Lmst

An enjoyable guided history walk taking in Ogmore Castle, Merthyr Mawr, New inn, the Dipping bridge and Hut 9 prisoner of war camp. I always love hearing the story of Cap Goch the prolific murderer who hid the bodies all around this area! #Bridgend #ValeofGlamorgan #OgmoreCastle #MerthyrMawr #DippingBridge #Hut9 #PrisonerOfWar #CapGoch #Wales #Cymru

View of Ogmore castle from the other side of the river Ogmore with the steeping stones in the foreground.

Ogmore castle overlooking the river Ogmore and guarding the ancient river crossing.

View of the ancient crossing and stepping stones from Ogmore castle.

The dipping bridge on the New Inn road. There are still small gaps in the bridge where farmers would push their sheep through into the river.

Fine weather for a Ramblers walk around Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend / Penybont ar Ogwr. Castell Ogwr was inaccessible across the stepping stones due to rains and high tides. The village with thatched cottages and beautiful church still felt as though it was 1925. #Ramblers #Cymru #Llwybwr #Cerdded #Wales #Bridgend #MerthyrMawr #SandDunes

One of the many thatched cottages within the well heat village of Merthyr Mawr

View over Merthyr Mawr dunes to the sea and Newton Beach, Porthcawl in the background.

In the line of the shadow of the river Ogmore are generally stepping stones to allow access tit he castle in the background. High tides and rain has made the crossing impossible without getting a little damp.

Woodland walking on the edge of the Merthyr Mawr dunes.

A nice #wander around #MerthyrMawr Warren today, ending up on #Newton #Beach, Plenty of birds and #insects around, including this #Comma #Butterfly and impressive #GreatGreenBushCricket

#Cymru #Wales #Nature #Landscape #Seascape

Looking down a stony tree-lined country path, the bright sunlight filtered through the tree leaves gave the light a dappled green quality

A "Comma" butterfly soaks up the sun , sitting on a sandy path with it's wings spread. It is a burnt orange colour with dark spots. It's wings are an irregular shape , which make it look like its had chunks bitten out of them (It hasn't)

A "Great Green Bush Cricket" sits amongst dry grass stems on a sandy path. It is quite large, about 5-6 cm long and is entirely bright green. Two long antennae stretch out in front of it, six powerful spiked legs are bent underneath it, two small wings are folded against it's back and a long spiked tail extends behind it

Newton Beach, Looking towards Newton village.

Small white foamed waves roll gently onto wet sandy beach, both the water and the sand reflect the blue sky, which is liberally populated with thick fluffy clouds. The beach curves around to the left and is backed by low, grass covered dunes. A few houses and the square tower of St John's Church in Newton can be seen in the distance

Inspired by a book about Iolo Morgannwg I went searching for clues around Bridgend. Unfortunately this stone circle was created a few hundred years after his death in 1998. I’m pretty sure Iolo would have wondered over to the 15th Century New Inn dipping bridge at Merthyr Mawr to inspect the stonework. #Iolo #Morgannwg #Gorsedd #Bard #Penybont #NewInn #DippingBridge #MerthyrMawr #Wales

Stone circle erected in 1997 to celebrate the Eisteddfod coming to the region

15th New Inn bridge used as a way over the river Ogmore on the way from St David’s to London.

Today's #DailyPhoto (taken yesterday) is of #StTeilo's #Church in #MerthyrMawr. It's graveyard, carpeted in #flowers, bursting in colour in the sun

#PhotoMonday

A grey flagstone Path curves away from the camera, kneading to the porch of a victorian church. To the left of the porch is a grey stone bell tower. The church is built from a yellow tinted stone with a grey slate roof, dropping to a slightly lower level to the right hand side. Tall trees encircle the church and a graveyard sits between it and the camera. There are a mixture of old and more modern grave markers. A few have floral tributes placed by them. The entire graveyard is bursting with colour from growing flowers, mainly yellow daffodils and both white and blue, bluebells

A good 9Km walk today, along the #WalesCoastalPath from #MerthyrMawr village to #Southerndown, Via #OgmoreBySea. A mostly grey day but perfect for #Walking ..... #Beach(es), #Cliffs, a #Castle and #Sheep

