Post 60 Travelogue

Walking, Wildlife, the Wales Coastal Path and others, all with photographs.

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  • This is my Travelogue
  • Walks
    • Castle Howard
    • Newby Hall and Gardens
    • Lockdown Walks
    • Scampston Hall, the Park and Gardens
    • RHS Harlow Carr
    • Kenfig Pool Walk
    • Llanrhidian to Llanmadoc Walk
    • Burry Port to Pembrey Country Park
    • Peterston Wentloog to Dyffryn Newport
    • Loughor Estuary part 4 – Pwll to Burry Port
    • Loughor Estuary part 3: Machynys to Pwll – Llanelli by the Sea
    • Parc Slip Nature Reserve
    • Lougher Estuary Part 2: Llanelli Wetlands to Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt
    • Penclawdd to Llanrhidian
    • Oxwich to Port Eynon
    • Lougher Estuary Part 1: Lougher to Llanelli Wetlands
    • A Walk Around Llangynwyd Village
    • Loughor Castle to Penclawdd
    • Pengam to Peterstone Wentlooge
    • East Moors to Pengam
    • Port Eynon to Rhossili
    • Cowbridge Oasis
    • Castle-upon-Alun and Coed-y-Bwl Nature Reserve.
    • Three Cliffs to Oxwich
    • Caswell Bay to Three Cliffs Bay
    • The Mumbles to Caswell Bay
    • Swansea Marina to The Mumbles
    • Somerset Views
    • Jersey Marine to Port Tennant
    • A Stroll around Cosmeston Lakes
    • Further trips to Cwm Colhuw and Nature Reserve
    • Aberavon to Baglan/Briton Ferry
    • Visit to Dinefwr
    • Kenfig Pool to Margam
    • Cardiff Bay to Penarth Cliff Top
    • Rest Bay, Porthcawl to Kenfig Pool
    • Newton Point to Rest Bay, Porthcawl
    • Ogmore to Newton Point
    • St. Andrew’s Major Circuit Photos
    • Penarth to Sully Walk
    • Porthkerry to Fontygary Walk
    • Fontygary to Gileston,Limpert Bay Walk
    • Limpert Bay, to Summerhouse Bay Walk.
    • Summerhouse Bay to Cwm Colhuw Walk
    • Cwm George and the Salmon Leaps Walk
    • Cwm Colhuw to Nash Point Walk
    • An Interlude at Cefn Onn
    • Nash Point to Dunraven Bay Walk
    • Aberthaw Nature Reserve
    • Dunraven Bay to Ogmore Castle Walk
    • Barry Island to Porthkerry Walk
    • Return to Cwm Colhuw Nature Reserve
    • An Evening Return Visit to Aberthaw
  • Photo Galleries
    • Castle Howard Photos
    • Newby Hall and Gardens Photos
    • Scampston Hall and Gardens Photos
    • RHS Harlow Carr Photos
    • Kenfig Pool Photos
    • Llanrhidian to Llanmadoc Photos
    • Burry Port to Pembrey Country Park Photos
    • Peterston Wentloog to Dyffryn Newport Photos
    • Loughor Estuary part 4 – Pwll to Burry Port Photos
    • Loughor Estuary part 3: Machynys to Pwll Llanelli by the Sea Photos
    • Parc Slip Nature Reserve Photos
    • Penclawdd to Llanrhidian Photos
    • Lougher Estuary Photos Part 2: Llanelli Wetlands to Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt
    • Lougher Estuary Photos Part 1: Lougher to Llanelli Wetlands
    • A Walk Around Llangynwyd Village Photos
    • Loughor Castle to Penclawdd Photos
    • Pengam to Peterstone Wentlooge Photos
      • East Moors to Pengam Photos
    • Port Eynon to Rhossili Photos
    • Cowbridge Oasis Photos
    • Oxwich to Port Eynon Photos
    • Castle-upon-Alun and Coed-y-Bwl Nature Reserve Photos
    • Three Cliffs to Oxwich Photos
    • Caswell Bay to Three Cliffs Bay Photos
    • The Mumbles to Caswell Bay Photos
    • Swansea Marina to The Mumbles Photos
    • Somerset Views Photos
    • Jersey Marine to Port Tennant Photos
    • A Stroll around Cosmeston Lakes Photos
    • Further trips to Cwm Colhuw and Nature Reserve Photos
    • Aberavon to Baglan/Briton Ferry Photos
    • Visit to Dinefwr Photos
    • Kenfig Pool to Margam Photos
    • Rest Bay, Porthcawl to Kenfig Pool Photos
    • Newton Point to Rest Bay, Porthcawl Photos
    • Ogmore to Newton Point Photos
    • St. Andrew’s Major Circuit
      • Cardiff Bay To Penarth Cliff Top Photos
    • Penarth to Sully Photos
    • Porthkerry to Fontagary Photos
    • Font-y-gary to Gileston Photos
    • Limpert Bay to Summerhouse Bay Photos
    • Summerhouse Bay to Cwm Colhuw Photos
    • Cwm Colhuw to Nash Point Photos
    • Cefn Onn Photos
    • Nash Point to Dunraven Bay Photos
    • Aberthaw Nature Reserve Photos
    • Dunraven Bay to Ogmore Castle Photos
    • Return to Cwm Colhuw Nature Reserve Photos
      • Cwm George and the Salmon Leaps Photos
    • Barry Island to Porthkerry Photos

Swansea Marina to The Mumbles

My daughter and I are dropped off at the Maritime Quarter in front of the Arethusa Apartments. There is a Relief and a Plaque on either side of the arch – dedicated to the 156 men aboard the ship HMS Arethusa who lost their lives in 1942, relieving the siege of Malta. The frigate HMS Arethusa was paid for and adopted by the people of Swansea in 1941.

