Local Activities In and around Dinas Powys
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Local Walks - MAP
WALK 1:DINAS POWYS - LAVERNOCK
A walk which links Walks 1 and 3, and which passes Old Cogan Church (St. Peters), Old Cogan Hall and takes in part of the Cosmeston Countryside Park at Lavernock. The park has an information centre, a cafeteria and a very authentic mediaeval village, all open every day. This is such a wonderful family day out. You will have as much fun exploring the park as you did on your last holiday staying at the Britannia Grand Hotel, Scarborough discovering the sea or wherever it is that you have visited in the past. The natural beauty of this area will amaze you and leave you wanting more of Dinas Powys.
Getting there from Cardiff:
by bus: from Central Station services nos. 305 and P7. Call 01222 396521 for
times.
by car: A4161 to Canton, fork left at disused St. David's Hospital into Wellington
Street then left at Leckwith Road (B4267). Follow this road over roundabout
(signposted "Dinas Powys") for 3 kilometres then, at left hand bend,
after a public telephone box, bear right uphill, through a wooded road, Pen
y Turnpike. In 2 kilometres and at foot of a steep hill turn right at road
narrowing into a small car park space at the entrance to a lane called Millfields,
not marked as such, but directly opposite clearly marked Millbrook
Road.
From the car park space cross into Millbrook Road and walk along to the junction with the Cardiff Road. Cross and walk up Murch Road, thence Murch Crescent ahead for 800 metres to pass a school on the right and then into a surfaced lane ahead. Follow lane to its exit into Sully Road at T-junction. Turn left then in 200 metres turn right into road leading to Old Cogan Church and then Old Cogan Hall where one joins a wide track which leads into Cosmeston Country Park.
In 800 metres look for wide grassy areas on both sides of the track with a stile and gate in each. Take the left one and descend short slope to a stile by a gate. Cross the stile and walk diagonally right going down and back up a fold in the ground to reach a narrow path which roughly follows a stoned surface water drain on the left. Aim for a clearly visible stile which leads to a wide path around the park's lake. Turn left and follow this path clockwise around the lake passing the park entrance onto a wooden boardwalk.
In 130 metres take right fork on boardwalk to reach a service road dividing the lake. Turn left and walk to 2 stiles facing each other just beyond the road leading to the mediaeval village. Take the right hand stile and with hedge to right walk through the narrower of 2 gaps in the facing hedge into a second, inclined field.Bear slightly left and walk up the slope to reach a stile in the hedge on the left, Go over the stile and over another immediately on the right. Walk right keeping just below the mound on the left to reach a gate. Go through the gate and with the hedge to your left walk to a clearly seen barn. Go to the right of the barn to a stile leading to junction of Cog Road and Sully Road.
Turn right and walk along the Sully Road for 450 metres to a single cottage on the left. Just beyond the cottage, (Cog Bridge), go through the gate on the left and walk diagonally right heading for the corner of the field. Walk through a clear gap in the facing hedge and turn left to stile ahead. Cross the stile and walk up a short incline to a second stile ahead. Over this stile and with hedge to your left go to another stile which leads into a small copse. Go through the copse on a clear path which leads into a field with a ditch across the path. Keeping the hedge on your left cross the ditch and then a clearly visible fence. Once over this fence (or nearby gate), you reach another part fence, Cross this, or go around it. to reach a stile in the left corner which leads onto Cross Common Road.
Turn left, pass bungalow on the right, and, at left hand bend in road. turn right into a driveway. Leave the driveway by going onto a grassy track on the left which runs between a hedge and a line of trees. Follow clear path, descend and rise from hollow, crossing old mineral line, and keep to clearly defined track which descends through a small wood to reach the Murch housing estate.
Turn right along Longmeadow Drive and walk to a small shopping centre. Turn left at junction with Murch Road and follow road to traffic lights at junction with the Cardiff Road.Thence go along Millbrook Road to car parking space at Millfields.
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WALK 2:DINAS POWYS - MICHAELSTONE LE PIT
A walk to explore the
attractive countryside and introduce some of the local history of these 2
communities. The walk takes in a delightful wooded ravine, a staircase of
weirs, agricultural land (some very muddy patches here!), a brief contact
with a golf course and passes near to a ruined Norman castle, an Iron-Age
settlement and an old Manorial Mill.
Part of the route is a much used circular walk, well-waymarked for most of
its route. A short cut can be made to reduce the distance walked by about
2 kilometres.
Getting there from Cardiff:
by bus: from Central Station services nos. 305 and P7. Call 01222 396521 for
times.
by car: A4161 to Canton, fork left at disused St. David's Hospital into Wellington
Street then left at Leckwith Road (B4267). Follow this road over roundabout
(signposted "Dinas Powys") for 3 kilometres then, at left hand bend,
after a public telephone box, bear right uphill, through a wooded road, Pen
y Turnpike. In 2 kilometres and at foot of a steep hill turn right at road
narrowing into a small car park space at the entrance to a lane called Millfields,
not marked as such, but directly opposite clearly marked Millbrook Road.
From the car park space turn right and walk along the road, past St. Peter's church to the second turning on the right. Broth Lane (Heol y Cawl). Walk up the steep lane, pass Ebenezer church, then turn right into Highwalls Road, which leads to Dinas Powys golf club and car park. Go to the rear of the clubhouse and at the first tee turn right and follow the hedge as it turns left around the green. In about 50 metres, at golf club notice, turn right over a stile to descend via 2 more stiles in quick succession, to the entrance to Cwm George, a wooded ravine.
