On a glorious sunny but humid evening with absolutely no wind, ten walkers joined leaders Sue, Joy and dogs Bracken and Bronte at the National Trust car park at Michaelston-le-Pit for a four mile walk taking in some of the beautiful woodland around Dinas Powys.
Established in 1972 the Woodland Trust is a charity which seeks to enable the creation of more native woods, aims to protect native woods and their wildlife for the future and hopes to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees. The Welsh version of the name is Coed Cadw, an old term used in medieval times and documents to describe protected and preserved woodland. They own over 100-sites in Wales and in most of them the public are encouraged to visit and spend time without charge.
Cwm George, Casehill Meadow and Woods was acquired by the Woodland Trust between 1996 and 2001 with the financial help and support of the community and Penyturnpike Woods which lies parallel with Pen-y-Turnpike Road and above Casehill Wood was created with mature native species of trees which the local community helped to plant.
Entering Casehill Wood, the strong evening sunshine was filtering through the trees causing dappling on the broad gritted bridleway that led them on through the lower path of the wood, and leaving the shade and descending gradually a strong wooden footbridge over the Cadoxton River led to the Millfields.
Following a grassy trail through the meadow before passing through drifts of above head high deep pink willowherb, then one of the newly installed kissing gates, the track led on to the lower part of Newland Wood where the copper beech trees standing tall and straight spread out their branches across the path towards the light.
Entering Cwm George it’s difficult to view the steep-sided craggy limestone gorge as is totally covered with thick woodland, but reaching the point where there is a view across the meadow leading back towards the Millfields, it was time to think about going uphill.
The short steep zigzag climb up a rough and uneven track through the trees was made a little easier by a series of steps that are in a state of decay in places, which are set into the hillside and lead up into Park Wood.
Turning south and following the wide parched earthen track in a circular route the woodland floor still covered with a carpet of last autumn’s fallen leaves was tinder dry. Then curving westwards a carpet of ivy lay beneath the trees whose exposed and raised roots criss-crossed the pathway running adjacent to the boundary fence with Beauville Wood, before swinging north across a junction of paths, then east where the narrow track led through discarded branches, rocks and trees covered with soft thick green moss.
Admiring several woodland shelters cunningly made from fallen branches and twigs within the woods and passing through a wooden gate to follow the track downhill on a continuation of the bridleway, the first view of Cwrt-yr-ala house could be spied through the trees. The rough track passed between tall ferns and wild blackberry bushes where the blossoms were becoming small green hard blackberries demanding some rainfall in order to flourish and ripen.
Then, turning to reach the top end of Cwm George and open countryside, there were brilliant views over the valley floor to the village of Michaelston-le-Pit with the top of St Michael and All Angels church tower just visible through the trees.
Following a farm track between a field of maize and pastureland, the three huge cranes carrying out building work at Llandough Hospital spookily dominated the skyline looking like something out of War of the Worlds, as the group tramped along paths through the fast growing maize crop with the smell of wild honeysuckle in the air.
Pretty daisy-like flowers growing beneath the tall maize and all along the sides of the path sparked off a discussion on whether it was from the mayweed or chamomile family with corn chamomile, scentless mayweed or scented mayweed as there was an aroma being the most positive suggestions.
Then heading back through bushes coated with pretty bindweed to follow a path beside the Cadoxton River, a wooden footbridge across the river led them to the old oak tree at Casehill Meadows.
In Nov 2001 twelve members of the Welsh Assembly were invited to plant a grove of saplings at Casehill Meadow which are now at the young woodland stage of growth and heading uphill back towards the car park the sun slipped quietly down in the western sky.
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