Cambrian Way, the South Wales Valleys

Sunday 14th July 2024

On the day before this walk I started the Cambrian Way on an epic three hundred mile trek across Wales from Cardiff to Conwy, however, rather than starting from the gates of Cardiff Castle, as the official route describes, I started from Penarth beside the mouth of the River Severn and weaved a course around Cardiff Bay before heading into the city centre to reach the castle. Consequently, by the end of the day I had completed less than half the distance of the first stage of the Cambrian Way, so to re-start the trail I caught a train back to Taff’s Well and climbed the hill back onto the Cambrian Way to rejoin at the point where I had left it the previous day. Due to the way that trains run on a Sunday morning it was almost eleven o’clock by the time I rejoined the Cambrian Way, which didn’t help with the long distance I had to travel this day, which was more than half of stage one and all of stage two, so I set off at a brisk pace on a wide, level path that took me through the woodland of Fforest-fawr. Sunny weather had brought out many people for a walk this Sunday morning so I was not alone, though there was nothing to see except willowherb and trees until I reached the popular attraction of Three Bears Caves, which was fenced off so I couldn’t look inside. Beyond, after reaching a car park, the crowds disappeared and the path narrowed across the northern tip of Fforestganol. Although the path kept to the top of the ridge, I had no views besides trees, so the walk at this point was simply a navigation exercise through various turns on the path.

My first views appeared on the edge of a small, disused quarry where the town of Caerphilly filled the valley to the north while the Severn Estuary could be seen south, but that was yesterday and on the Cambrian Way my eyes were turned ever northward. I had never done any walking in this area before and was struck by the contrast between the heavily industrialised valleys of South Wales and the high ridges that separate them. Beyond the small quarry the path climbed up to the first named hill on the Cambrian Way, Cefn Onn, where the views into the Rhymney Valley continued and from there the steady descent enabled me to maintain a rapid pace, through the woodland of Coed Cefn-pwll-du and down to the Rhymney River at the bottom of the valley. When I entered the large village of Machen I had finished stage one of the Cambrian Way and since it was lunchtime I stopped on a bench beside St John’s Church for something to eat. After the rest I resumed the trail with a steep climb out of the valley through overgrown bracken lined by heather, while as I climbed the views developed around me. The Severn Estuary dominated the view, reminding me of where I had walked the day before, though high humidity made this an exhausting climb until I had mercifully climbed high enough for a little wind to dry the sweat that covered my body.

As the views behind me towards the Severn Estuary continued to improve I completed the climb all the way up to the top of Mynydd Machen where a trig point confirmed that this is the first proper hill on the Cambrian Way. My route down took me past an old slag heap and into woodland where I had difficulty navigating a complicated series of very short paths that could have been avoided by staying on the road, and eventually brought me to the Ebbw River. After crossing the valley I climbed up to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal where I enjoyed walking along the towpath, but this was all too brief and soon I turned left away from the canal and up the side of the hill on an unrelenting climb. The sun came out at this point to ensure that I was soon worn out and drenched in sweat. Slowly, I toiled away up the hillside until eventually I reached the pass of Pegwn-y-bwlch where I had hoped I would find a breeze to cool me down, but no wind was blowing and the ascent continued all the way up to the top of Twmbarlwm. This excruciating climb did not end until I passed through the outer fortification of the Celtic hillfort but when I reached the trig point in the middle I was rewarded for all my efforts with stunning views south across the Severn Estuary from the bridges all the way to the mouth of the Severn just beyond Penarth where I had started my walk the day before.

The view took in the city of Newport, where I was staying, and past Cardiff all the way out to the Bristol Channel while to the north clouds shrouded the hills I was heading towards that I would walk over when I resumed the Cambrian Way the following month. I was mesmerised by the view, taking in the scenery before eventually descending steeply off the hillfort and onto a level, broad ridge where I was finally able to cool down and get my strength back. The relaxing stroll provided me with extensive views across the valley to my right and the town of Cwmbran which continued later when I came off the clear track to keep to the eastern slopes of Mynydd Maen. Eventually I began to descend steeply swinging, briefly, slightly to the south before a sharp turn brought me heading again in the right direction for the Cambrian Way, north. A seemingly unnecessary diversion took me through the Blaen Bran Community Woodland, which I could not have been done if my rucksack had been much larger as the kissing gates into and out of the woodland were very narrow. Soon after emerging from the wood I reached a mountain road where I had views across the valley towards Llandegfedd Reservoir and on leaving the road I slowly descended a narrow, stony track that finally brought me into Pontypool where the second stage of the Cambrian Way ends.

