There is a fair bit of variation in the elevation of the walk today as we return to a more rolling countryside. That said, there is nothing above sixty metres so it should not be too exhausting. The general forecast for Britain is for storms but with the micro-climates in South Wales the weather can be quite different from what is forecast. Our best bet is to wait and see. We always carry waterproofs if the worst materialises. We expect nice walking, often on cliff top and if the light is with us there should be good views across the Bristol Channel to be had. Between Llanwit and Ogmore, there is little habitation once you are past St Donat's, so we will carry lunch and snacks although always with the hope that a wee cafe might turn up out of no-where.
On this stretch of coast, particularly slightly further east, at low tide there are lovely examples of 'tessellated pavements' on the low water line. On the beach below us a gentleman looked both insignifant in the shadow of the rocks and, in imminent danger from the tidal waters. The walking surface on the cliff top was initially good on a hard-packed earth path, eventually giving way to slightly rougher ground as we crossed fields. However, it remained reasonable and it was a pleasant stretch of cliff walking.
On clearing the wood and hedgerow section, we could see the lighthouse on Nash Point very clearly. It was built in the early 1830's following a tragedy when the passenger ship PS Frolic sank with the loss of eighty lives. Originally two towers, one was decommissioned in 1920's, the second was automated in 1998, the last manned lighthouse in Wales. People will be aware of recent changes to civil marriage ceremonies which mean that the civil service can be held in a number of different and, sometimes, unusual places. We were tickled to find pinned to one of the lighthouse keeper's cottages a notice that a marriage was to be held that day in the lighthouse on the third and fourth floors! We were also very pleased to find a nice cafe here where I enjoyed the Welsh teatime treat of bara brith (a fruit teabread traditionally flavoured with tea). In the cafe we met two English walkers and in conversation found out we knew his brother quite well who lived in Ullapool in the far north of Scotland! Many degrees of separation indeed.
There are two or three gullies on this stretch as you head towards Dunraven Bay, as well as some nice little beaches at Traeth Mawr, Traeth Bach and Dunraven itself. From the top of the vale of Cwm Nash, the route drops down to the beach (known as Monknash) from where you can see waterfalls as a small brook tumbles to the sea. The route goes immediately back up hill again to the highest point of the day at Whitmore Stairs, a large (seventy metre) cliff with a rock outcrop below, hence the stair. Just before Dunraven there is a nice view out across Witches Point, the site of the Pillow Mounds, or rabbit warrens, probably associated with Dunraven Castle. By the time we reached Dunraven Bay, we were ready for another stop and despite the strong wind coming off the sea and the threat of rain, from our picnic table we enjoyed our views across the Bristol Channel. It was only when we moved on we realised that there was a beautiful walled garden at our back in the grounds of the ruined Dunraven Castle which would have been a lovely alternative spot for a picnic without the wind.
It had been a pleasant day, with good walking, new friends made and old acquaintances renewed. Now, you cannot ask for better than that.