23rd October 2017 Daily Blog from Porthcawl - Day 4

Day 4 of our travels today and the last one before we go home tomorrow. It didn’t quite go according to plan and sadly neither did the weather about which the Met Office lied. Having said that, it wasn’t a bad day overall. We started off from the National Trust car park in Rhossili. Top tip, take lots of change. A days parking requires £5 in coins. Who carries that around with them? As I didn’t have £5 in coins…sorry National Trust. We left hoping not to be clamped when we returned.

The views weren't long distance but they had a magical quality.

We set off across Rhossili Down. We took the lower path as visibility was poor and as it was meant to clear up later we thought we could get the views on the way back. There were a few sheep dotted about here and there so Chuck was on the lead for a lot of the time. It was very grey and damp but every now and again we caught a glimpse of the coastline. The beach down below us was gigantic and after walking for nearly an hour we were just half way along it.

The rocks at Llangennith Burrows. Make sure you're off before high tide.

We passed through Hillend Caravan Park down onto the beach. Chuck was finally free and super excited. He spent the next half an hour chasing seagulls having the time of his life splashing in the sea. Just be aware that the water here can be dangerous. Chuck is scared of the waves however and generally just likes splashing around in the shallows. At the end of the beach is large round rock formation. We didn’t go onto it as we were unsure if the tide was coming in or going out. It looked as though you could easily become stranded on there.

A giant jellyfish washed ashore. Sadly we had no ice cream.

The path rose up onto some cliffs which were very wild and jagged. The rough weather made for a powerful vista with the waves crashing against the cliff. It was odd as the dunes from the beach seemed to reach up to the cliff edge but we hadn’t really climbed much from the beach. It was as if the sea had dropped down to reveal the cliffs. Before long we had dropped down onto another beach.

Jaggedy cliffs at Broughton Burrows. Still raining.

Broughton Bay was again a huge beach. We stayed low so Chuck could stay off the lead instead of going up across the cliffs. However, the footpath back to the top was not obvious and I think the path we went up was not the footpath but just another path made by people getting off the beach. This confused the navigation somewhat and after about half an hour we ended up back where we would have initially come off the beach. Very frustrating. As we had lost so much time and the weather was refusing to clear up, we decided to cut it short.

Chuck doing a spot of beach combing.

We plotted the most direct route to our intended pub stop in Llangennith. This took us through a caravan site with lots of ‘Private Keep Out’ signs. All well and good but as I pointed out a few weeks ago, it is illegal to conceal or block a public footpath. As there were no directional aids we ended up on the far side of the caravan sight unable to find the correct route of the path. We found the footpath that the one we had lost lead to but getting to it involved jumping over a barbed wire fence. As this was the only option we clambered carefully over and returned to the path.

The footpath that wasn't a footpath. Either way it was steep and sandy.

It’s a real bug bear of mine when people try to conceal a Public Footpath across their land. If they just put a couple of arrows we’d have been through in no time. As it was we ended up climbing over their fences and probably going into places they really didn’t want us to go. It would be better for both parties if they directed instead of obstructed. The alternative route was about two miles further. I’m sorry but a Public Footpath is a Right of Way and we will find a way through. Rant over.

Come on Mummy and Daddy. Nearly at the pub.

We arrived at the King’s Head in LLangennith quite soaked and annoyed at our scrambling through bushes and barbed wire. However the welcome we received made up for it. The drink selection is fantastic. It’s not cheap but they have an incredible array of whisky and gin. I tried three different Whiskies, all very different and we had a bowl of rather delicious chips. The final part of the journey was back across Rhossili Down. The promised break in the weather never materialised so we took the low path again.

The King's Arms at Llangennith. A spirit drinkers paradise.

We got back to our car and fortunately it wasn’t clamped. Again, sorry National Trust, put a card reader in your brand new shiny parking meters and I’d have paid. You can’t get blood out of a stone. So there you go. Not quite what we planned but a nice day nonetheless. Tomorrow we’re off back home but we’d like to maybe get a small walk in or visit something depending on the weather. Hopefully it’s something worth writing about. I’m sure it will be. See you tomorrow.