#DailyPhoto #Cymru #Wales #Defaidodon #SheepOfMastodon #PhotoMonday

Looking along a flat, sandy beach, A sliver of calm seen can be seen on the left with the buildings of Porthcawl on the other side of it. The sky is thick white cloud with a few small patches of blue sky poking through

Looking East along the Heritage Coast, Near to the camera is rough cracked limestone.IN the distance the coast curves to the right with a series of sheer limestone cliffs topped with lush green grass broken by rocky beaches. The sky is thick grey cloud reflecting in flat sea. In the far distance the cliffs are partially hidden by a haze

A still shallow stream, edged by low grass banks, winds away from the camera. The right bank has a row of blackthorn bushes festooned in small white flowers, punctuated by larger trees bursting into leaf. On the left hand bank is a green field populated by sheep, lambs and larger trees. A white farmhouse and the tower of the ruined Ogmore castle can be seen amongst the trees. The sky is flat grey

A young lamb peeks through a gap in Gorse bushes covered in yellow flowers. The lamb's fleece is speckled black making it look a little grubby.

Some #Fungi for #FungiFriday. All pictured in the same spot in #MerthyrMawr Warren last weekend. My app tells me they are probably #SpringBrittlestem .... But I never completely trust my app 🤔

#DailyPhoto

Two fungi pictured from above, growing amongst grass and dead twigs. They are roughly circular and mostly flat with a slight dome in the center. Mostly a creamy white colour, the dome has a pale yellow colour and the edges are black and cracked or split in places. They resemble (to me) two fried eggs

A single fungi,growing amongst grass and dead twigs. Roughly circular and flat with a slight bump in the center. It is a creamy white colour except where the edges have split and cracked, where a thick black border has formed

The underside of a fungi, pictured upside down resting on grass. It is circular with dark brown gills. The broken end of a thin white stem can be seen in the middle

Another few #DailyPhoto(s) from my wander around #MerthyrMawr#Dunes this weekend; A #RedKite, Flowering #Blackthorn, A #DarkEdgedBeeFly (#BombyliusMajor) and the #Flowers of an #Ash tree. Not the greatest quality photos, but interesting subjects... I hope

#Nature #NaturePhotography

A red kite soaring across a grey sky. Seen from underneath, its hooked beak, greyish head, speckled breast and large white patches on the underside of it's wings are all visible.

Leafless blackthorn branches heavily laden with small flowers, each has five white petals and a bright yellow center with delicate white stamen

A large insect sitting on a fallen brown leave. It has dense ginger hairs covering its body, two partly transparent wings with leading black edges and a long, thick, straight proboscis stretching out in front of its head. It could easily be mistaken for a bee when glanced at, especially when flying

The delicate flowers of an Ash tree, they are deep purple in colour and have no petals

Went looking for the ruined #Windmill in #MerthyrMawr Warren yesterday. Armed only with google maps and after forcing my way through literally metres of dense undergrowth 😉 ......I found it.

It is thought to have been built in the late #medieval period. At some point, probably in the 16th century, it became buried in the sand before eventually appearing again in about 1823

#DailyPhoto #PhotoMonday #History #Cymru #Wales

A narrow path through dense undergrowth. Both sides are hemmed in with closely growing shrubs, some just starting to show this years foliage. The ground is littered with old moss covered fallen branches

My first view of the ruined windmill, a curving wall made from large grey stone blocks, rises to about 4m, everything above that height has long since been lost. Trees and shrubs encroach on all sides and the ground is covered in lush green nettles

As I moved around the windmill, a large ,roughly circular hole could be seen at the base of the circular wall

Further around a large opening allowed a view inside the mill which was filled with vegetation, including a small tree

Took an evening stroll from #MerthyrMawr village to #OgmoreCastle. Saw my first #Swallows of the year, unfortunately moving too fast for a photo. A high tide meant that the #EwennyRiver was perfectly still, covering the stepping stones and giving almost perfect reflections of the castle

#DailyPhoto #Cymru #Wales

The ruins of Ogmore Castle reflected, almost perfectly in the still water of the Ewenny River. Taken from the opposite side of the river to the castle. A low white iron fence surrounds the small grassy mound on which the ruins sit. Two cars are parked in front of the castle and a few people are wandering around the grounds. A line off trees lines a small hill rising behind the castle and above, the sky is clear and blue

