{"id":15268,"date":"2025-03-10T11:04:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T10:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15268"},"modified":"2025-03-10T11:08:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T10:08:47","slug":"a-few-experiences-of-four-walks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15268","title":{"rendered":"A Few \u2018Experiences\u2019 From Four Walks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Few \u2018Experiences\u2019 from Four Walks<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The winter weather for our walks has been mixed with less than the usual amount of rain but\u2026twice we have abandoned due to the weather; once for a storm and once for heavy rain. All the walks are on map OS151. Unusually, rather than describe full walks I am describing a few \u2018experiences\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Ely Valley Walk <\/strong>8m 550ft<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n

A visit to the Pendoylan\/Peterston-super Ely area.<\/p>\n

As we crossed a field a pigeon landed on someone\u2019s back and even when shoo-ed away continued to follow us, landing on various people\u2019s heads and backs. It didn\u2019t give up until at a junction of paths, Misty, the dog, decided to chase it and after much fluttering and briefly landing, it flew off. Someone else who walked in the same area a couple of weeks later had a similar experience.<\/p>\n

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We needed to cross the railway and had the excitement of telephoning for permission. We were told to wait for two trains. We found it hard to believe that the second train hadn\u2019t already gone until it roared past us. This is a very fast line! A second phone call confirmed that we had crossed safely, and we continued, past a house called Pratt\u2019s Bottom.<\/p>\n

The latter part of the walk was across very muddy, wet and smelly fields where we hopped and jumped from grassy clump to grassy clump. At a stream crossing, with a steep muddy bank, one person heroically stood at the foot of the bank to help us across. Yours truly jumped across and up the bank to end up sprawled face down in the mud. Luckily most people missed the entertainment and someone helped me up!<\/p>\n

Drinks to recover were enjoyed in the Red Lion, Bonvilston.<\/p>\n

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Cowbridge Walk <\/strong>7 m 500ft.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, we thought the Ely valley was muddy but at least there we had water to wash it off. At the end of this walk which looped from Llanblethian to Siginstone, all of us had more mud on our boots and clothes than at any time this year.<\/p>\n

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The final leg of the walk took in the Coffin stiles\u00a0which lie on farmland to the west of the new estate in Cowbridge. These stiles connect Penllyn with Llanfrynach church and were used when a coffin needed to be carried to the church for a funeral. Each has a double stile with a pillar in the centre to rest the coffin as the bearers cross.<\/p>\n

Walking through the Clare Garden estate, West Cowbridge we spotted three brick chimney shaped structures which we presume were sculptures, but we were confused by them. We saw a few spring flowers, snowdrops, daffodils and primroses but no frog spawn or lambs this year yet. Everything seems late, presumably because of the low light levels.<\/p>\n

Drinks in Baffle Haus.<\/p>\n

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Cardiff Bay <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This was Bert\u2019s monthly midweek walk. We parked near the Oyster Catcher in Penarth Marina and walked across the river Ely, through the white-water centre where ambulance staff were training, towards the Hamadryad and the nature reserve before stopping at Coffee Mania in the Bay for coffee\/tea. Then back across the barrage to Penarth marina. It was freezing cold, and we certainly felt the cutting wind as we walked across the barrage but all of us were glad we had turned up and enjoyed the chat.<\/p>\n

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The Hamadryad was a seaman\u2019s hospital and later a psychiatric hospital in Cardiff docklands. Originally it was HMS Royal Hamadryad a hospital ship provided for seamen and situated on a piece of waste ground, known as Rat Island, and donated by the Marquis of Bute. A free hospital, it was funded by a levy on shipping at Cardiff Docks.<\/p>\n

Walk 5 miles easy (i.e. flat and on firm surfaces throughout)<\/p>\n

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Taff Ely Ridgeway Walk 7m <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, but by no means least, at the end of January, on a sunny morning with temperatures below freezing but rising we walked near the wind turbines. At the side of the paths, we saw several examples of \u2018hair ice\u2019. This is a rare type of ice formation where the presence of a particular fungus in rotting wood produces thin strands of ice which resemble hair. Conditions for the formation of this ice are specific; to form moist rotting wood from a broadleaf tree in the presence of moist air and a temperature below 0oC . How lucky were we to see it – It was beautiful<\/p>\n

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A Few \u2018Experiences\u2019 from Four Walks The winter weather for our walks has been mixed with less than the usual amount of rain but\u2026twice we have abandoned due to the weather; once for a storm and once for heavy rain. All the walks are on map OS151. Unusually, rather than describe full walks I am describing a few \u2018experiences\u2019. Ely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[38,420],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3Yg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9625,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9625","url_meta":{"origin":15268,"position":0},"title":"St Nicholas to Peterston-super-Ely","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Footsteps St Nicholas to Peterston-super-Ely 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, \u2018It\u2019s so nice to have a view to the north after so long.\u2019\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Picture7-300x251.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8213,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8213","url_meta":{"origin":15268,"position":1},"title":"Valeways Guided Walks","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"GUIDED WALKS The Guided Walks programme organised by Valeways started again on 9th August. All government guidelines regarding Covid 19 and walking safely will be followed, so walkers can once again enjoy a safe walk in the countryside in good company. Valeways is an independent volunteer run charity created to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carers Walk"","block_context":{"text":"Carers Walk","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=362"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/walk-03-09-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/walk-03-09-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/walk-03-09-2-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/walk-03-09-2-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11022,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11022","url_meta":{"origin":15268,"position":2},"title":"More Ely Racecourse History","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"o More Ely Racecourse History Dear What\u2019s On readers, It was great to see in last month\u2019s What\u2019s On Ely racecourse being highlighted. Steve Jones and myself wrote three books on the history of Ely, Caerau and Michaelston Super Ely back in the 1990\u2019s. The racecourse hosted a number of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14735,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14735","url_meta":{"origin":15268,"position":3},"title":"October Thursday Walks","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 THURSDAY WALKERS Next Walk \u00a0 Thursday October 3rd, a five mile walk based around Ogmore if weather permits. An alternative walk is available if conditions are not suitable . Meet 1pm Wenvoe Village Hall. Bert All are welcome but you participate at your own risk \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Valeways Walkers"","block_context":{"text":"Valeways Walkers","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=336"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7407,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7407","url_meta":{"origin":15268,"position":4},"title":"One of the Longest Walks","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd April 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the Longest Walks March's walkers welcomed a new member, Sylvia, who was lucky enough to join us for one of the longest walks the group have been challenged with. However, plied with St David's Day Welsh cakes, everyone stayed dry and finished the walk in style. 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The Cardiff Chain Ferry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/River-Ely-Crossing-4-a.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15268"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15268"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15273,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15268\/revisions\/15273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}