Seven of us set off from the Village Hall at 10am for Kenfig Nature Reserve carpark, meeting Mags Stevens and Moira Davies there. The nine of us set off at 10.30 towards the beach, but there being a perfect photo opportunity close to the lake, decided to have the group photo there. As we walked towards the beach, we were accompanied by a group of anglers from the South Wales Anglers Association all dressed identically and each carrying the same equipment, bent on a friendly fishing competition.
The weather was dry and a bit overcast but a bit blustery as we walked westwards along the enormous beach in the direction of the Steelworks. The tide was on its way out and the waves pretty turbulent looking. After half an hour we came across the remains of a boat sticking out of the sands. Further investigation later at home revealed that this was the remains of a fishing vessel named the Altmark which was stranded on its way from Briton Ferry to Barry in June 1960 (there is a good YouTube picture of it on Wikipedia).
We continued along the beach until we reached the small estuary of the Kenfig River then struck inland over the dunes until we found a wooden bridge crossing the river. Crossing the river we stopped for a coffee and snack break where some time was spent identifying some of the wild flowers such as the Vipers Bugloss, a pretty scrub like plant with a blue flower. By now the weather was fast improving and the sun coming out as we headed north along a sandy path on the western edge of the Nature Reserve. On one side of us was the old tailings (slag) from the steelworks and disused railway sidings with some rusty remnants of rolling stock.
We were now walking along an old tarmac road, the proper footpath having disappeared, when suddenly we came up to a tall metal gate completely blocking the road. A little practical joke was then played on the group suggesting we would have to climb over the top until, to great relief, Anne and Robbie showed the group a well-hidden path around the gate.
A short walk further on and over a wire fence and there we were right next to the remains of Kenfig Castle where we stopped for lunch and a clamber around. Kenfig Castle was built originally about 1080 and enlarged over the years until it and the surrounding Borough of Kenfig were finally abandoned to the sand dunes in the late 1400’s. The castle had been sacked by the Welsh a total of six times between 1167 and 1295.
We then followed a compass bearing back across the dunes bringing us out by the Prince of Wales pub where we stopped for a welcome refreshment. This pub dates back to the 16th century and has been used for a variety of things over the years from a Guildhall to a Courtroom to a schoolroom to a party venue.
A quiet lane then took us back to our cars, past a field with young alpacas, at 3pm. The total distance walked was 7.5 miles
wickwanderers.com 