Llantwit Major to Barry

4th June 2016

We decided to stay closer to home this weekend and chose Llantwit Major to Barry, partly because it then joins up a missing section and completes the whole way from Chepstow to Southerndown, and partly because we wanted to walk early before the heat of the day.

So we parked up in Barry (again) and got the train to Lantwit Major. After a quick stop at Greggs for Breakfast we were on our way, but first we had to walk about 1.5 miles to get to the coastal path.

All aboard

Posing at the start

As seems to be the norm with our walks we had to head up a steep climb to start the coastal path walk and then we found ourselves walking for over a mile through field after field of rape seed plants and then corn on the cob plants.

The view back towards the cafe at Llantwit beach

A typical field path

There were sometimes views of the coast or an interesting object but mostly it was just fields.

Interesting rock formations

A seawatch centre

Aberthaw power station in the distance

The next few miles saw Abertawe Power Station get closer and closer and then just past Limpert Bay you end up walking for over a mile with a barbed wire fence on the one side and the sea wall on the other – not the best of views but we carried on and once past it we got to a nice marshland area with some ponds.

Like walking around a prison yard (or so Sharon tells me)

Interesting old building in the biodiversity area

Cleo takes a paddle in the marshland

By now it was lunchtime so we stopped for our picnic on some rather uncomfortable rocks on the beach,

Then on to Rhoose point, which is the most southerly point on the entire coastal path.

Druids live here

Cleo posing at Rhoose point

We then cut through PorthKerry campsite, where we found cabin for an ice-cream and a coffee before carrying on to the country park.

Ice-cream at the cabin

A plane almost landing on us

A view of the pitch and putt at Porthkerry country park

Then we hit “the golden steps” –  they were definitely steps, and lots of them, but I am not sure why they were golden!! After that a short walk across the Bull’s nose cliff we dropped down onto Pebble beach and along to Cold Knap Point.

Golden steps

Pebble beach ahead of us

If we hadn’t already done the Barry Island loop then at this point we could have crossed the beach at the watch tower as the tide was out. But we were able to head to the car and the end of the walk.

13.3 miles walked in total and 11.8 miles count towards the coastal path, making 164.9 miles walked and 705.1 miles to go.

Andrew and Sharon