THE Penarth and District Ramblers chose to celebrate summer with a picnic in the park and hired the Forest Lodge at Porthkerry Country Park just in case it rained.
In fact, after a bit of a wonky start with the weather, the skies opened up and it was hot and muggy, which probably put a lot of people off. There was a choice of three walks before the picnic.
The early morning kicked off with William, who with his two companions Jane and Mike, set off from the park at the start of ta 12-mile walk along the Wales Coast Path to Rhoose village, before turning inland and tramping around the end of the main runway of Cardiff Airport, then downhill past Penmark Place and onward to reach Llancarfan.
They paid a visit to the church which was founded by St Cadoc. From 650AD a monastery stood there which by the 9th Century had become a centre of learning, the largest in Glamorgan. The present beautiful church dates from around 1200 and nowadays it is known for its fantastic wall paintings, discovered quite by accident during renovations, when it was covered over by layer upon layer of whitewash, which was painstakingly removed.
They made their hot return through the hamlet of Pen-onn past where Edward Williams, more commonly known as Iolo Morganwg who founded the Gorsedd of the Bards was born, then through Penmark to return via fields to Port Road and back through the Whitelands Valley.
Mid-morning walk
Joy came next during the mid-morning and was joined by a dozen walkers at the park, and they crossed what had been the old pitch and putt course (now being rewilded) and climbed through Viaduct Wood, before heading through a field at the rear of the magnificent 110 foot Porthkerry Viaduct and into long-grassed fields, climbing to West Ridge.
They went around the edge of a field of barley and downhill through shady woodland as the temperature rose. Through the Millwood past the old sawmill and across the Nant Talwg Brook for the short but steep climb up into the Four Fields, they exited from Cwm Barri to pavement walk down to the Gorsedd Stones and a welcome stop for refreshment in the rising heat. They dropped down through Romilly Park to the pretty Knap Gardens, past the lake and made their way below Marine Drive, up through the Garden Suburb and into cool woodland at Cliffwood, before a final descent down Lover’s Lane back into the main meadow after a glorious 6.5-mile tramp.
Porthkerry Park walk
Jan and John brought up the rear at lunch time and Sue D joined them in the park from where they crossed the main meadow walking northwards and below the railway bridge for the short climb through woodland up onto West Ridge, with its great views towards Cardiff Airport and out over the Bristol Channel. They descended over the brook into the Whitelands valley and made their way back to the start via the cycle track at Robin’s Walk and below the towering viaduct.
Both Robin and Naomi, who hadn’t joined the walks, met them at the Forest Lodge for their picnic which included delicious fruit cake and ginger cake from Jan, along with vegan orange and almond cake, carrot cake and date scones from Josie, which were a real treat when washed down with tea and coffee.
To round off the afternoon, Robin presented Josie with a framed certificate of thanks from the group for all the hard work she has done over the years baking goodies for special occasions, and especially for stepping in to cater for picnic in the park at short notice for Krys, the social secretary who was unavailable.
You can follow the group on www.penarthramblers.wordpress.com or on Facebook.
Joy Strangward
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