A bluster on the Ogmore estuary

I'm in solidarity with the striking railway workers, of course, even though strike days mean a round trip from Bristol to Cardiff in rush-several-hours traffic to retrieve the Northerner, who relies on the train to get to work. Last week neither the evening nor the morning train was running, and as His Nibs was working a slightly truncated day, I decided to brave the blustery weather and stay in Wales for the duration. 

Cwtch the collie came too, of course, and after lengthy discussion, we decided on a sit-down on the beach at Ogmore-by-Sea, followed by a wander up the River Ogmore to Ogmore Castle. 

Looking over to Traeth yr Afon ...

... and the dunes of Merthyr Mawr

When I say 'blustery', it was actually blowing a gale, and we soon decided that hunkering on the beach wasn't an option and headed upstream, where we hoped it would be more sheltered. It wasn't ... but at least the wind was behind us, which was as well as a very wet rain started falling. 

There was the distraction of some giant parasol mushrooms growing amongst the bracken, though, and a sheep who clearly recognised Cwtch as a gringa, by upbringing if not birth, despite her Welsh name.

As we moved further up the valley, it stopped raining but stayed windy, which meant the back of my jacket and jeans soon felt quite dry.

Just above the bridge that leads to the sewage works is the point where the River Ewenny flows into the Ogmore, and it was along the bank of the former that our route continued, just a short way, to Ogmore Castle, complete with an array of molehills.

We're told Ogmore Castle was initially built of earth and wood by William de Londres, shortly after 1100, being fortified with a stone keep in 1116, when a Welsh lord attempted to get his land back. A curtain wall followed in the early 13th century. The moat was designed to fill with water at high tide. It was in use until the 19th century, as a court and a prison amongst other things, since when it's fallen into ruin.

There were sheep here too, guarding the ruins and equally unimpressed by Cwtch, who was safely on the lead at this point on our walk. 

Below the castle is a set of stepping stones crossing the Ewenny. Even though they were relatively low in the water, they looked a lot easier to cross than many of the ones I've tried on Dartmoor, but I didn't fancy doing it with a collie who's afraid of water in tow. 

I decided to walk back down to the beach along the edge of the warth, even though it was quite slippery in places from where the sheep had churned the mud. It was interesting being down at the level of the river instead of on the footpath above it, and I found a curlew feather. It was a job keeping it from blowing away in the wind. 

The red plant I took for glasswort, though it was more prostrate in habit than other glassworts I've seen. 

Eventually I realised that I wasn't going to be able to get all the way around to the beach along the side of the river, and would either have to retrace my steps a fair way or climb a short but steep and muddy path up the side of the cliff. This photo looking down doesn't really give you an idea of how steep it was ... 

... but I had to resort to hand and foot climbing, and was reminded of the last time I decided I was way too old for this sort of thing.

Back at Ogmore-by-Sea it was gloomy east of the river, where we were, and fine to the west. 

There was just enough time for Cwtch to have a little play on the beach ... 

... before we had to make our way back to Cardiff with our small treasures. 

The Great Ouerflowing of Waters: Undy and Caldicot Moor

 

And so to the Gwent Levels for a walkette with my friend, Liz, and Cwtch the reliable collie, whom you can trust to walk off lead and come back when called in a  relatively reliable fashion. An altogether more biddable dog than her predecessor, who, although we miss him horribly, could have his tricky moments.

Our first stop was St Mary's Church in Undy, which dates back to the 12th century. Being built on a solid shelf of rock, it was the only building in the village to survive the Great Flood (or tsunami) of 1607. I couldn't see an indication on the wall as to the height of the waters, such as you often find on old churches on the Severn flood plain, but maybe there was no one around to mark it after they'd subsided.

Here's some later, remarkably well executed lettering.

Norman font complete with hand gel

On our way to the causeway that would take us out over Caldicott Moor, we passed this scarecrow and Undy Pumping Station, where we turned to follow the path that runs between Sea Wall Reen and Collister Pill Reen, and forms part of a mediaeval sea wall - though clearly not adequate to hold back the flood in 1607. 

One of the waymarks is a black poplar, which must have been enormous before it was felled. 

Sloes

A little further on, our route took a left turn over Caldicot moor, before turning right and taking us down to the Severn, where we had a fine view of the new bridge ...

... and downstream to Clevedon on the far bank. Here signs warned of cattle but I checked and there were none, so no need to put Cwtch back on the lead.

We could hear a curlew's evocative wobbling call over the warth.

A view inland to Mynydd Machen, Mynydd Maen and Twmbarlwm

 

Then ... disaster! Cwtch took it upon herself to roll in cow shit - not once, but twice - and given the state of her, I decided it was probably best to put her back on the lead, cut the walk short and head back to the car before she got it all over me and - more worryingly - Liz's pale and pristine walking trousers. 

What's that stink?!

Liz Angel: Eco Warrior

Back at the car park, Liz learnt all about Undy Pound while I towelled the dog; thanked God we'd driven there in my car, not hers; and texted the Northerner to let him know we were half an hour away and in the view of the fact we'd had a new bathroom installed the week before, to open the side gate and get as many buckets of water ready as he could.  A Great Ouerflowing of Waters indeed.

Not today, Cwtch!

A Road Trip to Portishead

The Northerner's phone needed fixing and all the Apple shops are shut, but he came across someone who could repair it in Portishead, and suddenly we were going on a road trip and packed the dog, so we could have a walk along the coast path and she could have her first glimpse of what you might laughingly call 'the sea'. 

These days you have to take what you can get. 

But it was a mild and dry day, the light was lovely, and the path we walked very sheltered, judging by the size and shape of the trees that line it. 

Upstream, the new Severn bridge was visible, and just beyond I could make out the pylons of the Aust Severn powerline crossing, but the beautiful older bridge was invisible in mist.

I haven't been able to find out the name of this cove we passed, so maybe it's regarded as the far end of Sugar Loaf beach. Anyhow, I really liked it, with its neat tideline of bladderwrack.

Shortly afterwards we reached our destination, Black Nore lighthouse, which was built in 1894 and decommissioned in 2010. 

By now storm clouds were sweeping up the Channel, and although it was darker on the Welsh side, we decided nevertheless that we should probably head back to the car. 

We did pause for a bit at Sugar Loaf Beach proper to wander down the slipway and show Cwtch 'the sea', but to be honest, she didn't much care for the mud. 

A brief postscript this morning, in the shape of a return visit to retrieve the phone, now in full working order, and the chance of a wander up to Battery Point. Cwtch enjoyed exploring the warth in weather that wouldn't have disgraced late April.   

Battery Point lighthouse is still in use, although its two-tonne fog bell was removed in 1998 for fear it might cause the structure to collapse. 

The Severn bridges were even harder to make out than yesterday ... 

... though it was interesting to glimpse Avonmouth from a different angle ...  

... and Denny Island, midway between England and Wales and marking the boundary between the two, looked positively Mediterranean. Roll on spring and summer.