@anamckellar it’s not a myth. This photo was from 1948, no idea when they stopped doing this. #SheepOfMastodon #sheep #MerthyrMawr #DippingBridge

Sheep dipping at the dipping bridge, Bridgend

Another Slow Ways route completed. I’m hoping my review and survey will get the route verified! It’s a fantastic route and ‘secret’ Bridgend at its finest. #SlowWays #Bridgend #Porthcawl #PenybontYrOgwr #MerthyrMawr #NewInn #Donkey #SheepOfMastodon #Nature #Spring #Cerdedd #LongDistanceWalking #DippingBridge

A very curious donkey. He loved my phone

A very relaxed lamb wandered straight up to me.

Lady’s Smock. Also known as Cuckoo Flower

The dipping bridge crossing the very high river Ogmore at Merthyr Mawr

Halfway through my Slow Ways adventure for the day from Porthcawl to Bridgend / Penybont yr Ogwr. The sun has come out and Spring is slowly starting to arrive! #SlowWays #Bridgend #PenybonYrOgwr #Porthcawl #MerthyrMawr #BigDipper #Cerdded

Hoping to get my first SlowWays route verified today! A stunning route from Porthcawl to Bridgend partially along the coast and through Merthyr Mawr. #SlowWays #Bridgend #Penybont #Porthcawl #Cerdded ##Cymru #MerthyrMawr #Arfordir #BusTrip

On the way to Porthcawl from Pencoed by bus my route on Slow Ways today

Today's #walk was a circular route from #MerthyrMawr village to the dunes and back, taking in the Victorian #Church of St Teilo and it's collection of memorial stones, dating from the fifth century onwards. Some great views back towards #Bridgend, and some very content looking sheep

#DailyPhoto #Defaidodon #Cymru #Wales

A mid 19th century church, viewed from the north side. The bellcote can be seen on the right, a slate roof covers a nave with four arched windows and a narrower chancel. A small vestry with two small square windows leads off the chancel running towards the camera. The church is surrounded by green grass and a mixture of trees, some bare some in leaf. The sky is blue and cloudless and the glare of the hidden sun can just be seen above the middle of the church

A long shed, open on the long side facing the camera. The shed contains a selection of memorial stones (or pieces of them) and an information board giving details on each stone (too far away to read in the photo)

A view over green farmland with hedges separating a number of fields. In the middle distance a single story old stone build farm building can be seen. Further on some modern houses and behind them, rolling hills with a line of wind turbines rise into a pale blue, cloudless, but slightly hazy sky

seven healthy and woolly looking sheep busily grazing in a field. Behind them is a small wood of mixed, mainly deciduous trees

Todays #Walk took in;
- the (locally) famous "Bouncy Bridge" (in need of a coat of paint, with the ruined 12th Century #Ogmore #Castle in the background.
- The pretty "chocolate box" village of #MerthyrMawr
- The #BigDipper #SandDune , 2nd largest in Europe at 61m, and finally
- The ruins of the 14th Century #Candleston Castle

A river crossed by a, very dirty, white suspension footbridge. Green pasture with a stone wall cutting through it leads to a ruined castle with a few, more modern houses, close by

A country lane forks creating a square of grass covered in autumn leaves fallen from the trees, one of which can be seen at the corner of the square. Either side of the country lane are thatched cottages

A very tall sand dune framed by bushes in the foreground and trees either side. Two figures can be seen, one at the top of the dune, one still climbing it. The figures look very small, showing just how big the dune is.

A ruined stone fortified mansion. The walls are covered in ivy and the building is closed surrounded by trees

Todays Dog #Walk took me up #PantMarieFlanders named after a Flemish weaver who moved to the area in the early sixteenth century, fleeing religious persecution . She reputedly lived in the now ruined cottage seen in the first picture and would have collected water from the pictured well, The final picture shows the view down the valley and back over #MerthyrMawr sand dunes

#DailyPhoto #LocalHistory #OgmoreBySea #Wales #Cymru

#MerthyrMawr

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