• • Registered Charity No. 1062031 No. Charity Registered www.perfectlysimpledesign.co.uk by Print & Design Consider other people other Consider • • Keep dogs under close control close under dogs Keep Registered Charity No. 1062031 Registered Company No. 3330088 No. Company Registered 1062031 No. Charity Registered Website: www.valeways.org.uk Website: litter home litter E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: • • Protect plants and animals and take your take and animals and plants Protect countryside access and walking and access countryside Telephone: 01446 749000 01446 Telephone: VALEWAYS • • Leave gates and property as you find them find you as property and gates Leave Skomer Road, Barry CF62 9DA CF62 Barry Road, Skomer Valeways, Unit 7, Barry Community Enterprise Centre, Enterprise Community Barry 7, Unit Valeways, • • Be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs any follow and ahead plan safe, Be cerdded yng nghefn gwlad nghefn yng cerdded and the Countryside Council for Wales for their continued support. continued their for Wales for Council Countryside the and FOLLOW THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE COUNTRYSIDE THE FOLLOW Valeways Partnership - Many thanks to the Vale of Glamorgan Council Glamorgan of Vale the to thanks Many - Partnership Valeways Photograph © G. Woosnam G. © Photograph Photograph © Alan Wilson Alan © Photograph • • The Star Inn Star The their time freely to provide this walk for your enjoyment. your for walk this provide to freely time their • • St Mary’s Church Mary’s St interest.We are indebted to the many volunteers who give up give who volunteers many the to indebted are interest.We • • Cwrt towns and villages to the surrounding countryside and points of points and countryside surrounding the to villages and towns • • St Mary Hill Mary St enjoyable circular walks across the Vale of Glamorgan, linking Glamorgan, of Vale the across walks circular enjoyable community to reopen existing footpaths to create a network of network a create to footpaths existing reopen to community • • Lead mine stack mine Lead Valeways is a registered charity working in partnership with the with partnership in working charity registered a is Valeways • • St Canna’s Church Canna’s St Distance: 3½, 5½, and 13 miles. 13 and 5½, 3½, Distance: • • The Carne Arms Carne The Village Walk Village countryside access and walking and access countryside • • St Tydfil’s St VALEWAYS • • The Holy Trinity Church Trinity Holy The The Six The • • Pwll y Wrach y Pwll cerdded yng nghefn gwlad nghefn yng cerdded • • Baptismal Pool Baptismal 14 and 15 Cowbridge 15 and 14 • • The Sycamore Tree Sycamore The Walks Nos. 11 (modified), 11 Nos. Walks • • St Michael’s and All Angels All and Michael’s St WALK FEATURES WALK WALK LOCATION IN RELATION TO VALEWAYS’ MILLENNIUM HERITAGE TRAIL Pencoed Llanharry M4 15 Pontyclun 35 Talygarn 34 33 Bridgend 14 Hensol St. Fagons Ystradowen 1 Ewenny Priory Llansannor 16 Court Corntown Museum Peterston Penllyn Super Ely 13 Castle 12 Cowbridge St. Brides Colwinston Major Tinkinswood 2 Llanblethian Dunraven Castle 7 Old Beaupre Castle Duffryn House River Thaw Broughton St Lythans 11 Sigingstone 5 Monknash 8 6 Llancarfan Photograph © G. Woosnam 3 Photograph © G. Woosnam 10 Nash Llantwit Lighthouses St. Athan Penmark Merthyr St. Donats Major Fonmon Dyfan Castle 9 Boverton Castle Barry St. Donats KEY Rhoose 4 Millennium Trail Bristol Channel Valeways’ Millennium Heritage Trail covers a distance of over 100km, spanning over 6,000 years of history. It wends its way through a variety of beautiful landscapes. At its northern edge there are panoramic vistas of the Blaenau Morgannwg, while in the south it skirts a spectacular cliffed coastline. The Trail is split into 16 easy to follow sections, each of which can be walked within a few hours. The surroundings are Photograph © Alan Wilson diverse, often spectacular and steeped in history. Photograph © G. Woosnam Those who have never visited this part of Wales will enjoy walking through fertile, lowland countryside adjoining the spectacular Heritage Coast with its beautiful beaches. The route includes many fascinating historic features, from prehistoric burial chambers to magnificent castles, churches and mansions. Valeways has published a guide to the Millennium Heritage Trail. This colourful book describes the 16 sections which make up the Trail and comes in a package with 16 separate A3 maps. Information on purchasing the guide can be obtained by contacting Valeways. Photograph © Alan Wilson Photograph © G. Woosnam The Six Village Walk - Walks Nos. 11 (modified), 14 and 15 Cowbridge The Vale of Glamorgan has many attractions ranging from its splendid coastline, its