CHOICE: to visit Coity with its magnificent B4282 Nantymoel

church and castle go straight on along a To Swansea MAESTEG footpath heading north, cross the stream Pontycymer via a bridge and continue through fields Llangynwyd

near the riding school to the road. Turn A4063 Llangeinor

left to get to Coity. A48 Tondu Heol y Cyw A4061 Pyle B4281 36 Kenfig Coity

37 A473 BRIDGEND 35

A4106 A48 To Cardiff

A4229 Newton Coychurch Merthyr PORTHCAWL Mawr Ewenny A48 B4524 St Brides Major Ogmore by Sea B4265

Acknowledgements Coity Castle (4) dates from the 12th Thanks to the following for helping to either prepare the walk and text or for sponsoring the leaflet: century and was probably built by Sir • Coity Higher and Coychurch Lower Community Councils. 5 Guilbert de Turbeville a descendant of • Bridgend County Borough Council’s Tourism Unit Payn de Turbeville, who was given the Lordship of Coity for his part in the conquest

GROUNDWORK BRIDGEND & NEATH of Glamorgan. In 14O4 it became ‘the PORT TALBOT PEN-Y-BONT AR OGWR A CASTELL NEDD most talked-of place in the country’ PORT TALBOT when it was besieged by Owain Glyndwr. Thanks also to the following for use of their images: At the time it was the only place in South • Ashley Beolens www.beolens.co.uk Wales still loyal to King Henry IV. • Richard Ford www.Digitalwildlife.co.uk The Church of St. Mary (5) was built by Countryside Code the year 1325, possibly on the site of an earlier church. You can see some partic- RESPECT PROTECT ENJOY. ularly hideous gargoyles on the tower. • Be safe – plan ahead and The church’s most celebrated relic is an follow any signs oak chest with carvings depicting the • Leave gates and property as you find them Passion of Christ. • Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home Retrace your steps or follow the alterna- • Keep dogs under close control tive walk shown on the map. • Consider other people * From the kissing gate turn right, and Follow the Countryside Code wherever you keep the hedge on your right side. Cross go. You will get the best out of the 4 stiles, the first is on the edge of a small countryside and help to maintain it now wood, the last two are either side of a and for the future. farm track which leads to small- holding No.7. Follow Turn left at For further information about this walk, the way- Shelf passing to pass on your comments and marked Bryn Cattery on suggestions or to report any practical path head- your left and problems on any of the paths please ing for a follow the road contact the Rights of Way Section, Environmental and Planning Services large tree, Buzzard to the railway line. Cross the railway line which has a Photo Courtesy of Richard Ford with care, then continue straight ahead Directorate, Morien House, Bennett Street, kissing gate alongside it. Continue with along Heol y Capel until the White Horse Bridgend Industrial Estate, Bridgend, the field boundary on your left hand Public House is on your left hand side. CF31 3SH (Telephone O1656 642537 or side until you come to another kissing You are now back in the village of O1656 642516) or by e-mail at gate. Go through this gate and head Coychurch. [email protected] downhill towards the field gate in the bottom left hand corner of the field. Go Advice & Information Public Transport For further information on bus times and through this field gate turn right and The going is easy although it may be wet service numbers telephone Bridgend head uphill past the wooded area in places. Remember to wear suitable County Borough Council’s Public Transport keeping to the hedge on your right. clothes and good shoes/boots and take Section on O1656 642559 or the National (6) As farming activities are going on in food and drink with you and be prepared Bus Enquiry number on O87O 6O826O8 this area, please leave field gates as you to get fit! Always follow the Countryside find them. On this section of route look Code and take care when using roads Car Parking 6 out for Buzzards hunting over the fields 7 and footpaths to cross the railway line. If you have to use your car there is and in the winter this area is also a good When you are walking on minor roads on-street parking in the villages of place to find winter Thrushes, Redwing keep to the right and make use of verges Coychurch and Coity. There is also on and Fieldfare. whenever you can. street parking in Brackla. Still with the hedge on your right It should be easy to follow the route hand side go through the next field using the map and instructions inside this Accommodation gate and continue straight ahead leaflet. When walking the To make a reservation or to obtain towards the kissing gate opposite route try and look out information on accommodation contact Coedymwstwr Ganol Farm. for the Walk logo that one of the Heritage Coast Tourist When you reach the will be situated on Information Centres. These are at road turn right. The stiles, gates and McArthur Glen Designer Outlet off walk continues for posts along the route. Junction 36 of the M4 (telephone O1656 1.5km along the Directional waymarks 6549O6) and at John Street, Porthcawl lane heading with yellow arrows will (telephone O1656 786639). south towards assist you as to which Shelf passing Home direction to walk in Redwing For further general information about the Farm on your right once you are on a Photo Courtesy of Bridgend area you can contact us via and the entrance to public footpath. We also Ashley Beolens the Coed y Mwstwr recommend you refer to e-mail at [email protected] Hotel and golf course the OS Explorer Map 151 Cardiff and Alternatively, you can visit our website - Fieldfare Photo Courtesy of on your left hand side. Bridgend. which is at www.visitbridgend.com Ashley Beolens Smallholding No.3 Smallholding Coity Castle Church of St Marys No.4 Nant Brynglas 4 5 Smallholding Smallholding No.5 No.6 Limekiln Circular Walk Coity Wood Heol Smallhold Wood Simonston Simonstone 5 Farm Smallholding Introduction No.7 Coed Lias 1 This leaflet describes a 3.5km (2 /2 mile) Coed y mwster walk through an attractive area within Newydd easy reach of Bridgend, Brackla, Coity, Nant Coed y mwster Coychurch and Pencoed. You should be Brynglas Lais House Ganol able to complete the walk in 2 hours but allow a bit more time to enjoy the countryside. The villages of Coity and Coychurch have everything you will need 1 by way of facilities. And don’t miss the castle in Coity! Footbridge Home Farm For convenience the directions below are written with Coychurch as the starting

