{"id":6814,"date":"2019-12-10T12:14:21","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T11:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6814"},"modified":"2019-12-10T12:14:21","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T11:14:21","slug":"ogmore-to-monknash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6814","title":{"rendered":"Ogmore to Monknash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ogmore to Monknash <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

We parked at Monknash and caught the No. 303 bus to Ogmore. We were to begin our walk just above the estuary of the river Ogmore and travel back along the Heritage coast to Monknash. <\/span><\/p>\n

Walking down to the car park we looked towards Porthcawl, heavy clouds sat on the horizon but visibility was good. Turning east glimpses of the sun danced on the sea through the thick cloud cover. The forecast was rain so we were dressed in full waterproofs. After half an hour or so we were stripping off the layers as it was quite warm and there was no sign of the promised rain. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the way down to Southern Down beach we had the first of several sightings of a large brown and black striped caterpillar – probably the fox moth. A flock of sheep looked as though they had \u2018purple rinses\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

We headed on towards Dunraven Bay and as we climbed to the walled garden of Dunraven castle a group of people came in our direction \u2013 the crew of a King Arthur film (at least that is what they said they were) decked out in medieval dress complete with at least one sword and some arrows. <\/span><\/p>\n

At Dunraven the first walled paddock was built in this sheltered spot in 1543. Under the stability of the Tudors, country houses had walled gardens to protect against wandering marauders and wild animals and allowing plants to be grown in remote areas. In a corner of the walled garden is a building which looks a bit like a castle but is in fact an ice house; every winter ice would be packed here to freeze food and store it safely. In Victorian times a heated glass house was placed in a south facing position and exotic plants from other parts of the world were grown. The walled garden is also home to the ghost of a young woman called \u2018the Blue Lady\u2019. There have been many sightings and it is said that an appearance is followed by the lingering scent of the yellow mimosa flower. <\/span><\/p>\n

Walking to the viewing point towards the next bay, we were lucky to see the \u2018magic waterfall\u2019 \u2013 it only appears after rain!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We explored the ruins of Dunraven house which are above the garden and closer to the sea. People were living in Dunraven in Celtic times. The Romans built a fort here and in the 12<\/span>th<\/span>C a Knight called Arnold Le Botelier (or Butler) arrived and built a castle. A marriage led to the Vaughan family taking over the estate and they built a manor house in the 16thC. The Wyndhams bought Dunraven in 1642 and built a huge, ostentatious neo-gothic house in 1803. The house was used as a convalescent home during the two World Wars. Finally in 1962 the mansion was demolished, a casualty of the cost of maintenance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing along the cliff top, we stopped to admire a juvenile Peregrine falcon which hovered near us for ages. As we walked we kept well away from the edge; there are visible signs of erosion even on the surface but looking at the cliffs we could also see the telltale cracks in the rock face which may well succumb to this winter\u2019s storms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The rocks forming the cliffs of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast were created in the early Jurassic times. The land that is now the Vale of Glamorgan was formed at the bottom of a warm shallow sea near the equator. Most of the rocks were created from the build up of millions of shells of tiny sea creatures, together with mud brought to the sea by ancient rivers. Eventually this was compacted to form limestone. <\/span><\/p>\n

We stopped for lunch at an Iron Age fort. Shaggy parasol fungus grew in profusion in the area. <\/span><\/p>\n

Arriving at Monknash beach we were astounded to see the volume of water pouring down the normally tranquil little stream which emerges here. At this point we divided into 2 groups; half of us walked up the stream and back to Monknash to retrieve the cars finding it necessary to wade across several inches of water in one place with the water getting into boots!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As it was low tide, the other group walked along the beach to Nash Point. It feels almost primeval with its craggy rocks eaten away by the sea and no noise apart from the screech of seabirds and the rolling waves. At one point we heard a deep rumble and glanced at the cliffs just in time to see a small but dramatic rock fall. Just as at Monknash the stream at Nash point was very full and we crossed it where it disappears under large rocks. Walking up the road to Marcross we were reunited with the others in the pub for refreshments. (Walk 8.5 miles Map 151)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ogmore to Monknash We parked at Monknash and caught the No. 303 bus to Ogmore. We were to begin our walk just above the estuary of the river Ogmore and travel back along the Heritage coast to Monknash. Walking down to the car park we looked towards Porthcawl, heavy clouds sat on the horizon but visibility was good. Turning east […]<\/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":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1LU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14759,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14759","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":0},"title":"Monknash Coastguard Rocket House","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"MONKNASH COASTGUARD ROCKET HOUSE \u00a0 Just inland from the top of a precipitous Heritage Coast cliff near the village of Marcross in the Vale of Glamorgan there stands a small stone building with an almost semicircular stone flagged roof. One end of this building is completely open and faces the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Readers Articles of Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Readers Articles of Interest","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=228"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Picture10.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13739,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13739","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":1},"title":"Crickhowell and \u00a0Llantwit Major","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Crickhowell A good start to this walk; as we drove over the mountains (through Beaufort for the views) to Crickhowell car park, we saw cloud inversions and the valley mist starting to rise. The walk route was undulating, we started with an uphill stretch along a road heading east out\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\/2023\/10\/Picture19.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9019,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9019","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":2},"title":"Ogmore by Sea Walk","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st January 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Ogmore We walked in the Ogmore area several times last year, using the Vale Trails leaflet no.1 \u2018Ogmore by Sea Walk\u2019 as a basis for our routes and starting from St Brides Major. From here we walked past St Bridget\u2019s Church and were soon on footpaths leading onto Ogmore Down.\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\/01\/Picture2a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2195,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=2195","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":3},"title":"Latest Walks Reports","author":"Alan Williams","date":"5th January 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 St Brides Major We started at St Brides Major and walked north-west across Beacons Down on a bright Sunday morning. As we approached the river Ogmore we could see a long line of runners coming towards us and then sharing our route. In places it was pretty muddy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13559,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13559","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":4},"title":"A SPECIAL DAY","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0A Special Day \u00a0 A Special Day As regular readers will know I have missed the Saturday walks for quite a few weeks, but we were all together in mid-August to celebrate the wedding of Claire, the youngest member of our group. A few of us took short walks around\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\/2023\/08\/Picture9.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14364,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14364","url_meta":{"origin":6814,"position":5},"title":"Blackmill & Treorchy","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th June 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Blackmill & Treorchy\u00a0 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. 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