Newton to Sker

Follow the A4106 into Porthcawl. Left turn at roundabout just outside town for Newton village. The village dates from the 12th.C. The Church of St. John's was founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem 800 years ago and was originally built as a fortress.



To the south of the church is St. John's Well where weary pilgrims drank from the its 'healing' waters. These days weary travellers have to choose between the Jolly Sailor and the Ancient Briton.

Walk along Beach Road and you come to Newton Beach. It is a long sandy and rocky beach, backed by Newton Burrows and Merthyr Mawr sand dunes (designated a site of special scientific interest) and ending at the mouth of the River Ogmore at Ogmore-by-Sea.

Walk along Trecco Beach towards Porthcawl Harbour. It is a large sandy beach and although Trecco Bay holiday park is situated alongside it, it is non-commercialised and unspoilt.

A contrast with the next bay along, Sandy Bay. This is the area known as Coney Beach with a fairground and donkey rides. Sandy Bay hosts the Christmas morning swim where 3 to 4oo swimmers, many in fancy dress, have braved the waters since 1965. This event draws in thousands of spectators and raises thousands of pounds for local charities.

Past the promenade of Porthcawl you see the Rest Convalescent Home built at Rest Bay with the help and advice of Florence Nightingale.

Rest Bay is popular with surfers. The event pictured here is the annual 'Elusive Welsh Open' held on October 12th 2008.

The 800 year-old mansion known as Sker House has recently been restored. Sker House was originally founded by the monks of Neath as one of the 'granges' or farms to support the abbey. It was immortalised by R.D. Blackmore in the novel, 'The Maid of Sker'. Blackmore, who also wrote 'Lorna Doone', spent his childhood close by in the village of Nottage.

Sker Beach is the most westerly beach in Porthcawl. On April 23rd, 1947, the Samtampa was wrecked at Sker Point. Her crew of 39 perished and all 8 volunteer crewmen of the Mumbles lifeboat were lost while attempting to rescue her.

Bishop's Wood to Brandy Cove

Park at Caswell Bay car park - free between October and March - just off the B4593. The Nature Reserve has been wooded since at least the 17th Century.

The Roundhouse was built in 2003 by Davydd Davies-Hughes. It was inspired by a study of a medieval cathedral spire.

Holtsfield, adjoining Bishop's Wood, is a community of 27 small, single-storey chalets built during the interwar years.

On the other side of Caswell Bay Road lies Brandy Cove. The name derives from the days when alcohol and tobacco were brought ashore illicitly during the 19th. Century. Small boats loaded ore here from the lead mines that were worked nearby. Legend has it that a witch called 'Old Moll' once haunted Brandy Cove.

A more chilling tale and one based on fact involves a young woman called Mamie Stuart who lived in Caswell Bay Road and went missing in the winter of 1919. In November, 1961, 3 pot-holers discovered a human skeleton which had been sawn into 3 pieces. Mamie's bigamist husband was the likely suspect but he had died 3 years before the discovery. Her remains are buried in Bishopston churchyard. Is this the shaft where the bones were discovered?

All Slade Mine also known as Bishopston Mine was a small lead mine first recorded working in the latter part of the 18th. Century. It reopened as the Bishopston Silver-Lead Mine from 1850 - 1853. The pump was never able to adequately cope with the influx of water. The only recorded output was 10 tons of lead ore in 1853.

Parkmill to Southgate

A circular 3-4 mile Gower walk taking in a castle, fine views
and a first-class coffee shop.




Parkmill, on the A4118, is the start of this walk
to Southgate. The footpath starts alongside
the Maes-Yr-Haf restaurant. In the summer
it's usually possible to park in a field next to the
footpath for £2.50. Otherwise, try the Gower
Heritage Centre in Parkmill or outside Shepherd's
shop for a charge between 2 and 3 pounds. There is a
free car park in Parc Le Breos -
turn right at the Heritage Centre and it's
about half a mile up the lane. Good walks there too.



Cross over the bridge and make your way beside
the stream.

Take the path to the left at the signpost for Southgate.
Start the steepish climb up Pennard Hill.

After about 10 minutes from the bridge, the path
comes out onto Pennard golf course.

Make your way along the footpath to Pennard castle.
From the ruins of this 14th. C. castle there are terrific
views over Three Cliffs Bay.

Down below the castle there is Pennard Pill,
a stream that winds its way to the sea.

Three Cliffs Bay is accessible from the castle if
you pick your way down a sandy footpath.
It is also possible to walk back to Parkmill along
the side of the stream.

