One thing that has occasionally irked me these last two years was my failed attempt in 2024 to complete a triangular walk in the lanes and through the fields at the back of the pretty village of Merthyr Mawr in the far west of the Vale of Glamorgan, so when I noticed the same walk described in a different walk book I have, only in the reverse direction, I decided to have another go.
When Cwtch and I arrived at Candleston, it was to find a film shoot in progress somewhere near by, with a large section of the car park taped off, but there was no one about, so we slipped through and set off up the stony lane towards Candleston Farm.
Our route then took us along the edge of a wheatfield, following an old wall. So far, so good.
It was at this point that the path petered out and the directions in the book became very complicated. I felt, briefly, doomed to fail again.
We passed a fallen ash tree ...
... and some very curious young heifers, who were thankfully in an adjoining field.
hedge woundwort coming into bloom
Eventually we made our way to a tree-lined track, the trees being low and requiring me to duck under them. Past a farm and we were headed back down a long lane and along the road from Merthyr Mawr to the car park. We had completed the walk. The car park was still taped off, though, and there were more people about, so I decided not to hang about in the hope of re-visiting Candleston castle, but instead headed for nearby Traeth Yr Afon with Cwtch. This is one of the Porthcawl beaches and I was last there in February 2019 with Son the Younger, although I've often seen it from the other side of the River Ogmore.
Sand Viper's Gloss
Small restharrow
It looks very pleasant in the photos, but actually the weather wasn't unlike something you might experience in February - at least, the wind was. I'd hoped to get to the end of the beach, where the River Ogmore meets the sea, but progress was slow and we had to turn back just before we reached it, staggering back to the car looking like extras from 'Lawrence of Arabia'.
A good day, apart from the £14 I had to pay in car parking charges, which is a scandal, frankly.
The following day, we went back to the Sirhowy valley, just outside Newport, where we did a short walk last year. I sort of had it in my head to do the longer route, but then I remembered how Son the Younger had tried walking it when he lived in Risca and the path petered out and he had to break his way back down the side of the valley, so settled for walking up and down the disused railway instead.
honeysuckle and foxglove
foxgloves in every direction
hemlock water dropwort
Cwtch being very brave and paddling by herself
bluetit feather
Looking down on the River Sirhowy
Wall lettuce ...
... and its wall
wood hawkweed
Down by the Sirhowy
And just like that, the two weeks of Severn tunnel maintenance were over, and hopefully - unless it floods or there are more strikes - my driving the Northerner to work is done for another year. Hwyl fawr, Cymru.
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