FOR the 11th evening ramble with Joy from Penarth and District Ramblers, the unpredictable weather this summer actually came up trumps in the form of warm sunshine and little breeze, as a group of 16 met at Rhoose railway station car park at the start of the four-mile walk.
Setting off in almost 26-degree heat and tramping westwards through long grassed fields beside the railway line to pass below the railway arch at Fontygary, some pavement walking led them to the quiet lane at Port Road and down to the Blue Anchor Inn, which dates to 1380.
It would have been pleasant to stop there and while away some time, but there was walking to be done, as they descended through Well Road and along a narrow path through woodland at the East Aberthaw Nature Reserve.
Being well aware of the warning notices about snakes and tramping on to pass through the reed beds on the western side of the picturesque lake, which is guarded by the remains of the old Aberthaw Limeworks built in 1888, the path led them to the substantial sea wall and onto part of the Wales Coast Path.
Pausing to take in the lovely views out over Bristol Channel, they heard that blue lias limestone in the form of pebbles was collected from the nearby beach and hauled up the eastern tramway and dropped down into the kilns. Because of its hydraulic properties, it was useful in the construction of canals, docklands, locks and lighthouses and its original two kilns produced 46 tons of burnt lime each day. However, the limeworks was forced to close in 1926 after the nearby Aberthaw Cement Works took over production.
East Aberthaw contained a small village in mediaeval times and Marshe Way (now Well Road) led to marshland and a ford across the River Thaw, which was re-routed when Aberthaw Power Station was built, with Aberthaw A-Station being opened in the early 1960s. The port at Aberthaw thrived because after Porthkerry Harbour was lost in a storm in 1584, it was the only port along the coast between Swansea and Cardiff but by the 1840s, trade declined, and its main export became lime.
Crossing the sea wall by means of steps led them onto the salt flats for the climb up the steep steps set into the cliff and into Fontygary Leisure Park for the walk along the clifftop to steps leading out of the rocky Fontygary Bay. Then, they went along the cliff path to pass one of the disused Rhoose limestone quarries, before turning inland and returning to the start through a long-grassed field.
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Joy Strangward
- Penarth ramblers enjoy their weekend in Sussex
- Ramblers explore Sully Island
- Ramblers celebrate with a picnic in the park
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