance to raise money so

we can keep this Church open and alive

so any donations will be gratefully

received.

  • Additional car parking at St Lythans

Court— look for the signs

 



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