GLYNNEATH & ABERPERGWM CIRCULAR

DAI'S BLOG

Dai, Rob & Max the dog selfie

Then Rob fell backwards and I was looking the other way and I missed the photo so I was obviously not firing on all cylinders but we said our goodbyes at the bridge (we'll be going over there soon) and I carried on. 

The Bridge over the River Neath

The ground was a bit icy and I managed to remain upright. I'm extremely familiar with this part of the walk so was enable to enjoy the view of the river and feel the sunshine on my face, despite the frost and the chill in the air it still felt quite warm. It was a good day and I was heading to Marshall's burger van for a late breakfast.

The girls inside are waving but just didn't show up on the photo, are they ghosts maybe. My Big Boy Breakfast Roll certainly wasn't and it filled a lovely big hole in my tummy. The walk continued back where I came from and I was aiming to come back along the mountain and drop back into Glynneath. Then I hit a problem, the public bridleway I was on was blocked off with a fence and a sign 'danger radiation'. So I headed up to the shed sales place to see if there was an alternate route and to enquire about sheds, because you'll never know when you may need one. As luck would have it the lady of the house was passing in a car and she let me know there was no path there and there were no alternate routes in that direction. So I headed back down and cut through the trees to the bridleway and a possible dose of radiation sickness/death. The track proceeded up the mountain and around through the back of the colliery. There were no signposts but I had the map and magnifying glass out and all was well. I continued to follow the marked bridleway on the map and was soon into motorcycle scrambling territory with the associated noises in the background, there were plenty of tracks and rutted areas, route tapes and arrows so tgis was a well used area. Keeping an eye out for Ivan Mauger or any of his friends I plodded on and without deviation from my route reached to turn for home. It was here I saw a sign facing the other way warning me of the motorsport activity. I was lucky to be alive.

Down I went and alongside ran a cascading stream, although the course of it looked man made it was quite picturesque. The forestry track turned the corner and the path soon turned into a concrete road after a gate. Thankfully it wasn't as icy here as it had been riverside because the path was wet and later on had a stream running on it and if this was ice it would have been an absolute nightmare. I made it back into Glynneath in one piece and spent 5 minutes looking around St Cradoc's church. (more info to follow). By this time the air had heated up nicely and the gloves were off. Through the Manor gates and onto the road and back to the finish via the 'Road to Nowhere'. Just a short word about the 'RTN'. It's the old town bypass which linked the old A465 up to the dual carriageway before they dualled it all the way to Neath. It has no access road and is only used by dog walkers, runners, bikers and the like. It's about 400 metres long, I don't know why but I just love it. Back to the finish and I'm done.

My first WAW blog and my first problem, a blocked path. So what do I do about it ? do I get involved with access issues, do I contact my local councillor or council. I think the answer is nothing, I want to keep this website positive and this is a negative step forward, I'll just find another way to get to where I wanted to go and If I've done wrong then I'm sure someone in authority will find out by reading this and lock me up.  But if someone out there wants to campaign for this right of way to be re-opened or want to take this forward then here's the info about the location.

Grid Ref: SN 862  058  - Derifach Lane, Aberpergwm, Glynneath

16/12/14 - OK - so you've caught me cheating already, today I worked out an alternative route for the above walk on my mountain bike. Naughty I know but I try to alternate between walk days and bike days because I broke my leg (femur in February) and I've found that cycling pumps the blood around faster and is less stressful on my leg. Plus it gets me around faster which leaves me more time to work on the website. Today I found an alternative route that cuts out the risk of radiation. I also spoke to someone who is seriously in the know about any radiation risks at Aberpergwm and they told me that the only possible source of radiation in the colliery was in the coal screening sheds and even inside the shed the risks were minute. So I found an alternate route that's alittle bit muddier but probably easier to navigate. For more info please click on the link below.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS WALK - GLYNNEATH ABERPERGWM CIRCULAR