Log No 237. Thu 6th Feb 2014 - Porthcawl to Llantwit Major, 18 miles (3622 miles walked)

A much more peaceable day and a dry start too.

I left Porthcawl at 07.45 walking through the almost deserted holiday park to get to the shore, the tide had a couple of hours to go before it was right in but there was plenty of sand to walk on.

I had to get across the Ogmore River and there were stepping stones which can be used at low tide.

By the time I got there I could see no sign of them, I hadn't expected the tide to be right on this occasion so I was prepared to take the long way round, a detour of over an hour.

I tried for the stepping stones at Ogmore Castle but my luck was out here too, just too much water in the river, so I had to go a bit further upstream to a footbridge.

The rain had started now but thankfully it was relatively light.

I was back on the coast at Ogmore-by-Sea, the low cliffs rising before dropping back down to Dunraven Bay.

After climbing back up again to the flat tops of the limestone cliffs the going was easy apart from the sections of mud which are slow going because my feet just slip all over the place.


Approaching Cwm Nash I could see 3 surfers in the small bay, this is quite a secluded bay since there is no road down to it.

Although the cliffs are nigh on vertical they are not very high, 30-70 metres, and the few drops & climbs were gentle.

After rounding Nash Point I dropped down to the 2 small bays, St Donat's and Tresilian.

Walking over the stones of Tresilian I saw a fossil in one of them, I did fossils on the east coast, I can't remember where now, set in big rocks but this is really the first fossil I have found.

It was quite a big stone weighing 3kg so it was just as well I found it at the end of the walk rather than the start as it was some lump to carry in the rucsac.

The rain was still coming down when I reached my destination, Llantwit Major, and just as I got to the railway station at 14.50 intending to catch a train a bus, going my way, pulled into a stop so I took it instead and got back to the camper at Porthcawl for 16.10, one of my earlier finishes.

18 damp but easy miles.

I don't buy a paper, listen to a radio or watch TV so I don't know what's going on in the world but yesterday I did see the front pages in a shop which warned of the worst storms of the year to come this weekend, something to look forward to!!