Nine walkers and Jodie the Staffordshire bull terrier met up with leader Joy at the 12th century St Mary’s Church on Old Port Road in Wenvoe village, which contains the graves of the Jenner family who held Wenvoe Castle, to partake in an evening walk in lovely warm sunshine.
From Vennwood Close they tramped through the tunnel under the A4050 and crossing a stile and narrow bridge over a tributary of the Wrinstone Brook, headed through grassy meadows containing a series of stiles leading to the dismantled railway line. The railway fell under the ‘Beeching Axe’ during the 1960’s and although the route of the old line remains intact it is overgrown and inaccessible.
Up ahead a herd of inquisitive, frisky and playful young cattle tried to intimidate the group without success, as they crossed the field and a farm gate that shut securely made sure they couldn’t follow as the group tramped uphill to Wrinstone Farm.
Wrinstone castle was situated in the courtyard of the present day Wrinstone Farm and following excavations medieval and post-medieval pottery shards were found. A castle or strong house existed there and was first recorded by Leland in the 1530’s as…….
The castelle of Greneston is 3 ¼ of a mile lower (meaning from Wenvoe Castle) on Scilley Broke and it stondith on the side of an hille a stone castle it is al in ruine saving one high tower.
But during the 12th century a small village comprising of a manor house, chapel and various dwellings stood, which by 1878 had completely disappeared except for the farmhouse.
Although the land between and surrounding Wenvoe and Dinas Powys is now mainly used for agriculture, at one time limestone quarrying and lime burning was a source of employment.
Having passed through the farmyard where three strong healthy looking rams in a field eyed the group suspiciously, they crossed the lane and through one of the newly installed kissing gates beside Wrinstone House, built around 1880 and resembling a castle, with turrets that were added during the 1980’s and now complete with a modern day swimming pool and tennis court.
From a meadow a second new gate led into Cwrt-yr-Ala Woods where they followed a rough worn pathway downhill beside the Wrinstone Brook where Jodie delightedly enjoyed a paddle and a wallow in the mud.
Originally the salmon leaps below Cwrt-yr-Ala house were a series of eight pools fed by the Wrinstone Brook, but the upper pools are now silted with the lower ponds being separated by weirs, and the former boathouse, later known as the Dairy has been turned into a private dwelling.
The lakes were almost hidden from view behind tall thick foliage as they followed a narrow path to exit onto the lane at Michaelston-le-Pit.
In 1877 Cwrt-yr-Ala had two parks, the present one and a larger park in the Bullcroft Brook valley to the north of the house and the northern park is now farmland. Following the lane northwest towards The Lawns, this was originally the driveway leading through the northern parkland on the Cwrt-yr-Ala estate. The name is the Welsh version of the ‘Court of Raleigh’ and the house is believed to have links with the Raleigh family prior to the notoriety of Sir Walter Raleigh.
A fairly new farm building indicated they had reached the home of Fablas Ice Cream made from the milk of the mixed Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows that roam freely in the meadows of the Michaelston valley. A pretty young Jersey calf wandered up to the fence to eye the group whilst two dogs guarding the gateway barked as they passed by. The cows are encouraged to wander into the barn where they are milked robotically and the claim to fame of the company is… ‘From cow to cone in only 3 hours!’
For many years there has been something about this area that encourages people to come and dump their unwanted rubbish and this beautiful valley has been scarred many times, this day being no exception and as they continued along the rough track, an old refrigerator had been unceremoniously dumped beside the path.
Continuing along the private lane to The Lawns, they turned west and climbed slightly through a field of horses and into woodland where the undergrowth was tinder dry, before a stile led into Cwm Slade where the slight breeze was welcomed as they descended through the long meadow and more young cattle to the road.
Following Station Road East, yet more rubbish had been dumped close to a farm gate on a bend in the road and this time had been set alight leaving behind the disgusting black sooty half-burned remnants of what looked like rolls of carpet and items of clothing.
Continuing down the road towards Port Road, they deviated into the playing fields and followed a narrow path through blackberry bushes back to the tunnel and under the road to return to Wenvoe, where the hospitality of the Wenvoe Arms was welcomed for a cool drink before the journey home.
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