Walk 4 Ogmore-Swansea - 21st-22nd June, 2013

We have a busy few weeks coming up and the forecast wasn't great for Sunday so off we set on Friday morning to Port Talbot Parkway station.

Caught 8.48 to Bridgend and there took a cab to Ogmore Castle. Across the stepping stones by 9.30...I wasn't awfully keen on them halfway across!

Ogmore castle was reputedly one belonging to one of the 12 knights of Glamorgan about whom we found out quite a bit this trip though we had never heard of them before. Pleasant walk into the new landscape of dunes! And there are acres of them on this walk! Sighted lovely flowers en route again - even orchids!

Some phenomenal beaches were crossed too (sometimes the sand was a little soft for easy walking..). The first was over the Ogmore estuary to Porthcawl.

Lovely sea views all along from Porthcawl reaching the lovely Rest Bay and then approaching Kenfig Sands...so much sand!

Soon though we had to leave the sea behind as the path has to be diverted around the steel works -I understand it will be re-planned later this year which will make so much more sense for a coast path...

You can just see the steel works on the top right hand corner over the dunes...
It was amazing to see the depth of dunes we had to cross, then we arrived at the Kenfig reserve visitor centre...which was shut! That longed-for coffee and respite were not to be! We did though catch a view of the long gone Kenfig castle, smothered by the sand. It was once belonging to a knight of the 12...and the dunes were full of what I think is some kind of rock rose, lovely!

Then began the road walk into Port Talbot, made easier by the lovely people. Some even stopped their cars ahead of us and walked back to give us a donation and those in the traffic queue were equally kind - thank you so much!!! We were SO tired when we got to the car and retreated to the hotel which was on the promenade so we had a good sea view and the sun even shone a little over the Gower.

The start of Day 2 wasn't too auspicious...the wind had rattled the windows in the early hours and the rain was spattering the window. But after breakfast it looked a bit brighter and it wasn't wet so off we set! It was a lovely walk over Aberavon promenade and down to the beach and dunes once more..so much sand!

Rounding the dunes at Baglan Bay we passed another power station...a shame we need them but we do! I did see more orchids even here and so many flowers. The ladies fingers are now going to seed but the yellow and purple vetches have taken over with the ox-eye daisies .....and the buttercups just keep going! Walking alongside the amazingly wide Water of Neath, we could see the M4 and A48 bridges looming and knew the road walk started there on the A48....we did see though the floating dock built by Isambard Kingdom's father, Marc Brunel. Last used in 1959 and now in poor state and alongside a tower housing a hydraulic ram invented by George Armstrong of Cragside renown.

Not a happy walk for the rest...just a trudge along the road, getting wet through and blown about crossing that A48 bridge you see up there...there is a temporary diversion going into Swansea which means that rather than having a pleasant (I should imagine..) walk alongside the Tennant canal, you just stay alongside the dual-carriageway. We did see pretty flowers in the verge - even oil seed rape has naturalised hasn't it?

So we were very relieved to finally find Swansea station and head for the car at Port Talbot, very weary! Couldn't show our T shirts today either so no donations....just go to www.justgiving.com/Pamela-Mallpress if you would like to support!

A bit of a holiday coming up so it will be near the end of July when we can make the next walk...really hope the weather may be a bit more like summer then....