A warm, sunny Saturday morning found five Wanderers travelling together, in Richard’s car, to the Salmon Leaps walk start at Dinas Powys. The walk is a delightful combination of woodland, rolling farmland and great views across the countryside.
Leaving Dinas Powys golf links, we descended through woodland to continue through Cwm George. We continued to a side road, uphill, passing by the variety of rose bushes growing along a garden wall, where we posed for the obligatory pic. In Graeme’s absence, Andrew took a selfie on his phone camera.
Traversing on down, we came to the Salmon Leaps, a series of large ponds, connected by steps/ weirs, but no sign of salmon though, wrong season maybe? High above this path, we could glimpse the chimney stacks of what, we later learned, is Cwrt yr Ala House, an historical estate which is the interest of Derek Brockway’s Weatherman Walking this week (see BBC iPlayer). The estate has been bought by a Welsh businesswoman who has developed a commercial enterprise to include holiday barn conversions.
Leaving the leaps we climbed through woodland to arrive at Wrinstone Farm from where the walk leaflet suggests, a glimpse of the Somerset Coast is possible, but not on this day though. Climbing away from the farm, the ‘famous five’ stopped at a shady grass verge, for refreshments.
We are now on the return route. We came across a group of cyclists, one of whom advised us that the church at nearby village of Michaelston le Pit was offering coffee and cake for £1! We were to say that ‘Barbara’ had sent us!
A detour from our homeward path took us to the village church of St Michael and All Angels, a 11th century grade 1 Listed Church, where we were welcomed by the church warden. The church has a medieval babtismal font which was lost at the Battle of St Fagans, and, luckily, discovered in a local field!
We left the church to rejoin, our homeward path to Dinas Powys and the promise of lunch at the golf club, recommended by Andrew, who had played golf/eaten lunch at the club, with Phil, the previous week. Indeed, the food was delicious. Thankyou fellow Salmon Leapers for a really enjoyable day.
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