All Wales Coastal Path

Countryside Officials have confirmed that the 870 mile (1,400km) all-Wales coast path is almost complete. The whole route is on schedule to be officially opened next May.

Some of the completed sections are not yet way marked and others will be subject to future improvements, says the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW). Upgrading work has just started on the largest section of footpath along the Gower coastline which stretches between Caswell and Limeslade.

It will run from Mumbles in the south to Crofty in the north via Three Cliffs Bay, Port Eynon and Llanmadoc. "A lot of work has already been completed to create one single footpath along Gower's coastline," said Chris Dale, Swansea council countryside access officer. "We have also created entirely new sections which walkers can now enjoy."

The CCW explains that 95% of the path is already complete with some in place for years and other sections requiring only small-scale improvements.

Meanwhile, other areas have required a lot more work such as along the coast in Flintshire, near the English border with Chester and running through Flint and Greenfield on the Dee estuary.

The CCW has been co-ordinating the development of the path with 16 coastal councils and national park authorities.

Improvements have been paid for under the Coastal Access Improvement Programme (CAIP), with the assembly government investing £2m a year since 2009 and backed by £3.9m from the European Regional Development Fund.

The path stretches from the Dee estuary in Deeside in north east Wales, west to Anglesey, Gwynedd, and down the south west Wales coast going east to Cardiff and Newport with views over the Bristol Channel.

Cardiff council is trying to resolve an outstanding issue with a Gypsy community who are concerned about walkers using a section of the route close to their caravan site at Rover Way. Tim Wilson from Cardiff Gypsy & Traveller Project said residents' concerns centred around issues of privacy and safety as the route is elevated so the "public would be looking down, and directly in to residents' caravans and utility blocks". He said: "We have been working with both Cardiff council and site residents on ideas to reduce the impact on site residents, and also looking at an alternative route along the front of the site."

The council says no work on the path will take place until consultation is complete with site's residents. Cardiff council said: "We were made aware of privacy concerns during a planned community consultation meeting held some time ago. It was agreed at this meeting that the council would look into this issue and report back to the residents of Rover Way at a further scheduled meeting, to be held later this month."

Dunraven Bay and Merthyr Mawr Warren

Another day and another walk, just 24-hours after one visit to Nash Point and Steve was visiting Dunraven Bay on his way to Merthyr Mawr Warren to experience a huge network of sand dunes situated about one mile from the village of Merthyr Mawr, and only a few miles further west from Llantwit Major.





The unique setting at Dunraven Bay with its almost golden coloured limestone rock formations, was used in an episode of the recent BBC TV series 'Merlin' - The Labyrinth of Gedref.



Leaving Dunraven Bay the walk continued through Merthyr Mawr Warren and the highest single sand dune in Europe, known locally as the 'big dipper'. Scenes from the film 'Lawrence of Arabia' were filmed at the dunes.

Walking up these giant sand dune's is exceptionally hard work, although international athletes and sportsmen and women use the dunes for fitness training (the Welsh rugby union team for example have been known to use it as part of a training run).

A hundred years ago sand threatened to engulf nearby Merthyr Mawr after rabbits had stripped the ground of the vegetation holding the dunes together. Buckthorn bushes were planted to stabilise the sand, but now it's the dunes that have to be protected from the buckthorn which is over-grown and threatening to take over.



Merthyr Mawr, is a pretty little chocolate box village, there are no modern buildings here and it's like walking on to a film set. Roses around the cottage doors, thatched roofs, cream teas! An idyllic settlement, as picturesque as they come, with an outstanding collection of Thatched Dwellings straight from the pages of a Thomas Hardy novel, beautifully positioned around an old Village Green.



The warren is an important wildlife habitat and site of scientific interest, which shelters a rich variety of plants.

Nash Point

As a gesture of support for the industrial action taken by the teachers union against the proposed Government changes to their pensions, Wandering and Lord Twynyrodyn decided to spend the day in a rather less confrontational environment. The initial destination was the beach car park at Llantwit Major on the South Glamorgan coast. Arriving at 10:45 after a pleasant journey through the country lanes when the topic of conversation was inevitably the policies of the coalition, they joined the Glamorgan Heritage coastal path just to the rear of the beach front cafe.



They immediately gained some height climbing to the cliff top for an exhilarating walk along the layers of limestone rock faces which are separated by softer layers of shale (mudstone). The shale often wears away quicker than the limestone leaving it unsupported, causing it to collapse and fall to the beach.

The rocks forming the cliffs were created during a period of the Earth's history called the Liassic, which was part of the early Jurassic times. This was about 180 million years ago.



The first sighting of St Donat's Castle, over a mile in the distance, is from the coastal path itself. A medieval castle built in the late 12th century, it directly overlook's the Bristol Channel. Since 1962 the castle has housed the international Sixth form of Atlantic College.



