On a warm sunny May Day, fourteen WW travelled by car from Wick and Ogmore by Sea to rendezvous at the Harvester car park near Pencoed for a short circular walk around Llanilid.
Leaving the car park and turning left up the road to this small rural hamlet we passed a grand entrance to a vicarage and then the coach house next door up to Llanilid farm. Turning off at the sign for the church we first went to view the oldest recorded structure of a 12th century motte next to the church. This small ringwork and raised motte which is roughly circular contains a visible bank and ditch and was filled with bluebells a few weeks ago when I did the rece and is a lovely find.
Next, we went through the kissing gate of St Ilid & St Curigs church and had a look around the outside, as the church is locked. Wikipedia reports that the chuch has original foundation stones which date pre-Norman times and, as Graham remarked, an important Church for a small rural hamlet. Retracing our footsteps back to the road we carried on past the farm and upto the junction where once stood a tree which Mary remembers as the ” Witches tree “, sadly long gone.
Taking a left turn and admiring the views along the way the road stops and a metal fence runs along side a gravel road for vehicles which follows the northern boundary of Lanilid. On the other side, there used to be a very large opencast mine which closed and in 2005 work started on a major film studio named the Dragon International Film Studios, and a film, Ironclad, was released in 2009 but none of us remember it. We continued along the unadopted track passing two smart buildings with plenty of parked cars and an outside catering van with the smell of food. We all discussed what these building may be used for and if filming takes place still, but we did not really know. Shortly we turned left onto a well-used footpath alongside a stream and wood on one side and a fenced field on the other, identifying trees and flowers on the way all in full leaf now.
Crossing a bridge over the stream and continuing a little way we got to a style which we all negotiated. I had to apologise to everyone at this point as I said in my information about the walk there would be no styles but this alteration to my original walk was a far more interesting way back to base. Crossing two fields with three gates which all open, thank goodness, we were back on the lane passing the Travel Lodge and back at the car park.
We had our group photo sitting outside the Harvester in the sunshine, thank you Graham, and refreshments eventually arrived but unfortunately no cake. Thank you for back marking Richard and thanks to all friends for coming on this walk.
wickwanderers.com 