the best pubs, restaurants, hotels and places to visit
We had a quick run down to Llantwit Major beach last night. It was probably one of the best evenings that we have had for quite a while, and the evening light was amazing.
The beach was quite quiet which was surprising considering that it was the start of the holiday weekend. There were a 3 or 4 camper vans parked up in the valley leading to the beach, and just a few cars and that was it.
Yesterday we visited Ogmore Castle. The castle dates from about 1116. It’s pretty unusual as it is low-lying and right next to the river Ogmore. There is a moat that apparently used to fill at high tide (the River Ogmore is tidal here). Not much remains of the castle now but it’s still worth a visit.
Somewhere a bit different today – a visit to a Neolithic burial chamber right in the middle of the Vale of Glamorgan. I’ve always seen the signs to Tinkinswood but have never visited. It’s pretty amazing and compliments the nearby St Lythan’s Dolmen – you can visit both in a couple of hours if you wish. No need to travel to Orkney to see some really impressive Neolithic archeology.
The burial chamber is big and dates from around 4,000BC. You wonder how they managed to get the 40 ton capstone on top.
We went for a little trip along the South Wales coast today from Nash Point to Llantwit Major. When we got to Llantwit it was getting quieter but the cafe was busy because of the high tide. At high tide the beach is totally covered apart from some of the pebbles at the top.
This weekend we had a lttle trip out to “BlueBell Valley” near Castle-upon-Alun between Wick, Ewenny and St Brides. We have always called it this because of the splendid display of Bluebells at this time of year.
It’s not the sort of place that you’d find in passing – you need to go down some pretty twisty lanes from Ewenny. It’s a really interesting valley. It has a scenic approach from the Ewenny direction followed by a ford. Continuing on the road twists and turns until you pass an old limestone quarry.
The Bwlch is a 1600ft mountain just north of Nantymoel north of Bridgend. It’s quite a climb up even by car but the views are well worth it. This photo show the final climb up as the road zig-zags from Nantymoel. From the top you have great views down into Treorchy in the Rhondda valley. The top of the mountain is popular with model plane soarers.
Well worth a visit by car or even by foot if you’re feeling brave!
