Lead: Linda and John
A party of eleven assembled at the Village Hall for the trip to the pretty village of Newton, near Porthcawl.
As we made our way west the weather brightened up and when we arrived at the small car park adjacent to the ancient church of St John the Baptist conditions were sunny and pleasantly warm.
We set off along the road past The Jolly Sailor pub, the oldest in Porthcawl, and then past the well-tended village allotments. Next, we took the footpath through a modern housing development before reaching a wooded section with views towards the small village of Wigfach on the hill above us. It was beginning to get sandier underfoot and before long we hit the dunes of Newton Burrows and Merthyr Mawr. The dunes are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and are an important habitat for wildlife and plants. After walking through the dunes for a while we dropped down on to Newton Beach where we found some convenient large pieces of driftwood to perch on. Thankfully, the spits and spots of rain that had earlier begun to fall stopped, the sun shone again and the sea sparkled. It was time for coffee and, of course, the obligatory photograph.
After admiring the view towards Ogmore for a little while, we strolled back along the sand leaving the beach via the slipway by the car park. We then walked up Beach Road, past the ancient St John’s water well, across the pretty village green and back to our cars.
An enjoyable walk of about 3.5 miles and a good start to the week.
Wick Wanderers 