{"id":15825,"date":"2025-07-27T23:49:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T22:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15825"},"modified":"2025-07-27T23:55:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T22:55:44","slug":"the-kymin-and-kenfig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15825","title":{"rendered":"The Kymin and Kenfig"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Kymin<\/span> and Kenfig<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Kymin <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We parked in a layby, on a hill east of Monmouth and the river Wye and walked along the road a short distance to take a footpath into woodland. It was hot, humid and sunny, but walking on a wide track in the woodland shade was very pleasant.<\/p>\n

Soon we were passing one of the impressive houses which abound in Monmouthshire. We came into the open and had a trek up a stony track. A farmer and young child passed on an off-road vehicle and we probably all thought how good it would be to get a lift. A flock of sheep still wearing their woollen fleeces gained our sympathy as they grazed a dry field in full sunshine. A little later we came across shorn sheep, lying in the shadow of a hedge, and looking more comfortable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Soon we were back in woodland and following part of the Offa\u2019s Dyke path before climbing up to the Kymin at 800ft. The Kymin and its nine acres is a National Trust property, overlooking the Wye valley and Monmouth. As it was clear, we could see the Brecon Beacons and Malvern hills. Everyone had a look at the Naval temple and then decided to eat lunch, some choosing benches in full sun with panoramic views and others finding shade, near sweet chestnut trees and an uneven \u2018bowling green\u2019.<\/p>\n

Over 200 years ago, a group of local gentlemen formed a picnic group and visited the Kymin every Tuesday. This led to the building of the round house, for shelter when the weather was inclement. It is a quirky building, small, circular and with a castellated roof and has now been converted into a holiday cottage. There is also the Naval temple, which was built by public subscription in 1800 and\u00a0commemorates 16 of Britain\u2019s famous admirals and their victories in the Seven Years War and the war against France. It is Grade II listed and has undergone three restorations; the last two by the National Trust in 1987 and 2012 because of storm damage. Nelson commented \u2018It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Resuming our walk, we descended a path through gnarled tree roots and rocks, where it was noticeably cooler (and had been the planned location for lunch). We avoided the nearby road by walking parallel to it through the woods, negotiating a large ditch and a fallen tree. At last, we had to emerge from the wood to cross the road in full sun, following a track littered with signs from the local Staunton council, warning most vehicles off, but not walkers. We entered a final stretch of woodland, then a tunnel with creeping plants hanging down over its entrance and a ceiling covered in bricks and were soon back at the cars.<\/p>\n

The day was hot and humid, with a cooling breeze. Our leader did us proud, managing to devise a route that stayed in woodland most of the time, with short spells in the open. At the end of the walk, we drove to Redbook to visit the Boat Inn for thirst quenching drinks. Walk 6.2m 1000ft Map OL14 <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kenfig <\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It was hard to believe that our last walk had been rained off as we set out on the hottest day of the year so far. We left Wenvoe earlier than usual to head for Kenfig. The first part of the walk meandered across the dunes, occasionally finding shade under a small copse of trees and taking drink breaks. The areas that are normally waterlogged in winter and spring had dried out and were springy underfoot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There were fabulous flowers, some being viper\u2019s bugloss, evening primrose, sea holly, and a low growing shrub with small dark, berries (a rose?).<\/p>\n

As the morning progressed it got hotter, and Lawrence of Arabia came to mind. Then we broke through the dunes to the beach to be met by a sea breeze which immediately made us feel comfortable. Several of us took off our boots to paddle in the sea, along the beach. Wonderful! After crossing the main part of the beach, half of us ate our lunch whilst the other half went for a swim \u2013 the sea was not cold!<\/p>\n

A shorter route back to the car park took us to Sker house, reputably one of the most haunted houses in Wales. R. D. Blackmore, (author of Lorna Doone) wrote a novel called \u2018the maid of Sker\u2019 which was inspired by Sker house and a Welsh ballad of the same name.<\/p>\n

We crossed the golf course several times, where a surprising number of people were playing. Arriving back at the car park we enjoyed delicious ice-creams and cake, in the shade. Looking at photos I said, \u2018It looks like the Med\u2019 my friend replied, \u2018It felt like the Med\u2019. Walk 6.6m Map OS151 <\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kymin and Kenfig The Kymin We parked in a layby, on a hill east of Monmouth and the river Wye and walked along the road a short distance to take a footpath into woodland. It was hot, humid and sunny, but walking on a wide track in the woodland shade was very pleasant. Soon we were passing one of […]<\/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":[38,424],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-47f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3237,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3237","url_meta":{"origin":15825,"position":0},"title":"April Walks","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Margam Park:- We parked next to the lake just outside Margam Park and made our way along the main track towards the deer park. 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Yet since 1950 the UK has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Guelder-Rose-1-300x260.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12187,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12187","url_meta":{"origin":15825,"position":3},"title":"Llanharan and Caerwent","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Llanharan Parking at Llanharan station we headed uphill at the High Corner pub, turning right along a terrace to a large field. We walked through wood-land and passed a Christmas tree farm emerging onto open moorland. 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