6 Wanderers travelled north from Bridgend through the Llynfi Valley to Garth, near Maesteg where we parked and got ready to commence our walk.
We crossed a bridge over the Llynfi River, passing Garth Railway Station, though the advertised public toilets do not exist!! Following a gradual incline along Maiden Street, a terrace of houses originally built to house workers from local coal mines, we soon arrived at Bridgend Road and began a gentle ascent passing a variety of individually built homes and eventually the Lamb and Flag Pub, which has been a private residence since 1970s.
Here we left the road and descended into woodland and a footpath now managed by the Woodland Trust and through a pretty valley where bluebells were coming to the end of their season, but continued to provide colour.
The path was well maintained, The Trust having added a non-slip board-walk for part of the trail. Craig made an amazing King of the Castle pose on a small if rather high stone stile. Further on we carefully forded a stream via a wooden ‘plank’ which, it must be said, now provided a more stable crossing since the first recce Moira and myself undertook a few weeks earlier!
On leaving the woods we crossed fields and come across a small-holding where, what!!, at a distance we could see a zebra, but on closer inspection it was a horse with a striped winter coat! and soon after a gaggle of geese came by, accompanied by a persistent crowing of a nearby cockerel.
We then stopped to enquire the whereabouts of Llangynwyd Castle, unfortunately not on our trail today, but could be a future walk, and soon we arrived at Llangynwyd village where we picnicked in the church yard.
The village is also the location of a monument to Will Hopkins and Ann Thomas, the two lovers whose relationship was thwarted by her family, because Will was a poor thatcher, while Ann was the daughter of wealthy farmers. Will and Ann’s story is titled ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’ and provided a good backdrop for our photo, followed by hot drinks at The Old House, the oldest public house in Wales.
We left the village and followed a country road and joined a wooded path leading to Bridgend Road, crossing this busy main road we made our way parallel to the valleys railway line, arriving at a beautiful community parkland, which provided information relating to flora, birds and bees. Leaving the park, we walked on through a housing development to return to our waiting cars. Although we experienced some light rain showers at times, we were mostly afforded dry weather.
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