point but you could equally well start Entrance to from Coity or Brackla. Coedymwster Built up areas Hotel and The village of Coychurch (1) has a public Crematorium Coed y mwster telephone box, Post Office, village shop Walk route Shelf Golf Club Farm /garage and the Prince of Wales and Link to other walks White Horse public houses. The village is Shelf perhaps best known for the Reverend Rivers 3 Thomas Richards, curate of the parish for Roads Meadow more than 4O years, who was responsible Crematorium Close Wood for compiling a Welsh to English dictionary Railway Bodringallt Nant Farm first published in 1753. You’ll find his Brackla Brynglas grave in the corner of St. Crallo’s Heol y Capel churchyard. White Horse Before starting the walk Public House you could visit the 2 Church of Glenwood St Crallo Church of St.Crallo (2) Close which was built in the Prince of 1 Wales Public 13th Century and is Coychurch House situated in the heart Swansea-Paddington main line of the village. It is listed grade 1 as a All maps in this series are based upon Ordnance Survey maps. Public footpaths like this may have a C Crown copyright. All rights reserved building of outstanding defined width although you won’t always (Bridgend County Borough Council) (Licence no. 100023405, 2004.) architectural quality. be able to see this on the ground. This To begin the walk find the one is 1.2m (4 feet) wide. K eep the stream woodland across a Prince of Wales Public House and immediately on your left and you’ll be on small section of a field with the pub on your right hand side the path. Don’t be misled by sheep to the road; to continue continue along the pavement until you tracks! on the circular walk, note a signposted footpath on your right At the end of the first field continue ignore the bridge and hand side. Follow through a kissing gate, keeping the follow the path along- the path between stream on your left. You will note a foot- side the stream. the houses and bridge on your left hand side, which The fields here often continue along crosses the Nant Brynglas. The footpath contain sheep or other Ruthin Close. At that crosses the bridge leads to stock. Sheep worrying is Long-tailed tit the junction with Crematorium Wood and Brackla. a serious matter. You Photo Courtesy of Glenwood Close can help by reporting Ashley Beolens turn left and Crematorium Wood (3) (also known as Coed Brynglas) is a mixed broad-leaved loose dogs or other problems affecting continue along stock to the farmer. the pavement. At the next right turn semi natural woodland dominated by oak Follow the waymarked route through a cross the road and continue straight and ash. Amongst the ground flora can kissing gate, over a stile and through a ahead with house numbers 69 and 7O be found Herb Paris and Yellow further 2 kissing gates. At this point the Glenwood Close on your right hand side. Archangel, the latter of which indicates 2 3 4 property known as Lais House will be on Follow the public footpath which runs that the woodland is ancient. The wood your right hand side. Head for the between numbers 33 & 34 Glenwood Close. also supports blue tits, electricity pole in the next field until you Go through the gate over the railway great tits and long- cross the access track to Lais House at (take care when crossing the railway) and tailed tits, especially in which point you should veer to the left continue along the public footpath late summer. In the and head for the kissing gate in the through another two gates then keeping winter small flocks of hedge. Cross over an old farm track and the fence line / boundary on your right these birds will roam continue through another kissing gate hand side follow the waumarked path. the woods, especially into an open field. You will come to a kissing gate with the close to the stream. road in front of you, cross the road and CHOICE: to get to Brackla At this point you have a choice. To take the signposted public footpath. cross the bridge and follow Blue tit continue the circular walk go to * on Photo Courtesy of page 5 or to visit Coity use the the path through the Ashley Beolens following directions.