Follow the path to Southgate, skirting

the edge of the golf course.



Great view of Three Cliffs from here!



Soon the sandy path through the dunes comes
out onto a cliffside path.

Take in the breath-taking view from the comfort
of a handy bench.

There's a bit more of a steep walk before you come

out onto the cliff top path to Southgate.

After about 15 minutes of walking you will see
the National Trust car park in Southgate.

Next to the car park is Three Cliffs Coffee Shop.
Open 9 till 6 Monday to Sunday, it's only closed
Christmas Day. Great food and beverages!

Walk along Southgate road to Pennard Golf Club.

Follow the footpath through the golf course
keeping the water tower to your right.

Then keep to the right of the course staying on
the footpath.

Soon you will join up with the path that takes you
back down the hill to Parkmill.

In Search of Copper Slag

An amble around the heart of Swansea's Copper heritage.



The White Rock Industrial Park Car Park is
1st roundabout exit (small road) off the
A4217 (Pentrechwyth road) just before
the White Rock bridge. The roundabout is where
Middle Bank Copperworks once was.



White Rock Copperworks was established in 1737
where copper was smelted until 1871 when the
Vivian's took it over to smelt silver and lead.
The site was almost completely
cleared between 1963 and 1965 except for what can
be seen today (and what's under the surface).



From the Tawe river east side, walk over the bridge
and make your way down to the river.
Just under the bridge is the start of a
riverside footpath. Look over your shoulder and you will notice
the two remaining chimney stacks of the Hafod Copperworks.
We will pass these on our walk.



Make your way past the Copper Court iPads.
Some of the top windows may remind you of the mask
in the movie 'Scream'. This is the site of the former
Upper Bank Copperworks.



A copper smelting shed has been kept by Barratt as a
"feature" of the development.



Just before the old Morfa Bascule bridge is the quay.
There are lines where trucks took copper slag
from the Morfa Copperworks.



The lifting-deck carried the slag waste
from the Morfa furnaces to tips north of Upper Bank
Works on the other side of the river. A section of
the bridge could be lifted to allow sailing ships to pass upstream.



Carry on to the end of Normandy road then head towards
Frankie and Benny's on your right. Take the safe crossing
then head right past the Park and Ride onto Neath road.
After the railway bridge, turn left alongside the Park and Ride
bus lane by the traffic lights.



On the right you can see the former offices
of the Hafod Copperworks, now Landore Social Club.



As you walk towards the Park and Ride depot
you can see a mid 19th. C. limekiln on the left. It stands on
what was the west bank of the Swansea Canal
and was one of fifty four that were along the canal.
The limestone came from Mumbles along the Oystermouth
railway and Swansea Canal and was used in building.
The anthracite coal also came by canal from the upper
Swansea Valley.



Seen from inside the Park and Ride car park is the
long building which is Swansea Museum's Collections Centre.
This was once Morfa Copperworks steam-powered
rolling mill and was once the longest building of its kind in the world.
Parts of it date back to 1830.
It's usually possible to visit it on the second
Wednesday of each month but check with Swansea Museum.



Hafod and Morfa Copperworks merged as part of the British Copper
Manufacturers' Limited in 1924 when the refining of copper ended.
Yorkshire Imperial Metals Limited took it over in 1927.
Many of the buildings, such as the 19th. C. Power House,
(in more recent years, a canteen) have been damaged by fire.



Hafod Copperworks, the largest copper smelting works
in the world at one time, was owned by the Vivian family
who employed 1000 people on this site. A high stone wall divided
the Hafod and Morfa Copperworks which was owned by
the Williams family. The Vivian Engine House is one of two
on the site - the other is the Musgrave Engine House
that superceded it. It was built in the early 1860s and was
enlarged in 1900. It housed a steam engine that powered nearby
copper rolling mills. The stack to the rear was part of a rolling
mill shed.



Continue along the west side towards the city looking down at the river quay.
Sailing vessels will have unloaded copper ore from here as well as
taken copper goods. It dates from about 1810.



On the right is what remains of Vivian and Sons'
railway locomotive shed built of copper slag bricks.
It housed a standard gauge Garrett locomotive
which was used to move materials around the
Hafod Works. It was built around 1910.
The front displays, 'V & S Ltd. No.1 Shed' in
glazed white brick and is rather obscured in summer.



The steps reach down from the shed to the Tawe.



Lumps of copper slag scattered everywhere are
reminders of an age when the area was the centre
of the world's copper smelting activities.