Ramblers enjoy glorious walks of Wye Valley and Dinas Powys:
By Joy Strangward.
Nine walkers joined Joy from Penarth and District Ramblers in the glorious Wye Valley on an overcast but warm morning and making their way through part of the gorgeous Highmeadow Woods with its ancient native trees, they descended steeply to the banks of the depleted River Wye.
A stream of youngsters coming to the end of their camping trip were slowly making their way across the Biblins Suspension Bridge, which can only house six people at a time and after crossing from Gloucestershire into Herefordshire they paused for morning refreshments.
The riverbank led them to Lords Wood for the steep climb up to King Arthur’s Cave carved out of the rock when this area was covered by a warm tropical sea and having been excavated, evidence of human occupation dates back 25,000 years. Passing through the pretty White Rocks Nature Reserve led to a steep descent past more caves and another quarry to the riverside with a short wait for the ferryman.
Clambering onto the flat-bottomed boat, the short trip across to the Saracens Head Inn with the boat being pulled across on an overhead cable by the ferryman is always pleasurable and disembarking, a stone wall in the beer garden overlooking the Wye provided seating for their picnic lunch. Refreshed it was time to move along the riverbank to where only the second of the remaining hand-pulled ferries runs, from Ye Old Ferrie Inn on the opposite bank at Symonds Yat West, and heading uphill through woods they reached the lower part of Huntsham Hill.
A steep descent led down to the River Wye once again followed by a trek through bracken covered pathways for the long pull up through woods to reach the Yat Rock observation point some 500 feet above the river with its stunning views. After a pause at the log cabin for afternoon refreshment, an undulating path through woodland led them back to their start point at the village of Christchurch.
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The last of the popular summer evening walks saw a group of 18 walkers join Joy at Dinas Powys in glorious sunshine for a 4 mile tramp in the area and heading out of the village, they followed the Beauville Lane up to the Twyncyn Wood, where pretty leaf covered pathways brought them to the One O’Clock Gate. Heading towards the ridgeway above the golf course, muck spreading in the fields was being carried out and enjoying misty views out over the Bristol Channel and passing through a field containing gentle horses, they reached Ysguborgoch Farm.
A quiet lane led them downhill past the entrance to the impressive St Andrews House built around 1892 for Thomas Morel who hailed from Jersey, to arrive at the Church of St Andrew. In this churchyard is the grave of the Bard of Dinas Powys, Thomas Essile David whose Bardic name was Dewi Wyn O Essyllt. Born in Dinas Powys in 1820 he married a local girl, later moving to Pontypridd where he died in 1891 after a somewhat uneventful career as a poet and editor.
Making their way through fields at Glebe Farm and crossing the footbridge over the completely dried up Nant yr Argae brook, they exited onto the road at the Westra for the short walk uphill to Dinas Powys Common and a return to their start as the sun was making dipping down in the western sky.
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Joy Strangward
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