The weather on this walk was always good and especially after leaving the canal in the Ebbw Valley which left me with some fabulous walking for the final stretch of the walk over Twmbarlwm and into Pontypool. Another highlight was the view from beside a small quarry which was my first of the day where the wildflowers underfoot were almost as spellbinding at the views. I didn’t reach the end of the stage until half six in the evening, which reflects the long day I had set for myself with about twenty miles walked and showed me that it would be best if for the rest of the Cambrian Way I would keep to the recommended schedule, which was my plan.

Cardiff Bay and the Cambrian Way

Saturday 13th July 2024

A couple of years ago I started to plan a long distance walk across Wales, but at the time I thought this was too ambitious for me to accomplish, so instead I did the Offa’s Dyke Path which takes a much easier route across Wales beside the border with England. Now, after doing the Southern Upland Way last year, I feel more confident in my ability to do a long, challenging trail and rather than coming up with my own route I decided to do a long distance trail that already exists across Wales called the Cambrian Way. This runs across the backbone of Wales over the highest mountains and is almost three hundred miles long taking three weeks. Undeterred, I booked three weeks off work and made preparations to begin, but then I had to take two days holiday away for other purposes, so to accomplish the Cambrian Way without those two days I split three days off from the rest of the trail. Therefore, in the middle of July, I set off for South Wales, but instead of starting in Cardiff, where the Cambrian Way begins, I caught another train to Penarth, on the coast. I wanted to take this opportunity to explore the area around Cardiff Bay before starting the Cambrian Way and since I had plenty of time I lingered in Penarth first, where the Penarth Summer Festival was coincidentally just beginning.

I took a stroll along the promenade past various gazebos before slowly returning to the pier while enjoying the sunshine, which was a welcome change this year. Eventually I left Penarth and joined the route of the Wales Coast Path which climbs the hill above Penarth Head before descending to the Barrage on the edge of Cardiff Bay where I turned inland to walk away from the sunshine I had been enjoyed at the coast and towards the dark clouds that hung over the city. The Wales Coast Path took me around Cardiff Bay, past an exhibition to Scott of the Antarctic and later brought me to a memorial at the spot where Scott’s expedition ship, the SS Terra Nova, sailed from Cardiff. Later I passed the Senedd, home to the Welsh Parliament, and the iconic Millennium Centre where I lingered by looping around Roald Dahl Plass before finally continuing inland into the centre of Cardiff, which I didn’t like as it was very crowded with tall, intimidating buildings. At Cardiff Castle a noisy demonstration was passing outside the walls so I didn’t linger and with no sign to mark this momentous location, or moment for me, I started the Cambrian Way. The noise and crowds continued after I entered Bute Park so I was relieved when I left the main path and finally I was able to get away from the crowds and noise while walking beside the River Taff.

Delightful woodland walking took me past Blackweir and as far as the Gabalfa bridge where I crossed the River Taff to continue my walk on the other bank, except for an unnecessary diversion that took me within sight of Llandaff Cathedral. I could have stayed on the original bank of the river by following the route of the Taff Trail but I was not short of time and obstinately stuck to the exact route of the Cambrian Way despite there being little to interest me at this point with dull scenery across the river while walking largely on roads. Eventually I crossed the river beside a railway bridge and finally left the River Taff climbing up to reach the Glamorganshire Canal Nature Reserve, which is a delightful place, gloriously overgrown and full of wildlife, with waterlilies covering the surface of the water. This was a lovely place to walk where I took many photographs, but I was disappointed when it came to a sudden end with the intrusion of the M4 motorway. Finding my way past the motorway and its junction with the A470 road was potentially complicated, but fortunately the Cicerone guidebook for the Cambrian Way has a detailed map which guided me through a series of footbridges and underpasses until I reached the far side of the motorway junction where a road soon brought me into the village of Tongwynlais. There, a right turn took me onto a road that was my first sustained climb of the Cambrian Way and it really wore me out, especially as the sun chose that moment to finally come out for the first time since leaving the coast.

At the top of the road I reached Castell Coch where a path continued the climb steeply up a wooded hillside, but with the afternoon soon passing I was thinking this might be a good moment to end the walk for the day and find my booked accommodation. With hindsight, I could have stayed low passing through Tongwynlais on the Taff Trail, but instead when I reached the first junction in the wood I turned left off the Cambrian Way onto a track that slowly descended back down to the bottom of the Valley where I caught a train from Taff’s Well railway station. This was a very tiring walk because I was very tired when I started, so I had hoped this weekend would help refresh me. I had been looking forward to walking through Cardiff for several months but the reality was disappointing. This year, I have followed several city walks through London and Bristol and enjoyed all of them, though they were carefully guided walks, whereas this wasn’t, but I doubt that would have made much difference. My main problem with Cardiff was the noise, mainly from the demonstration by the castle and a pop concert in Bute Park, but once I was away from the noise the walk became the relaxing stroll that I wanted especially while passing through wild, disorganised, natural scenery.