Turn left to enter the gorge, via kissing gate/field gate and walk past a row of beech trees on a wide track. In about 500 metres, towards the western end of the cwm, opposite a steep limestone cliff and on top of the wooded hill to the right of the track, is the site of an iron age settlement whose defensive banks are quite well defined and worth exploring.
Walking on up the slight incline (ignoring stile to the right) go through a stile/gate to follow the old Cwrt yr Ala estate driveway through cultivated land with a fence to the left. Michaelstone le Pit can be seen to the right and Leckwith Hill beyond. Cross a second stile in 150 metres and a further stile/gate after same distance to reach the road via a bridge crossing the Wrinstone Brook. At road turn left and walk for 150 metres to reach, on your left, a kissing gate entrance to a series of weirs known locally as Salmon Leaps. (sign, "Private. No Fishing" but there is a right of way throughout.) Go through the gate and follow a clear waymarked path alongside the man-made weirs, part of the Cwrt yr Ala estate, the house (private) lies above the rise to the right.
Cross a stile into a wood in 400 metres and follow path as it rises briefly then turns slightly left before continuing ahead into an initially denser part of the wood. Follow the clear path which borders the Wrinstone Brook on the left for about 600 metres until the path rises to leave the wood at a stile leading into a small meadow. (The wood and Cwm George have been the location for a number of television films over the years where a rural "closed" setting has been required.)
Turn left from the stile and walk to another easily seen stile. Cross the stile and turn right along the concreted driveway of Wrinstone Farm with Wrinstone House behind you. Once beyond the short driveway entrance turn right onto a wide stony track. In 400 metres and just beyond 2 pairs of adjoining wooden electricity line poles turn right onto a similar track going east. As you do you find yourself almost at the top of the hill, look back and enjoy the views of Wenvoe village and its woods and hills. This track soon descends in winding fashion to join, in 600 metres, the unsurfaced road which links Michaelstone le Pit with Caerau to the north. At this road turn right and walk 60 metres to a stile on the left opposite a field gate. (At this point the walk could be reduced by about 2km by walking further along the road to pass the entrance to Salmon Leaps to rejoin the stile/gate, opposite the driveway to Bullcroft Farm, which allows one to cross the footbridge over Wrinstone Brook and rejoin the walk at **).
If you are still set on doing the longer walk go over the stile and continue, via a second stile opposite, diagonally right across the field to a third stile in the right hand hedge, near a gate. Cross this stile into the field on your right, turn left and down, crossing the field diagonally right to another stile soon seen in facing hedge. Go over this stile and its attendant metal footbridge. Look for wire fence 60 metres opposite (no recognisable stile), cross it and look for another fence slightly to the right in 60 metres. Cross the stile here and follow uphill the hedge on left (Coed y Ddylluan Wood) to reach another stile in 100 metres and after crossing this stile look for a rustic stile in the facing hedge. Having crossed this stile and with hedge to left walk to another in 200 metres in hedge ahead. Cross this stile and walk to a visible barn to the right with the hedge on the right. With the barn to your right go through a facing gate. Turn diagonally right to a nearby, waymarked stile and cross to walk immediately across the metalled road into the driveway of facing cottage. The public footpath is not marked but goes to the left of the cottage, then through the back garden and out via a wicket gate into a field. The lady of the cottage is very pleasant and provided that you respect her privacy by quickly, carefully and quietly traversing her property, she will not object. Follow the hedge downhill to the left and cross a stile to reach yet another stile and footbridge in 50 metres in the left hand hedge.
Having crossed this bridge, walk diagonally over the field. following the line of the telegraph poles, past a small clump of trees towards the easily seen cluster of buildings which constitute Home Farm. The gateway is normally very, very muddy. Walk through the farmyard to gate on the right which leads onto the road. Turn left then immediately right to a group of former forestry houses. Turn sharp right onto a track fronting some of these houses. In 15 metres turn left onto a narrow but clear path between the hedges of 2 adjacent houses. Cross the stile/gate at the end of this path into a field. Turn slightly right and follow a wide green sward to a stile/gate which leads onto the road, ignoring stile and footbridge seen soon in the field to the left.
Turn left and walk 150 metres along road to reach the gate leading to the footbridge over the Wrinstone Brook crossed earlier in the walk.** Retrace steps to the first stile/gate, do not cross the stile but walk to the left along clear track with fence/hedge at each side to reach another stile/gate shortly. Cross this stile and with the hedge to the right walk to another in 500 metres. When over this stile keep the hedge to the right to reach another stile in 350 metres which leads onto a track (Cwm Drive). Go over the track onto a path, then in 20 metres over/under a sort of stile, the path is bordered by a fence on the left and a ditch on the right. Pass commercial glasshouses on right to reach a stile/gate in in 250 metres. To the right, and above on the hill, lie the hidden ruins of Dinas Powys castle dating back to 1190. (The site can be visited, but care must be taken, from Letton Way, the next road to your start point).
Cross the stile to walk the last 100 metres back to the start point. (On the right, beyond the stream, (River Cadoxton), a glimpse can be had of the Manorial Mill (c.1426), now a private residence. The stream turned part of an extensive mill leet, since dried up, following the disuse of the mill).
AROUND OLD DINAS POWYS - A short history, a village trail and five local walks by George Thomas
(Dinas Powys Civic Trust - 1993)
Very much as the title suggests with walks covering:
Dinas Powys, Michaelston-le-Pit, Cwrtyrala, Cwm George, St Andrews Major.
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