South Glamorgan coast path

zlod

zlod

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Mar 2008
Messages
205
Location
Avon
Visit site
I'm thinking of a sailing trip to Cardiff this weekend with a view to having a run along the south Glamorgan coast path (west from Penarth). Is this coast path continuous? It seems like you have to go inland at the following points:

- Watch House Point to Breaksea Point across Leys Beach (around Aberthaw power station)

- Walls Pool to Summerhouse Point

- Nash Brook (903700) to Dunraven Bay (898713)

It seems from earlier "where is it" posts that forumites know this coastline, so I'm hoping someone can help me (and stop me from having to go inland unnecessarily).

Does anyone have a grid reference for a big ammonite and some dinosaur footprints in the Rhoose / Lavernock area?

Any info would be gratefully received.

Cheers,
Zlod
 
I know the area well...From Barry to Llantwit is straight forward. Passing the powerstation is great for running as you can run along the wall.Basic route after Porthkerry park is the cliff path. When you pass the new estate in the quarry in Rhoose there is a path and a stream leading to the beach, go onto the beach,turn right and walk about 30 yds and you will find the ammonite , if you continue to the flat rock area you will see the dinasaur prints. Continuing west you need to go through the caravan site (ignore the signs!) then follow the cliff edge until you find 99 steps.....if you miss there are more steps at the far end.
 
Talking of which, we are hoping to sail that way on Saturday, run out with the tide from Cardiff fairly early and see how far along the coast we can get before the tide turns at 11ish. I'm hoping to get to Aberthaw or further. Never having sailed along there before, anything dreadful I should know about?

cheers.
 
Not got a chart to hand but there are rocks off barry/sully that people don't seem to notice so have a good look. You can do Swansea in one tide.... just plan passage around Nash sands. There is a patch between Rhoose & Aberthaw about 1 mile out that gets really rough for some reason so stay very close inshore (or off shore)
 
Look on your chart for Castle Rock off Porthkerry.Several yachts have clipped it at low water some disasterously some just embarrisingly .A rule of thumb is that if Sully Island is "open" ie you can see all of it then you are far enough off shore to avoid it,

If Sully Island is fully or partially hiding behind thr headlands when you look to the East then you are too close in.
 
[ QUOTE ]
You will need to take a long detour inland to avoid Barry Docks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I might give it a miss then. My boat weighs over three tonnes, and there's only me and Louise to carry it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Look on your chart for Castle Rock off Porthkerry.Several yachts have clipped it at low water some disasterously some just embarrisingly .A rule of thumb is that if Sully Island is "open" ie you can see all of it then you are far enough off shore to avoid it,

If Sully Island is fully or partially hiding behind thr headlands when you look to the East then you are too close in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Found it. Cheers.
 
Thanks csail: being able to go on the wall on the seaward side of the power station should make things a lot easier. I'll try to find the ammonite and the dinosaur footprints at Rhoose too.

Graham> It looks to me like I'm going to have to go inland at Barry as you say. I was hoping that it would be possible to use that Wimborne Road that crosses just north east of No.2 Dock as shown on the ABP Barry Map. I can't tell whether this is open to the public though. It might be easiest to just bite the bullet and go well inland.

The South Glamorgan coast looks amazing geologically from the photos on Google Earth. It'll be good to see it - and correlate the landmarks on the chart with actual "things".

Looks to me like there will be quite good weather this weekend. I like the look of the Force 3/4 from the north west on xcweather for Sunday. That looks like a perfect opportunity to beam reach across to somewhere like Porlock and then beam reach back to Portishead.

Has anyone sailed between Sully Island and the mainland? I'm sort of guessing that this is not a good idea. The chart isn't very helpful with depths around there (apart from the big splodge of green above the drying contour).
 
I have been through the Sully island gap but only on a spring, also went through it on the Balmorall so can't be that dodgy.
 
Re: Sully Island

The causeway out to Sully Island dries completely at half tide .Crossed it many times when I had a boat at BYC.

It can save you a bit of time if heading west from Cardiff against the last of the flood tide .Its all rock so best to have a look on foot at LW first .
 
Totally off the subject but just of Rhoose there is a massive anchor from some wreck. Is it ok to put a buoy and chain on it as a mooring? Ie..stop for lunch.
 
Wimbourne Road is open to the public but after passing Morrisons supermarket you will need to turn right then go left along Broad St to get to the "Old Harbour" This is called Barry Harbour on the map but is the old mostly silted up harbour. The current Barry Harbour is at the Docks entrance.

I would say that from the coast Path at Sully you are looking at about 3 miles of not especially pleasant detour before you get to the Old Harbour.

To do the path west of Barry I would arrange with BYC to leave the boat in Barry Harbour for the day then you can start on the coast path from Jacksons Bay around Nells point into Whitmore Bay then on to the west.

The Penarth to Sully bit is all accessible if you carry on up the beach towards the Bendricks Rock there are fossils ,footprints etc around there if you can find them.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Totally off the subject but just of Rhoose there is a massive anchor from some wreck. Is it ok to put a buoy and chain on it as a mooring?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure if its legal or not but would think it only a matter of time before someone ends up with it wrapped around the prop.
 
Well, we made it. Locked out from Cardiff at 07:30. Easy sail dowm to Lavernock spit then a couple of hours beating upwind towards aberthaw. The wind seemed a fair bit fresher than Forecast, and with a Westerly against the last of the ebb, there were a few white horses about. We realised about 2 miles from Aberthaw that we were starting to fight the tide as well, so turned tail for a nice run into Barry docks. The hot buttered crumpets Louise cooked up attracted a few undesirables, but we managed to fight Graham off.

We had a cracking broad reach down to Steepholm then, with wind and tide and touched 10 knots sog. Realised that the wind was getting up so took half the genoa in. Didn't feel confident in reefing the main in the seas off Steepholm. This is something we have to sort - we might have to one day.

With the wind now gusting to 26 knots, according to the Nasa wind thingy, I was surprised how lumpy it was heading back up. Couldn't make the Cardiff South buoy against wind and tide so sailed up to the East of Cardiff Grounds and then past the North Cardiff and tied up at 5pm.

A much better day than expected, the conditions pushed us hard towards the end, which was great. Just what us learners need. 37 miles logged.

Very happy at our 'achievement'. Only slight problems was out water turning sour off Aberthaw, Tigger got a touch of scurvy and the unwelcome reappearance of the crumpets between the Holms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top