Cefn Bryn - The Gower Way

Sunday 28 October 2001

The Gower Way 

Sunday 28 October promised to be a fine day, so, with nothing planned, a trip to Gower provided the opportunity to spend a few hours on the hoof.  I had taken a look at Cefn Bryn in passing, and thought that the Cefn Bryn ridge was worth taking a look at for a leisurely stroll.

The one feature which was worth a visit would be Arthur's Stone an ancient Burial Chamber.  I decided my walk would have a start and a finish, so I made it a point to visit the two trig points on Cefn Bryn, Trig Pt 154 in the west  and Trig Pt 186 in the east.

Starting from the "car park" - more like a tank training ground - I headed towards the Trig Pt 154 along a grass path, then turned approx NE towards a cairn close to Arthur's Stone. The direct route took me straight into a bog, so after a few minutes dodging around, I got through and continued to the Cairn. The Cairn was not much more than a very large low pile of limestone rocks. The view across the Loughor Estuary was worth the visit. O.K. so on to Arthur's Stone.  I'd not realised that the ancient monument was a Burial Chamber, believing it to be a standing stone. I'm not sure whether it is a Cromlech or not. The Cromlech at Pentre Ifan in West Wales stands higher, but nevertheless it is a Cap Stone resting on pillars. The Cap Stone is massive and I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't weigh at least 15 tonnes. How on earth was it erected? I left the burial chamber following a path which eventually turned and met the road. Crossing the road I decided to follow my GPS to some earth works west of Walterston Farm at Grid Ref SS/5082 89685. There was no actual path, but my route took me over some rough ground comprising mainly of dead ferns. Eventually my GPS gave me the information that I was getting close to my objective, and when about 100m away I could see that the earthworks were probably in the midst of a mass of gorse bushes. Seeing this I abandoned the idea and promptly turned south climbing up to one of the established paths which run east to west along Cefn Bryn. The next point of reference would be the Trig Point 186. At SS/ 51287 89162 my path joined another higher path which continued as one path to the trig point.  At the junction I was overtaken by two joggers.  Their energy gave me a twinge of nostalgic jealousy.  Reaching the Trig Point gave me the opportunity for a bit of a rest, not that I had exerted myself very much though.  Between the junction of the paths and the Trig Point I took a photo looking approximately NE as a view of the distant Brecon Beacons (Central and Western) presented itself. Indeed in the hazy distance The Carmarthenshire Fans, Fan Gyhirych and Pen-y-Fan were easily seen and recognised.

My return route took the higher path which arrived at the high spot at SS/50965 89195 it was at about this point that I took the photo of Cefn Bryn at the top of this page. A leisurely walk along the ridge with some lovely views viz. Oxwich Bay to my left and the Loughor Estuary, and Broad Pool on my right. It was now about 1.00 pm and soon more visitors to Cefn Bryn were encountered. This was not unexpected as it was a lovely day - in fact shirt sleeve order.

I arrived back at my start point - my car - having walked/strolled 4.85 mile.  With the car in sight, I came across a  structure,  at SS/49415 89893, erected by the local Rotary Club to commemorate her Majesty the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. It is a circular stainless steel plate about 600mm diameter mounted atop a circular plinth with direction pointers to various locations around the area, and is shown on the O.S. Map as a viewing point. A delightful walk which passed a few hours most enjoyably. Definitely NOT a walk for anyone seeking adventure and excitement, but enjoyable nevertheless.