Arethusa relief
Arethusa Plaque

Through the arch is the Marina and on the right is the Meridian Tower. This is Wales’ tallest building, 107 metres tall and completed in 2009 with 29 storeys and a penthouse

Swansea Marina
Meridian Tower

restaurant called the Olive and Grape. The restaurant has panoramic views over the city, the Bristol Channel and the Brecon Beacons. A siege took place here in August 2014 but the outcome was harmonious. Twisty stepsOutside the Meridian Tower we climb the twisty steps, with disabled access, to the water front. The whole expanse of Swansea bay is arrayed before us, Port Talbot and the looming presence of TATA steel to the left and our destination The Mumbles and all points in between to the right. People are walking and playing on the beach and Promenade. Yachts are sailing in the Bay.

Swansea Bay 1
Swansea Bay 3
Swansea Bay 2

As we walk along the Promenade, we pass the civic centre with the Guildhall in the distance. It has a Mediterranean feel to it. The plants look tropical, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Lots of the plants are just coming into bud but others are fully established: Yucca, Escallonia, Tamarix, Pines, Maram-grass, Cordylines, Roses and Pampas -grass. The grassy patches have Daisies, Dandelions, Groundsel, Ribwort Plantain and Sea Beet. The sandy patches have Sedum, Hebe, stumpy Escallonia, Phormiums and even the odd Bluebell.  There are plenty of benches along here; many of them are in memoriam. The backdrop is of the regimented rows of houses in Penlan and the Uplands.

Penlan and Uplands

Oystermouth Road
Oystermouth road 2

Sand has blown onto the path just as a children’s play area and the A4067, Oystermouth Road, come into view. The Promenade is right next to the road and care needs to be taken as there are no barriers separating them. We go down some steps on to the sand, where people are having barbeques, running and playing. Sara and I stop to collect some of the more interesting shells that are lying on top of the sand.

Bridge as it is now
Bridge as it is now
Bridge 2
Bridge 3

Original Bridge courtesy of Wikipedia

We pass the remains of one of the bridges that cross Oystermouth road; it is cordoned off and doesn’t look very safe. The bridge once crossed the roadway, the LMS railway and the Mumbles railway before being partly demolished in the 1960’s. Just behind it you can see St. Helens, home to Swansea Rugby Club. I have seen a number of rugby matches here and pop concerts, but that was years ago.

We gain access to the Promenade again at the Beach and Water Sports Centre 360.Beach 360 Our boots are full of sand. If there is something I hate, that is sand between my toes when I am walking. So we stop get comfortable and take on some food and drink. Mmm… bacon roll, sweet potato chips and a bottle of Fanta. Sitting outside the cafe we watch the games on the beach and eat our lunch. The plants around this area include Rock Samphire, Flowering Currant, Sea Holly, Groundsel and Forsythia. In the distance is the Mumbles headland with the Lighthouse clearly visible on one of the islands, Mumbles Village, West Cross and Blackpill. The Mumbles still seems a long way off but we are now fortified and ready for the challenge.

Westcross
Westcross
Blackpill
Blackpill
Mumbles Head
Mumbles Head
Mumbles Village
Mumbles Village

All along the path are exercise equipment – the trim trail 1 and 2 – I am not even contemplating having a go; Sara might but she is younger and fitter than I. I will leave it to your imagination as to which upper or lower body muscle group benefits from their use. We pass the war memorial and walk over a black iron bridge, which has semi-circular arches, on to the path which is very close to the main road. Singleton Park, Swansea University, the Taliesin Centre and Singleton Hospital are on the opposite side of the road. Brightly coloured flags on the lamp-posts announce  “ Joio Bae Abertawe” “Enjoy Swansea Bay”.

bridge
Trim Trail
Trim Trail
Trim Trail
Trim Trail

Swansea University is the Alma Mater of both myself and my daughter, but our stay there was many years apart. The Taliesin Centre is a building for the Arts; it was opened in 1984 and named after the 6th century Celtic bard. It hosts a broad programme of events: cinema, exhibitions, a variety of live performances from dance, drama to jazz.

