172 Nash Point to Ogmore-by-Sea

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

It’s Good Friday and the beginning of the Easter holidays. Nash Point car park is (almost) crowded. It cost us £2.00 to park here for the day. The view alone is worth it.
Nash Point light houses, Ruth on Wales Coast Path

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171 Lantwit Major to Nash Point

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

This afternoon I must travel home to Lincolnshire and so today I’m planning a short, circular walk. I will be following the Wales Coast Path along the cliffs to Nash Point Lighthouse, and then back to my car via an inland footpath.

I drive down to the beach at Llantwit Major. The weather is still dull, but not as bad as yesterday. I can even see the horizon as a definite line!
looking towards St Donat's Point, Ruth on her coastal walk in Wales

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170 Barry Island to Llantwit Major

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

It’s another dull day. My rules say I don’t have to walk around islands, but today I’ve decided to walk around Barry Island before heading up the coast.

On my right are parked cars and terraced houses. On my left, between the road and the water’s edge is a broad strip of waste land, strewn with litter and rubble. Across the water is the new development, where I sat to eat a snack yesterday.

01 looking across to Barry, Ruth on the Wales Coast Path, Barry Island

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169b Cardiff to Barry

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

I walk along the Cardiff Bay Barrage. This is a narrow band of land that stretches for 1 kilometre across the entrance to Cardiff Bay. I’m following a smooth cycle track, which doubles as the Wales Coast Path.

The weather remains murky. Shame, because it is impossible to take any decent photos across the bay. I can only photograph objects that are close to me, including sail structures on the barrage – but even these photos require enhancement when I get back home.

b01 Cardiff Bay and sails, Ruth Livingstone

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169a Cardiff Bay

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

Wales Coast Path marker, Ruth in Cardiff BayAfter a dispiriting end to yesterday’s walk, I start today with no great expectations.

And today doesn’t seem promising either. The weather is dull. My hotel is on the edge of a huge car park that feeds a new shopping centre. All I can see are parking bays, busy roads, and fast food outlets. It takes  me a few minutes to orient myself. Continue reading →

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168 Peterstone Wentlooge to Cardiff Bay

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Ruth Livingstone

I park my car in the Welsh village of Peterstone Wentlooge. A footpath leads down to the bank of the Severn Estuary, where I stand and take a photograph looking back towards the village.

01 Peterstone Wentlooge

It is sunny, but cold, with no wind. A perfect February day. My main concern is to keep up a good walking speed. I travelled down from Lincolnshire this morning and it is already 2:30pm. The sun sets at 5:00. Continue reading →

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167b Newport to Peterstone Wentlooge

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

I spent most of this morning walking along urban roads, and so it comes as a jolt of surprise to meet a tractor and realise I am now in a rural area.

tractor on track, Ruth somewhere south of Newport, Wales Coast Path Continue reading →

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167a Newport

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

Today the sun is shining. The ground is still muddy but I start my walk on the firm surface of proper pavements and roadways, passing through an industrial estate.

industrial complex, south of Newport, Ruth walking the Wales Coast Path

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166 Goldcliff to Newport Wetlands

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

I try to look cheerful when my husband drops me off on the road through Goldcliff. It rained all night and it’s still raining this morning. I don’t normally walk in bad weather, but the BBC weather forecast promises it will stop later.

The Wales Coast Path is clearly signed – and leaves the road to detour around a piece of land. This might be a field, or a marsh, or a series of ponds, or a lake. Anyway, it’s full of water.

Goldcliff marshes, Ruth on her coastal walk, Wales

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165 Severn Tunnel Junction to Goldcliff

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Ruth Livingstone

It’s 12:30pm. We’ve just driven down from Lincolnshire and my husband drops me off on the Wales Coast Path, at the car park near the Severn Tunnel Junction station.

middle of nowhere, Severn Tunnel Junction, Ruth walking the Wales Coast Path

It looks like the middle of nowhere and I am feeling unusually anxious. It will be dark in 4 hours time and I have 8 or 9 miles to cover. I’m such a slow walker! Continue reading →

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