A group of thirteen walkers joined Joy, with dogs Bronte and Bracken on Mill Road at the bottom of Penyturnpike Hill in Dinas Powys in pleasant sunny conditions for a four mile evening walk, celebrating three of the four gorgeous broadleaf woodlands in the area.
Crossing a bridge over the Cadoxton River and heading along a narrow fenced track beside the Millfield, they passed through a metal kissing gate and followed a track through a long grassed field to a wooden footbridge over the Cadoxton River, climbing gently through trees to a bridle path leading up into Casehill Woods.
The undulating pathway eventually led them into the Woodland Trusts car park beside Cwrt-yr-Ala Road and descending through Casehill Meadows, they followed its boundary to reach a huge oak tree before re-crossing the river.
Then continuing through a meadow they climbed up to reach the main track running through Cwm George, before heading through a gate onto a farm track with grand views towards Garth Hill in the distance and across the harvested fields containing huge rolls of hay towards Michaelston-le-Pit.
Deviating off the track through another gate led them gradually uphill on a bridle path with grand views of Cwrt yr Ala House through the trees. Cwrtyrala originally a farmhouse, is thought to have been the site of a manor house owned by members of the Raleigh family who held the manor of Michaelston-le-Pit between the 13th and 15th centuries. It was later purchased by Robert Rous who built a villa there in 1805, which was later enlarged and between 1908 and 1934, it was owned by William Henry Brain the brewer, then sold to Sir Herbert Merrett who demolished the building and built the present house to a design by Percy Thomas.
The rough path led them up into their second woodland, Park Wood where the evening sunlight was streaming down through the trees and reaching a wooden gate, Geraint the group’s footpath officer showed the group a stone bearing crinoids. These are ancient fossils of marine animals that first appeared in the seas of the Middle Cambrian some 300 years before dinosaurs trod the earth, a find indeed!
Heading in a circle through the beautiful woodland they descended a track to a slippery path leading steeply downhill into Cwm George with its steep wooded sides and which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and like the other three woodlands is owned by the Woodland Trust.
They passed steps hewn into the hillside where above them and secreted away behind trees stand the remains and surrounding ditches of an Iron Age hill fort, with history relating to the Dark Ages, which is an Ancient Monument and cared for by CADW.
Continuing through the stunning beechwood where the boughs of copper beeches form a tall archway over the path they made their return past Ty’n Y Coed and back along the narrow path after just under two hours of walking.
