By Joy Strangward.
Thirteen walkers joined Joy from Penarth and District Ramblers on a glorious hot and sunny evening for a 4.5 mile local walk and setting off through the beautiful Romilly Park they made their way through pretty woodland at Birch Grove, a local nature reserve cared for by volunteers and uphill with views over Cold Knap and the Bristol Channel.
Tramping along the clifftop and then through woodland led to the Golden Stairs for the descent to Porthkerry Bay for the short but steep climb up to the Bulwarks. Circumnavigating the site of this Iron Age hillfort they learned that its western side was its most vulnerable and that was protected by massive banks separated by ditches which still remain but are hidden by woodland.
On through Porthkerry Leisure Park and by quiet lane to Porthkerry village and passing St Curig’s Church, a sunken lane adjacent to Church Farm led them downhill to the huge meadow behind the majestic Porthkerry Viaduct. Then crossing the wooden footbridge over the Bullhouse Brook they entered fields and were challenged by the resident young bullocks that followed them to the bridge over the Whitelands brook before giving up. Then uphill to walk the narrow paths beside fields of wheat before crossing West Ridge and descending back into Porthkerry Park and entering Cwm Barri, steep steps led them up to Fishpond Hill for the final journey along pavements to their start point.
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Sheila played host to a group of fifteen when they met at Hensol Forest car park at the start of a 7.5 mile walk and in gorgeous weather they set off along forestry tracks before zig zagging around Llwyn Du, which was once owned by Sir Tom Jones.
Entering a field with feisty young cattle they followed a path previously cleared by the leader into open meadows with stunning views before pausing for refreshments. Some road walking with occasional glimpses towards Talygarn, a manor house created by George T Clark brought them through a cool forest to the manicured lawns of the Vale Resort and the picturesque Llwyn Yoy Pond.
Spotting ducks, damsel and dragon flies and pretty water lilies they moved on and as the heat was rising they paused under the trees beside the now closed Llwyn-rhyddid Heronry.
Then on through Home Farm and along the road past the entrance to Llwyn-Rhyddid, which was the principal farmhouse of the Hensol Estate owned by the Talbot family. More meadows covered with grasses and wild flowers led back to the road where they stopped to avoid a horse box manoeuvring before crossing The Gallops, now sadly overgrown and unused. Arriving at Tre-Dodridge they re-entered fields for the climb to Ty-Fry Farm and clambering over a bolted gate paused for their lunch break under some beautiful beech trees.
Then onward for the climb to Warren Mill Farm and back into the forest before continuing by road past Vale Cider to arrive at Pysgodlyn Mawr Lake and following cool forest tracks returned to their start.
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Joy Strangward
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