Bridgend Continuation Brackla of Bridgend Circular Walk see leaflet 2 A473 Leaflet 3 (Vale SECTION) The Bridgend 1 2 Introduction Circular Walk Coychurch This leaflet describes a 13 Km (8 Mile) section of the Bridgend Circular Walk. You should be able to complete this section of the walk in 4 hours but Vale Section (3) allow more time if you are thinking of visiting some of the sites identified in this leaflet or if you simply Ty Candy r Farm want to enjoy the countryside. The villages of Rive nny Coychurch, and St. Brides Major have most of the Ewe things you will need by way of facilities. A48 Star Inn For convenience purposes the directions below are 3 written with the village of Coychurch as the start- Ford Merthyr Mawr ing point for this section of the walk. You could Link to Ewenny Motor Treoes Continuation of Circular Walk Factory however equally start from Merthyr Mawr or any Bridgend Circular Walk Ewenny Priory point along the route, and if travelling in the see leaflet 1 and Church opposite direction simply reverse all the directions. (founded 1141) Before starting the walk from Coychurch you could Br visit the Church of St. Crallo (1) and the Tombstone 5 oc as tle of Thomas Richards (2) which can be found in the B ro churchyard. Further details on these sites of Corntown ok 1 interest can be found in Bridgend Circular Walk Ewenny River A48 ny 4 leaflet (2). Stepping wen To E To begin this section of the walk leave the Main Stones Ewenny Nant Heol y Baptismal Cawl Road in Coychurch Village and follow the road Pool between the properties known as Isfryn and 9 Coychurch Cottage. Then take the public footpath Ogmore 8 Castle Corntown on your left which runs between Nos. 28 and 29 St. Ogmore Farm 10 Farm Mary’s View, walk across the road Flemingstone Iron Age Fort Tair C KEY Pelican Inn ro and follow the signposted foot- es path between Nos. 22 and 23 St. Heol y Ogmore Down Bridgend Circular Walk Millwyr Link to Mary’s View. Cross over the stone Common Ewenny Link to other walks stile onto the verge of the A473. Circular Take care when crossing this dual Old Castle Down Pant Walk River Quarry carriageway and follow the way- Ford Common Railway marked tarmac path across the central reserva- Link to tion. Use the steps and follow the waymarked foot- Vale Roads Millenium path over a stone stile and a wooden stile and Stepping Link to St Brides Stones Trail Built up areas Circular Walk continue across the field. Pass through three Railway kissing gates to a point where you come to a small Viaduct wooded area. Go over another stone stile and follow the well-defined path through the woods Afon Alun Croes Antoni All maps in this series are based upon Ordnance Survey maps. and through the metal kissing gate. Follow the 7 St Brides © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. waymarks across the first small field and over the Church of Major (Bridgend County Borough Council) (licence no. 100023405, 2004). St Brides Major The Butler Tomb 6 wooden deck board heading for the large river turn left. Follow this public footpath, which is Village of Ewenny. There is also a link to the right, continue along the field edge path through a bridge in front of you. Go over the bridge and con- bounded on one side by a hedgerow and post and Ewenny Circular Walk. field gate out onto the road where the footpath is tinue straight ahead until you reach a wooded wire fence and the other by the security fence of Ewenny is a unique rural village just south of sign posted in the verge. area, walk through the wooded area where you the Ford factory. Continue along the footpath for Bridgend situated on the edge of the Ewenny River. Turn right at this point and follow the road which will note an old derelict farmhouse. The footpath 800 metres until a point where you come to a In the village you will find a grocery store, a craft is known as Tair Croes, until you note a public then goes through two field gates and comes out wooden stile. Go over the wooden stile and up a shop and café. bridleway signpost on your left hand side. Continue on a country road. set of concrete steps. At the top of the steps turn The highlight of the village is the Ewenny Priory and along the bridleway, which is bounded on both right and follow the stone dust path along the To continue the walk, turn left and walk along the Church. sides for a short distance before it runs into an road until you come to a road junction. At the verge of the A48 until you get to a wooden sign open field. Keeping the field boundary on your left In 1141 the Church of St. Michael became the junction turn right past Ty Candy Farm and walk post which is waymarked across the road. Take care hand side continue along the field edge bridleway beginning of the Benedictine priory of Ewenny along the road for approximately 500 metres until when you are crossing the road and use the central through the wooded area (please note that the granted to the Abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester you come to a property known as Tyn y Caeau. At reservation. surface of this section of path can be wet at times, together with the churches of St. Bride’s Major, this point you will note a wooden footpath sign on Follow the stone dust path which is so wear suitable footwear). As you come out of St. Michael at Colwinston and the Manor at Lampha. your right hand side, go through the double field waymarked into the Bridgend Golf Complex. From the wooded area follow the direction of the way- The Priory and church was founded by Norman gate (remember to close the field gate behind you) here go over a wooden stile and follow the tarmac mark arrow and keeping the field edge on your left nobleman, Maurice de Londres and is widely and head in the direction of the way-marks across access track until you see a gap in the hedgerow hand side continue along the bridleway to a point regarded as one of the finest fortified religious 2 fields and over 2 wooden stiles. Once you have where there are the remnants of an old stile, go where you go through a small copse area onto a buildings in Britain. The village of Ewenny is also gone over the second stile head towards the wood- through the gap and head towards a steel stile track that widens and terminates on the road. home to Ewenny Pottery founded in 1610 and still en signpost near the road, turn left and follow the which is situated in the boundary of a football worked by the same family. It is the oldest working Choice: At this point you can also take the Vale pavement. You are now entering the village of field, go over the steel stile and across the football pottery in Wales. Millennium Trail which is waymarked. Treoes on a street called Glan-y-Nant. pitches to a point where you will see a tall metal To continue on the Bridgend Circular walk - Shortly To continue on the Bridgend Circular Walk cross the In the centre of the village of Treoes you will find gate in the hedgerow near the road. Go through after entering Corntown take the turning on your road and proceed straight ahead along the tarmac a number of Grade 2 Listed buildings including The this gate and turn right along Corntown Road left hand side signed for Heol y Cawl and Nant Lias. lane until you come to a ford. Use the stepping 2 Star Inn PH (3), which is a characterful village 3 towards the village of Corntown, using the grass 4 5 You will also note a wooden footpath sign pointing stones over the Afon Alun, then walk along the house with a thatched roof. Some parts of the verge for a short distance then the pavement. up the track towards Corntown Farm. This track is bridleway on your right hand side. Continue along building date from the mid to late 17th Century. The Nant Baptismal Pool (4) in Corntown was once steep in places. When you get to the gates of the bridleway for a short distance, through a field Opposite The Star Inn is Treoes Farmhouse also used for baptising people. However, it is thought Corntown Farm you will note a wooden stile on gate and under the viaduct. Immediately after the Grade 2 Listed as an early to mid 19th Century that the last baptism was per- your right hand side. Go over the wooden stile railway viaduct turn left through the bridleway Farmhouse, which is unaltered. formed here at the turn of the 20th turn left and follow the field edge path. Follow gate and follow the track for a short distance. Century. More recently it has been Continue along Glan-y-Nant then take the street the path into the corner of the field where the Keeping the fence line on your left hand side go up used for watering cattle. The pool on your right hand side called Parc Newydd. Keep route turns right and the field edge path continues the steep embankment where you will see a way- is fed by groundwater and over- walking along Parc Newydd and then turn left past again with the boundary on your left hand side.