LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

Den parked in the National Trust car park at the top of the cliff at Whistling Sands beach. We walked down the road to the beach for a cup of tea at the tea rooms, where we enjoyed the warm sunshine and the holidaymakers scattered sparsely along the beach. We returned to the top of the road at cliff level and turned left at the Welsh Coastal Path sign to head north, parallel with the beach. The path was well maintained, the grass having been recently cut and the flora cut back for easy walking and talking. There were lots of bluebells and gorse in flower along with other common hedgerow flora. We saw a dock leaf and realised there was a shortage of stinging nettles, to our relief. The path dropped to almost beach level at the north end of the beach where we posed for photos among a large bed of lilac clover family flowers. There the coastal path turned, through a kissing gate, inland and up a narrow valley, slowly ascending to a quiet lane, passing a bed of bright yellow iris. We slowly ascended through a gate to a lane where we turned right as the coastal path turned left. Caution was required on the lane as the very quiet road may have a rogue vehicle turning the next corner. After a short distance we came to the first road junction where we turned right, then after a few bends we reached the junction to the Whistling Sands beach and car park where we left Ken to return to the car as we continued on the lane towards the National Trust hillock of Mynydd Carreg. We passed the hillock, the buildings of Carreg and the second entrance to a National Trust car park. We continued past another couple of turns to a road junction by buildings, where we turned right for a hundred metres (yards) to a footpath leading to the coastal path. We crossed the newly mowed field where the lines of hay were drying well in the almost wall to wall sunshine. We went through the gate at the bottom of the field to a small ridge between the valleys, then down the ridge and across the northern valley to a well worn coastal path at Porthorian. We took the right path upwards to the cliff top where there were excellent views to the south of the coastal rocks and the high ground of Mynydd Anelog. There were also good views of the meandering coastal path to the north, wandering along the top of the cliff and passing Dinas Fawr, an island at high tide. We continued onwards past clumps of bluebells clinging to the grassy slopes and sheep feeding precariously above the abundant rocks on the shoreline. As I chatted to a passing coastal walking lady, Laz walked on and down to Dinas Fawr. We caught up and sat at the top of the cliff as Laz walked across a small beach between the Dinas and the mainland. Laz joined us as we continued past Mynydd Carreg and Dinas Bach to a bench at Carreg y Trai, overlooking Whistling Sands. After a short break for photos the path turned sharp right, with the tea rooms below. Ken had walked from the car park to the tea rooms for his second cup of tea, and as we walked to the car park, Ken slowly walked up the steep road from the beach to the car park, trying hard to care for his bad knee. Another excellent walk with the boyz, this time with the added delight of perfect walking weather and ground conditions. From Whistling Sands we drove to the National Trust property of Plas ye Rhinw about 8 miles away, a cottage from the 20th century.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk
Porth Oer Beach, National Trust Car Park

Hazards: None.