After the heat of the previous week, the slightly overcast sky provided perfect walking conditions and a good turnout of fourteen wanderers for a walk around the pretty village of Newton, near Porthcawl.
Due to a funeral, we were unable to use the small car park adjacent to the ancient church of St John the Baptist but easily found space on street. We set off past the scorched village green towards The Jolly Sailor pub, the oldest in Porthcawl, and then past the well-tended village allotments. A footpath took us through a modern housing development before reaching a more pleasant, wooded section with views towards the small village of Wigfach on the hill above us.
We admired the distinctive architecture of the houses before stopping to look at Gorwelion Guide Camp which has existed since the 1950’s on the same site. 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 stopped by a beautiful wild rose bush for the obligatory photograph before dropping down onto Newton Beach.
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 for a well-earned coffee in the Ancient Briton pub.
An enjoyable walk of about 3.5 miles and a good start to the week.
Wick Wanderers 