12 Miles
After a second night in the lighthouse cottage perched on the sea wall, we wake to the sunrise over the estuary and the sound of a curlew calling. We’re tempted to sit outside but the weather has other ideas as hailstones start to drop from the darkening clouds. Thankfully by the time we’ve packed our bags and loaded them into the car the sun has re-appeared. We are setting off on foot from here and coming back later to collect the car.
At first the coast path follows the route of a water course just below the seawall. There’s a small community of bungalows just past the boarded-up Lighthouse Inn – by the state of the garden it looks like it’s been closed for some time. Climbing to the top of the seawall our eyes are now drawn out to the coast, the sea out and small stony beaches appearing. Littered with more flotsam and jetsam. We pass a series of lakes then over a hedge we can see the green, green grass of Peterstone Lakes golf course.
A Natural Resources Wales sign explains their work to maintain the seawall and storage lagoon at Peterstone. Everywhere certainly looks impeccably managed. It’s pretty cold, but nice to see our long shadows wandering along beside us.
Pass over another sluice at Torwick Reen, farm buildings and a small industrial area in the distance and the spire of a church poking above the bare tree branches. A dwelling just below the seawall appears to be some kind of junkyard.
We pass a disused pumping house perched in the estuary then continue along the grassy seawall. Someone has positioned a series of large boulders, one has a dedication to David Davies, wildfowler, fisherman and gentleman 1932 – 1995. I wasn’t conscious of the term “wildfowler”, looking it up I much prefer the anagram “wildflower”!
We’ve been wondering what the neat row of stakes at the waters edge were for, thinking wrongly they were remnants of a former fishing technique. But it turns out Natural Resources Wales are restoring the saltmarsh by creating polders – essentially a field. The stakes, and bundles of sticks form a fence which the tide flows in and out of, trapping mud and sand; hence re-forming the saltmarsh, a valuable habitat for wildlife and a carbon store. Clever.
At this point the coast path leaves the water for the rest of today’s walk. We cross a new metal stile and take a sturdy path inland. At first fairly tranquil with swans nesting in the reeds, but soon both the weather and the ambience take a steep curve downwards.
Wentloog Avenue and Lamby Way over the Rhymney River sound pleasant but the experience was an all-time low with lorries swooshing past us and icy cold hail battering our bodies. At the Rover Way roundabout we stand for a while looking for a safe place to cross, a car passes by splashing dirty cold water over me. Thankfully I’m stirred into decision and we cross towards the roadworks, finding our way through to Ffordd Pengham and a quieter residential area.
We only realise we’ve missed the turning into Tremorfa Park when we reach Clos Hector and I’m making jokes about Hector’s House. Turn back and wander through the park then out the other side to more residential areas, slowly turning industrial. We cross another roundabout before crossing the road, taking a left turn towards the stunning grade II listed Spillers and Bakers Ltd grain mill.
Converted to apartments nearly forty years ago, the former grain mill still oozes character with its gently curved façade. We follow a series of mini canals in this now residential area to Bute East Dock leading us eventually to Cardiff Bay. The Wales Millenium Centre is like an oasis of calm and sophistication, that is, once we’ve changed into dry clothes and flopped on the sofa.
Our nephew, Jack, lives and works in Cardiff so we’ve arranged to meet up for lunch. It’s so good to eat pizza and catch up whilst taking in the view of Mermaid Quay from the comfort of restaurant. We will return in June to continue the coast path towards Barry, but now we have to catch a series of trains, then a taxi and stroll back to collect our car. Now a mere 180 mile journey home to get back for work tomorrow.
Leave A Comment