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Day 12: Kenfig to Port Talbot

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Miles: 9 (RT 41.5) Falafel: 5 (RT 30) This leg begins in the beautiful Kenfig Nature Reserve and the weather couldn't be more different to when we were last on the path back in April. The sun is shining and the weather is sweet.  Sand dunes, lakes, patches of green and patches of sand. This is a landscape I would definitely like to try painting Bob Ross style.  The meditative art of stone stacking: Practised around the world in order to develop balance and focus.  Inspired by this bird watcher, I'm now going to give a shout out to some of my favourite birds of the coastal path so far, as they were prominent feature of the Kenfig section, even if they were too shy to make it into any of my pictures. We saw goldfinches and herons, which are categorised as green by the RSPB which means not in any danger.  In this picture, you can just see a meadow pipit. So called because of the sound t
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Day 11: Newton Beach to Sker Point

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Day 11: Newton Beach to Sker Point (with a bit of Kenfig Resevoir thrown in) Miles: Not sure as the Interactive Coastal Path map measuring device is down!) Falafel: 4 (RT 25) It's good to be in the great outdoors. It's been around seven months since my last excursion along the path and i've bee particularly looking forward to this stretch.  Our path begins at Newton Beach and covers Trecco Bay, Sandy Bay and Rest Bay.  The beaches, two of which are Blue Flag winners, make up the Porthcawl holiday resort.  Originally built as a port town to support services the coal and iron industries.  As other industrial towns such as Barry grew and took over, Porthcawl developed into a tourist destination.  We join the handful of determined pint drinkers who are braving the wind to socialise over a beer in the sunshine this weekend. Five pounds for a pint mind!  The resort was particularly popular with Miners and their families during Miners Fortnight, the main summer holiday
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Day 10: Ogmore to Newton Beach

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Day 10: Ogmore to Newton Beach Miles: 7 (RT: 28) Falafel: 0 A short but very sweet leg of the coastal path and one that I will definitely be revisiting. We headed inland from Ogmore Beach, one of the nicest beaches in South Wales with an interesting anomaly in the way the rocks are formed to suggest a gap of about 140 million years in the site's geological timeline. In cases such as these, it's probably aliens!   Past the remains of Ogmore castle, which during the 13th century was built along with two sister castles in Coity and Bridgend which protected Norman settlers in this strategic area from attack from natives. Bloody cheek.  We head across the river into the Merthyr Mawr nature reserve.  I got very excited by this sign. Particulary as it kinda suggests that the wild boar just spontaneously appeared in the reserve and weren't actually deliberately reintroduced (aliens again). Sadly, the boar were feeling a bit shy today.  At Merthyr Mawr, sand meets forest.  The woodl
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