Welcome back to the South Wales coast around Porthcawl.
Today’s plan was to go to Kenfig Nature Reserve to quickly wear Chuck out and
then head to Swansea. Things didn’t quite go according to plan. We knew it was
going to be a poor weather day as the brilliantly named Storm Brian was closing
in. The rain never really came but the wind definitely had designs to ruin our
own plans.
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| Comedy wind inflated clothing. |
Kenfig nature reserve is a landscape of dunes and grass. It’s
very much like The Braunton Burrows from our old stomping ground North Devon.
Chuck got incredibly excited as the Burrows was his favourite place to go. He
howled with delight, singing the song of his people as he ran up and down the
path, despite the gale force winds and rain.
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| Chuck was blown away by the view. |
The path passed a lake which obviously Chuck spotted from
about half a mile away. He was in in no time. Thankfully the terrific winds
soon dried him out. The walk continued across dunes of increasing size. The
higher we got, the windier it was. As we approached the shore a gap in the sea
bank was funnelling the winds to a very high speed. It was almost impossible to
look out over the sea. The waves were crashing with some vigour. Being out in
this weather gives a tremendous sense of the kinetic power of nature. The wind
howling past your ears. You really feel it. Dressed accordingly I could happily
stay out there all day.
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| A bit of comedic light relief from the weather. |
We followed the Wales Costal Path towards the steel works at
Port Talbot. The track passes some old railway sidings here. Top tip, route at
the correct path, don’t just follow the service road. We ended up having to
squeeze under a barbed wire fence to get back on our track. Just before you get
to the M5 are the ruins of Kenfig Castle. And very ruinous they are. Not that
much to make out really but an interesting 5 minutes can be had looking around
if the weather is nice, or 30 seconds if not.
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| The kings of the castle. Odd cactus shaped plant photo-bombing. |
We made a beeline for a pub marked on the map between Kenfig
village and Maudlam. When we got there we found The Prince of Wales. Dogs were
only allowed in the snug but this was no problem. It was a constant coming and
going of canine fun. The highlight was a highly timid Newfoundland who had to
be dragged past Chuck. It was so sweet to see such a big dog that was so meek.
Just shows you can’t judge a book by its cover.
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| Chuck educating himself on the local wildlife. |
We headed back down the road to the car. Our quick walk had
turned into over three hours. But we aren’t big fans of cities usually so we
wouldn’t need long in Swansea. Good job as we never got there. We ended up
stuck on the M4 for 90 minutes and turning around and coming back to Porthcawl.
The high winds had shut the bridge over The Neath River. We’re intending on
going to The Gower past Swansea tomorrow so hopefully it has reopened. Tomorrow’s
post will very much depend on the bridge being open. Make sure you come back
tomorrow to see how we get on.
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| Looking a tad windswept in The Prince of Wales. |
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