Despite an awful weather forecast a group of eleven walkers met Joy, Biddy and Bronte in Sully village to take part in Shortish Strides, a series of half-day shorter local walks during autumn and winter all within the Vale of Glamorgan.
After the Normans invaded Glamorgan in 1093, the village of Sully grew up when the church dedicated to St John the Baptist was built in front of Sully Castle that was erected by Reginald de Sully the Lord of the Manor, after land and a title was granted to them and remained in their family until the end of the 13th century when the family died out.
Setting off in dry but overcast conditions their first stile at Ashby Road led them into fields containing only sheep and across Sully Moors and the Sully Brook utilising new stiles replaced and others repaired by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Arriving below the road bridge over the river on Cardiff Road they made their way up onto the main road and along the eastern bank of the busy road until a gap in the traffic allowed them to cross safely to Pymbylu Moors.
Tramping their way through grassy meadows adjacent to the Cadoxton River through a series of metal gates brought them to a narrow path between blackthorn bushes dripping with ripe sloes and along the churned up muddy public footpath where a sweet natured pony is being kept. After feeding him carrots and apple which went down a treat, they moved into Parc Bryn-y-Don for morning break underneath a splendid oak tree.
As dark clouds scudded by the morning remained dry and tramping along pavements at Cae’r Odyn and re-crossing Cardiff Road at the traffic lights, the fairly quiet lane at Cross Common Road brought them gradually uphill to a stile leading into fields at The Oxhams.
During their journey through fields squirrels were busily collecting food and grazing horses paid little heed as the group passed through in order to exit onto Sully Road at Cog Bridge tramping southwards towards Home Farm visible on the skyline.
Reaching the green triangle at Cog where the remainder of a series of stone wells is still in evidence and joining Swanbridge Road, the leader pointed out that the plans for the fields in front of Cog Farm where the controversial Taylor Wimpey housing development is going to be sited, is being fiercely opposed by residents because of serious worries about traffic congestion.
Passing the De Sully Grange and crossing the busy B4267 at South Road, Beach Road brought them towards the coast and onto part of the Wales Coast Path and along a public art trail created by Maureen O’Kane, a mosaic artist and Carlos Pinatti an artist and sculptor with images portraying the vast history of Sully.
Gazing out into the Bristol Channel, the rocky causeway to Sully Island which was visited by the Romans and Vikings and contains a Saxon fort at the eastern end, which is on the summit of a Bronze Age barrow, heralded darker clouds moving south-eastwards towards them. Continuing above the pebble beach at Sully Bay and passing the Yacht Club the rain finally arrived for the latter part of their journey as they hot-footed it from the beach up the pathway leading back to their start.