The path now doubles as a cycle track, pedestrians one side and bicycles the other. Well that’s the theory anyway.Demarcation zone You can just imagine it at high season: bells ringing, people screaming and jumping out of the way, cycles avoiding people who are talking and enjoying their ramble but paying no heed to the well sign posted demarcations on the path. A little of this furore is taking place in front of us. It is very pleasant along this tree lined route and as we look around taking in the ambience, I find myself veering across the line. There is another obstacle to contend with during the Summer months: the Land Train. Land TrainThankfully we do not need to worry at this time of year. The trees are in full Spring swing with buds cracking open and displaying their fragile leaves: curtains of yellow catkins together with orange-brown oval buds in pale yellow clusters forming the emergent yellow  leaves of the Oaks, pink buds with amber leaves like little umbrellas of the Sycamores, heart shaped green leaves and long red-brown catkins of the Poplars, Pines with their tapered cones and upright creamy orange flowers, Larches with their round scaly cones and pale green leaves and Beech leaves squeezing out of knobbly pink tinged buds. Some of the tree trunks are spattered with Moss and Lichen; large roots are snaking their way across the grassed areas. Up in the bare branches are a few Magpies, surveying the traffic below them. Running through and beneath this array of trunks and branches is a myriad of plants: Herb Robert, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Celandines, Ground Elder, and Irises. Benches are strategically placed along the route providing windows onto views of Swansea Bay.

Widows

As we reach Blackpill the path veers to the left into an area known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Wildlife Centre is somewhere in the vicinity. We cross a bridge over a stream where Mallards, Pigeons and Gulls are swimming and quenching their thirsts. The play park outside The Junction Cafe is packed with people; a party atmosphere pervades the area with barbeques and picnics taking place.

The Junction

The Junction is the site of Blackpill Halt which was part of the Swansea and Mumbles railway system. There are a number of old posters chronicling the life of the Swansea and Mumbles Railway on the walls of the Junction. It was built in 1804 to move limestone from the quarries in the area to Swansea and markets beyond. It carried the world’s first fare-paying railway passengers in March 1807. I travelled on it with my grand-parents before its closure in 1960. At the time it had been the world’s longest serving railway and it still holds the record for the highest number of forms of traction of any railway in the world: horse-drawn, sail power, steam power, electric power, petrol and diesel.

001 (2)

Horse-drawn tram Swansea-Mumbles Railway ,Courtesy of Wikipedia.

 

002

Tram Swansea-Mumbles Railway 1950’s, courtesy of flickr.com/geoff7918

 

On the coast side of the path is a large steel sculpture of a bird; it is a sound sculpture

Musical Osprey 1
Musical Osprey 2

entitled The Musical Osprey. It sounds delightful when I hit it but to those around me it probably is not very musical. Just beyond, near the water’s edge are about 50 OystercatchersOystercatchers, probing the wet sand for tiny morsels. Along this stretch short seaside grasses and Marram-grass are accompanied by Daisies, Clover, Biting Stonecrop, Black Mustard and Dandelions, while cheeky birds peck and saunter about: Pied Wagtails, Jackdaws and Magpies. The brightly coloured houses in Mumbles village are getting ever closer as we pass the Woodman and West Cross Inn, both of which have produced some very fine meals for me and my family in the past. Mumbles Pier, the Light-house and the old Life-boat station are also tantalisingly close. However, there is some way to go yet before we reach our goal.

Mumbles colour houses
The Woodman
The Woodman
West Cross Inn
West Cross Inn
Mumbles

The path goes onThe path goes on! The sea wall looks rather shabby as concrete and rocks are piled high to allay the encroaching tides. Many plants have taken root among the crevices: Rock Samphire, Yarrow, and Sea Lavender. Banks of Butterbur, Ivy, Brambles, Ferns and Trees shelter the path and visitors, walkers and cyclists, from the urbanisation beyond the road. Banks of Seaweed and flotsam are strewn along the water’s edge, some of which has been thrown up onto the path during recent high tides. Then from the air Seagulls and Pigeons interact with anyone or anything along the route.

We pass cafes, lovely holiday homes, a residential area, and new builds – Oyster Wharf-, the village Lane Boat Park, the Water-ski club and many boats out of the water. TATALooking back across the bay we see TATA steel on the far shore, still polluting the air with smoke. But for how much longer as the future of the company seems so uncertain? As we lean on the railings looking out into the bay, we witness a commotion taking place on the slipway. Picture this: Wife reverses the car with a jet-ski down the slipway, the car hits the water and the jet-ski is out of position. Husband races out of the water, shouting and screaming, and takes over. The car goes back up then down the slipway and the jet-ski is repositioned. He leaves the car in the water and races off on the jet-ski. Wife left to fend for herself. We move on chuckling to ourselves.

jet-ski 1
jet-ski 2
jet-ski 3

Mermaid sign

 

 

Another chuckle escapes our lips when a sign for The Mermaid catches our eye.

 

 

 

An intriguing capstan with compass directions and places of

capstan
capstan 2

interest: NW- Oystermouth Castle, West Cross, NE- Guildhall, Technical College, Swansea Pier, Llandarcy, SE -Margam, Porthcawl, Scarweather Lightship, SW- Ilfracombe. This was erected in May 1957 to commemorate the opening of the new slipway.

Our destination is just a few steps away: Knab Rock and Verdi’s, a long established restaurant and ice-cream parlour. Bring on the ice-creams!

Verdi's

Ice-cream 2
Ice-cream 1

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