pleasant rolling landscape to its many sites of historical interest. However, for many it is its villages that have a special appeal with their churches, their inns, their varied housing styles and other features of historical interest. This walk allows you to visit six of them, or to be more precise five villages and two hamlets. The complete walk is almost thirteen miles long but there is ample scope for breaking this up for shorter walks. Some of these are shown on the map by the use of different colours. Distances: Northern Circulars 3 and 4 miles; Southern Circular 5½ miles; whole walk 13 miles Map: OS Explorer 151. Parking: Roadside in whichever village you start from; some car parks in Colwinston Public transport: Bus services V3 and V4 operate over some parts of the route. Refreshments: Sycamore Tree (Colwinston), Carne Arms (Llysworney), Star Inn (Treoes) START: The Route Guide, below, starts at Colwinston (see map). Obviously as it is a circular walk, the start location can be the walker’s choice. 11 Bear slightly right to find the next Walk on in a similar direction Alternative Dry Weather route. Penymynydd stile at the top of the slope. Cross keeping above a rather sharp slope the corner of the following field down to the right to bisect a line of Please note that the two easternmost to a stile leading to a winding trees in front of a farmhouse (Court fields of this route are often very boggy. path through a recently Farm). Continue along a well defined, established wood. Exiting the Continue along the road and take the Treoes gated and stiled track and when you wood you see the next stile to first left (Nant Canna) to turn left St Mary Hill enter a wider area maintain direction 12 your left. Once over this turn right again at a road junction. At the end of and follow the rough lane that along the left hand hedge to cross two the row of houses take the stile on the Cwrt 10 leads you to the A48 at Pentre stiles and reach the road. right hand side of the road. Walk Meyrick. Now turn left. Soon you will pass the along the left hand side of this first (If walking the southern shorter Treoes road sign and then, if walking field to a stile in the far left corner. Do the main walk, you should turn left at 8 route turn left along the same exactly the same in the next field. This rough lane which soon becomes a stile adjacent to a gate. Of course leads you into a smaller field which Llangan an imposing tree-lined avenue. you may take the opportunity of you cross to enter a larger field via a You will pass a stile on your right. refreshing yourself in the village or stile. Maintain your direction and you This is the point where the main indeed of returning to Llangan using will reach a rather complex stile and S Start 9 the alternative route (see map and Complete walk walk joins route your route. So ditch. Once over this continue now go to the final paragraph of route guide in this colour below). Note forward, slightly right, to another stile Southern short circular this route is boggy in places for much Northern short circular the main walk notes to complete that leads you into the final field. Here of the year. Dry weather route your shorter walk.) you head diagonally right to reach a ‘A’ Road At Pentre Meyrick cross the A48 Once over this stile head forward, gate that gives on to a road. Here turn Other Roads to walk on, northward, along the slightly right, to pass through a gap left. Just before you reach the ‘Entry Wooded Area road signposted St Mary’s Hotel and into a second field where you target a to Llangan’ sign, turn right along a Built-up Area Golf Course, passing Cross Farm stile visible in this field’s right hand surfaced lane. To continue your walk Individual Building A48 and then the road junction for corner. Go over this and turn left, refer to the text that follows the Church Tewgoed keeping to the hedge line, to a double Penllyn on your right. Soon you will above. * stile. Now turn slightly right and Pentre reach a stile on your left. Cross the Meyrick continue up the slope to a stile on the FEATURES OF INTEREST double stile and, in the field that field’s far boundary. Continue in the follows, head just to the right of an same direction to a stile in the right Colwinston COLWINSTON island of trees visible on the near hand (eastern) corner of the next field. 1 St Michael’s and All Angels. This is a horizon. Grade 1 listed Church. It was built in 1111 in S Now turn right to pass over a series of the Early English style. 4 You then reach a stile that takes stiles and go through a gate. You then 1 2 2 you on to a quiet country lane. walk around the back and side of a The Sycamore Tree was built Cross the stile on its other side before1650.