Well, it's been a while since we managed a return to the coast visit so we were really looking forward to this! Having decided that we would like to do something different for New Year this time, we went through several coastal hotels we knew and which weren't too far from home and some of them were booked up but the the
Aberavon Beach Hotel at Port Talbot had a suite available AND a Gala Dinner Dance!
So off we set on Thursday morning. It has been a warm but excessively wet December with the North and especially Cumbria and York bearing the brunt of flooding. So much more terrible at this time of year.
It was dry on the way - whoopppee! There was even some snow, or frost at least, on Pen-y-Fan as we passed..
We headed down to Porthcawl as our walk was going to be from Rest Bay at Porthcawl and then along Margam Sands alongside the Kenfig Burrows. The
Wales Coast Path has changed a little here since we walked it about
almost 2 and a half years ago. How can it be so long ago? The change means that in dry weather at least, you can walk further along Margam Sands and up through the Margam marshes rather than cutting up through the very substantial Kenfig dunes and road walking into Port Talbot.
It was around midday as we set off once more beside the sea! The sun shone brightly - for a while! - giving beautiful colours on the sea.
There were surfers making the most of the big waves...
We could even see breakers on the horizon, it was quite breezy today but wonderful to be walking by the sea again.
And the waves were crashing onto the rocks....the tide was actually supposed to be well on the way out but normal tides don't prevail in winter.
Across to the east, we could see the Glamorgan coast....
....and of course we were never far from a golf course...the path here goes alongside the Royal Porthcawl golf club. The big old building near the golf club which had been the Rest Hotel and in its latest form had been a convalescent hotel has closed since we were here last. It's now for sale for development into apartments so hope it succeeds. It always seems sad to see great old buildings like that now redundant.
Off we went along the very impressive plastic path along the sea here. It was actually quite busy with several other groups of people walking for a while. Up in front we could now make out the steel works and along to the Gower from Swansea! all very nostalgic for us! We had walked to
Mumbles with our much smaller boys!
And now we approached Sker House a little inland. This is now a privately owned house with a long history having started life as a Cistercian monastic building some 900 years ago. The medieval tower is still clear to see but it was in ruins for quite some time.
The light on the sea was wonderful and the waves just swept up onto the rocks still.
As we were approaching the dunes, there was a herd of cattle on the beach! I think they were Galloways. Have often seen traces of cows on a beach but here they were happily grazing on the rocks.
As we headed over the smaller dunes, there ahead was Port Talbot - and beyond....
...and Kenfig dunes landward. The port cranes and the steelworks chimneys were clear to see. As were the black clouds that now came rolling in....
We had hoped to walk along Margam sands as far as we could ....we did set off along the beach, and here there was, once again, evidence of an earlier time - a forest floor?
So we turned into the dunes to gain more shelter from the wind and hail which soon bounced down on us! We had in fact only walked as far as where we had last time turned into the dunes. Have to say I was kind of glad we didn't have to walk all the way into Port Talbot - last time it had been a very long walk helped only by the generosity of the Port Talbot people.
Near Sker House on the return, I remembered I hadn't photographed the Path sign! Here it is....
My back was to the sea there and it was almost blowing me over! It was just to wet to get a picture of Chris wet through. He was having the last laugh though as he had put on his waterproof trousers - I hadn;t and was regretting it! A wetsuit might have been better - and still there were golfers on the golf course as we got back to Rest Bay! We had managed about a 6 mile walk and were much heavier when we got back to the car. Luckily the cafe at Rest Bay was open - a coffee was the order of the day!
Here was the view from the car as we drove past the steel works.....
Bu then we enjoyed a real good party for New Year with the very friendly people of Port Talbot!
Next day we had intended retracing our steps again to walk along Aberavon Sands to Baglan Bay.....but the weather was not much improved on the day before so we contented ourselves with a last look at the sea and a stroll along the prom..
...before taking our leave of another lovely re-visit, in anticipation of the next one.....
