NEW members Jackie and Geoff, who have not long moved to the area, are finding their feet by starting off with local walks for Penarth and District Ramblers and this one, on a lovely sunny spring day, took in Lower Penarth, Dinas Powys and Michaelston-le-Pit.
A group of eight set off from Dinas Road in Penarth and made their way into Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, which began life as a medieval estate and then limestone was quarried there for years before the area was landscaped into a country park, using the empty quarries as lakes, whilst the upper quarries are now wildflower paddocks.
They passed Old Cogan Hall Farm and St Peter’s Church and exiting onto Sully Road, they descended into Dinas Powys where they met up with three more walkers by the school, before making their way to the steep-sided Cwm George. Then along a farm track, across the Cadoxton River and by lane to a bridleway that brought them out at the entrance to Wrinstone Farm.
They walked down the undulating woodland path beside the Wrinstone Brook where the fallen tree that had been blocking the path had been removed by volunteer members of Valeways, much to their delight (and grateful thanks are sent to them) to exit onto the bank beside the ponds at the Salmon Leaps. By this time, tummies were beginning to rumble, so they entered the churchyard of St Michael’s and stopped in warm sunshine for lunch. Refreshed and moving on they crossed fields and made their way back the way they had come after a perfect day to enjoy a walk in the countryside.
Walking around Lydney
By contrast, William took his band of 11 walkers on a train journey over the border to Gloucestershire and, disembarking at Lydney Railway Station, they began their hike towards Aylburton, with its famous medieval cross. Situated in the centre of the village, it became a problem to traffic so had to be moved slightly so it would not be damaged. Climbing a hill they entered bluebell-filled woodland, then passed warning signs about wild boar and reached Bream.
Photo: William Milne.
They walked on past remnants of the Forest of Dean’s industrial history to Brockhollands, through more woodland and over the heritage line of the Forest of Dean Railway to Norchard Station for their well-earned lunch break. A climb brought them up Primrose Hill before a descent past Tingley Wood and over the A48 to Purton that lies beside the River Severn. Following part of the well-signed Severn Way picturing a trow, originally a flat-bottomed boat unique to the River Severn, they arrived at the remains of the Severn Railway Bridge.
This was the site of a terrible disaster on 25th October, 1960, when in really bad weather and thick fog, two barges carrying oil and petroleum collided, causing two spans of the bridge to collapse onto them, and which then caught fire and five people lost their lives, so the bridge was demolished in 1970.
More woodland led them to Lydney Harbour with its moored pleasure craft and onward to the station for the return to Cardiff after their glorious 15-mile journey.
You can follow the group here or on Facebook.
Joy Strangward
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- Penarth ramblers enjoy their weekend in Sussex
- Ramblers explore Sully Island
- Ramblers celebrate with a picnic in the park
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