After seeing photographs of the castle in Country Life magazine, it was purchased and renovated by American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in 1925. Hearst, who at the time was having an affair with the actress Marion Davies, spent a fortune upgrading the castle, installing electricity not only to his residence but also to the surrounding area. Hearst was renowned for holding lavish parties at St Donat's - guests included Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and a young John F. Kennedy. Upon visiting St Donat's, George Bernard Shaw was quoted as saying: "This is what God would have built if he had had the money."

After Hearst's death in 1951 the castle was eventually purchased in 1962 by Monsieur Antonin Besse II (1927 - ) and given to the Governing Body of Atlantic College.

The College was founded by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn — who also set up Gordonstoun School in Scotland and the Salem School in Germany — as a practical response to the search for new and peaceful solutions in a world riven by political, racial and economic divisions (not a great deal has changed in the last fifty years!)

When Atlantic College opened it was hailed by The Times as "the most exciting experiment in education since the Second World War."



After passing the sea-front promenade to the rear of the college (the students were practicising rolling canoe's in the open air swimming pool in the grounds of the college!), the walk climbs into extremely pleasant woodland until you emerge once again onto the coastal path.



Soon on the horizon in the distance we saw our first glimpse of Nash Point Lighthouse, over an enormous field of wheat that ran almost to the cliff edge.

Nash Point itself is a promontory headland on the Monknash Coast. The Lighthouse was designed by James Walker, the chief engineer for Trinity House. Established in 1832, the lighthouse was electrified in 1968. Nash Point Lighthouse became the last manned lighthouse in Wales, and was only automated in 1998.



Trinity House provide public tours of the lighthouse on a Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday from July to September. The massive foghorn is blown on the first Saturday of every month and third Sunday.



At this point we had to leave the coastal path and head in-land across a series of open access fields before arriving at Marcross, where we spent an hour in a delightful village pub called the Horseshoe Inn - the pint of Cwrw Braf and bar-food is highly recommended.



The road heads east opposite the Horseshoe Inn, passing the Old Schoolhouse and Marcross Court, before taking a right turn down a 'C' road. This led to a section of the Millenium Trail, in another area of woodland that joined and passed through part of the grounds of Atlantic College itself.

Leaving the College the walk passes through King George Fields before rejoining the coastal path for the short return leg to Llantwit Major beach. We decided to leave the coastal path for the last half mile and walk from Treslian Bay to the car park over the slabs of rock created by the build up of millions of shells of tiny sea creatures, together with mud brought into the sea by ancient rivers. Eventually hundreds of metres of this sediment became compacted to form limestone. We enjoyed an ice-cream on the beach prior to the journey home.



The walk was 9 miles and took approximately 4 hours (including an hour spent obtaining refreshments in the Horseshoe Inn!)

Photographs taken on this walk can be viewed here. Select 'slide-show' for automated viewing.

Wales Coastal Path

Environment Minister Jane Davidson today opened the latest stretch of the Wales Coast Path. The new 8km/5m section at Laugharne links existing rights of way and improves the level of access for users at this famous coastal village.

The Welsh Assembly Government is fully committed to the establishment of a continuous path of approximately 850 miles that runs around the coastline of Wales by May 2012. The project is on schedule, with sections being regularly opened.

Speaking about the new section of the path, the Minister said:

'I am impressed with the initiative taken by people here in Laugharne to embrace the benefits of coastal access. The Dylan Thomas Birthday trail, funded independently of the Coastal Access Improvement Programme, has caught the imagination and demonstrates the way ahead to other coastal communities throughout Wales. I am confident that the Coast Path will attract more visitors to the South Wales coastline and in doing so will provide a real boost to the local economy. The Coast Path is not just important for sustainable tourism. I hope that local people will make the most of opportunities to enjoy the scenery while walking along the path and that it will encourage people to live more active and healthy lives, in line with the Assembly Government’s Change4Life programme.'

Dylan Thomas lived at Laugharne for 16 years and in his poetry describes many local sites, including views across the Taf estuary which can be enjoyed from the Coast Path.

Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Clive Scourfield said:

'We are extremely keen to see the completion of our section of the Wales Coast Path. We have agreements to finish work on over 94% of the county, and are progressing with discussions for any remaining sections. Whatever the case, we should have the route ready by the spring 2012 deadline.'

While in Laugharne the Minister spoke of how work on the Path is progressing:

'The wonderful Wales Coast Path will be officially opened on Saturday 5th May 2012. Already, 80% of the route we plan to open next spring is available to walkers. Since the project began in 2007 we have created over 70 miles of new path and improved more than 240 miles of existing pathway.'

Under the Coastal Access Improvement Programme (CAIP), the Welsh Assembly Government is committed to creating a continuous path that runs right around the coastline of Wales, and has been investing in access improvements in partnership with the Countryside Council for Wales. CAIP funding of £2 million per year has since 2009 been backed by the European Regional Development Fund which totals £3.9m over 3 years, to support development of the Coast Path by 2012.