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7 8AcknowledgementsThanks to the following for helping to either prepare the walk and text or for sponsoring the leaflet:• Groundwork Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot• Countryside Council for Wales• Merthyr Mawr Community Council• Porthcawl Town Council

BRIDGEND

PORTHCAWL

LlangeinorBettws

PencoedTo Cardiff

Coychurch

Ewenny

St Brides MajorOgmoreby Sea

MerthyrMawr

Newton

Tondu

Pyle

GROU

NDWOR

K

BRIDGEND & NEATHPORT TALBOT

PEN-Y-BONT AR OGWRA CASTELL NEDDPORT TALBOT

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A4106

B4524

B4265

A473

A42

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B4281

A406

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A48

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A4063

To Swansea

Designed by design@bridgend Tel: 01656 642046

Merthyr Mawr Warren is a haven for wildlife and is also the highest dune system in Wales. Sand has settled on top of a limestone cliff creating a special habitat for plants (such as

violets, sea-buckthorn,seaside pansies, summerorchids, autumn gentianand rosebay willowherb),and insects, includinggrassland butterflies.Look out for the red-caped cinnabarmoths from May, followedby the brightly colouredsix-spot burnet moths.Birds that can be foundin the winter pools aremallard, wigeon, teal and

shoveller. Merthyr Mawr is also full of human history. A large part of the reserve is a scheduledancient monument. Finds have included Mesolithicflints, stone axes, beakers, Neolithic pottery, IronAge hearths, Bronze Age burial chambers, andRoman coins.

Follow the path through a kissing gate, shortlyafter which there is a fork in the route. Take thepath to the right, which is also part of theHeritage Coast Walk. Go through several kissinggates and follow the path, keeping the stone wallon your left, to the junction where the path meetsanother path from Tythegston and a permissivebridleway.

Go over the stone stile or through the adjacentgate.

CHOICE! At Point X on the plan you have the optionto take a route to Candleston Castle . If youchoose to do this, follow the track to the right. It is just over half a mile (1.1km). Please note thatpart of this track can be very wet at certain timesof the year.

To continue on the circular walk bear left and headtowards Tythegston . The road follows a ridgewith good views of the mountains and valleys tothe left and the remains of Saxon workings in thefield to the right.

Follow the path tothe point where

you can take apublic footpathon the left handside. Go overthe wooden

stile keeping thehedgerow on your

right. Follow the field-edge path to a

wooden stile. Go overthe stile and bear

left. Follow the defined route through Cwm yBefos. Go over a further two stiles and jointhe path towards Newton. From this pointsimply retrace your steps to Newton Village.

Advice & InformationThe going is very steep in places and may bewet. Remember to wear suitable clothes andgood shoes/boots and take food and drink

with you and be prepared to get fit! Alwaysfollow the Countryside Code. When you arewalking on minor roads keep to the right andmake use of verges whenever you can.

It should be easy to follow the route using themap and instructions inside this leaflet. Whenwalking the route try and look out for the Walklogo that will be situated on stiles, gates andposts along the route. Directional waymarkswith arrows will assist you as to which direction to walk in once you are on a publicright of way. We also recommend you refer tothe OS Explorer Map 151 Cardiff and Bridgend.

For further information about this walk, topass on your comments and suggestionsor to report any practical problems on anyof the paths please contact the Rights of Way Section, Environmental andCommunities Directorate, Morien HouseBennett Street, Bridgend IndustrialEstate, Bridgend, CF31 3SH

Telephone 01656 642537 or O1656 642593

or by e-mail at rightsofway@bridgend.gov.uk

Countryside CodeRESPECT PROTECT ENJOY

• Be safe– plan ahead and followany signs

• Leave gates andproperty as you find them

• Protect plants and animals,and take your litter home

• Keep dogs under close control

• Consider other people

Follow the Countryside Code wherever you go. You willget the best out of the countryside and help tomaintain it now and for the future.

Public TransportFor further information on bus times and servicenumbers telephone Bridgend County BoroughCouncil’s, Public Transport Section on O1656642559 or the Traveline on O871 2OO 22 33(www.traveline.info).

Car ParkingThere is parking provision at the following:

• Candleston Castle car park. This car park is open from 9.OOam to 5.OOpmin winter and 9.OO am to 7.3O pm in summer.

A charge normally applies.

• On-street parking in Newton Village, Porthcawl.

AccommodationTo make a reservation or to obtain information onaccommodation contact one of the TouristInformation Centres. These are at McArthur GlenDesigner Outlet off Junction 36 the M4 (tele-phone O1656 6549O6) and at John Street,Porthcawl (telephone O1656 786639).

For further general information about theBridgend area you can contact us via e-mail attourism@bridgend.gov.uk. Alternatively, you canvisit our website - which is at www.bridgend.gov.uk

Candleston Castle

Wooded walk near Merthyr Mawr

Cwm y Befos

The Ancient Briton public house

Six Spot Burnett mothPhoto Courtesy of Mike Clark

Stile at Merthyr Mawr Warren

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Waymark

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IntroductionThis leaflet describes a walk fromNewton Village through a unique system of sand dunes. The route isapproximately 9km (51/2 miles). Thewalk should take approximately 3 to 31/2hours to complete however, youshould allow a bit more time to enjoythe views of the countryside andcoast. The route uses a combination ofmaintainable highway, public footpathsand public bridleway, including a section of the Heritage Coast Path.

For convenience the following directions are written with NewtonVillage as the starting point but youcould equally well join the walk fromTythegston or Wig Fach.

Newton village dates from the 12th century. It was founded as the ‘New Town’close to the Saxon settlement of Nottage byRichard de Cardiff. By the 17th century it wasa thriving port exporting wheat, oats and knitted stockings and importing fruit andsalt.

Newton Church.The magnificentchurch was probablyfounded by theKnights of theOrder of St. John ofJerusalem about8OO years ago. It wasoriginally a fortress witha tower for look-outs towarn of attacks from thesea. Inside, look out for theunique wall-mounted pulpit.

To the south of the church is Sandford’s Well , dedicated toSt. John the Baptist.Over the years, it’sbeen claimed that thewater has magical,curative and holyproperties.

Follow the waymarked sandy track across thedunes, past the hamlet of Wig Fach . Turnright and follow the waymarked path acrossthe dunesl e a d i n gt o w a r d sthe sea.There areviews ofN e w t o nPoint tothe west.Along thissection you will notice views of the BristolChannel and Ogmore by Sea. On a clear dayMinehead can be seen in the distance.

From this point onwards the terrain changes,becoming much steeper in places (the gradient can reach 1:3), and the sandy surface is not as compact. After yourdescent on the path you will come to a largeclearing. Take the waymarked path on the lefthand side. You may notice a disused rifle rangeon your right. You are now in Merthyr MawrWarren .

Newton to Candleston Walk

Newton Church

Start the walk atNewton Churchand follow ChurchStreet past theJolly Sailor (theoldest pub inPorthcawl) on theleft hand side, onto BryneglwysAvenue. Take the

signed public footpath on your left, locallyknown as Puddle Lane, until you reach BirchWalk. Cross the road and take the signpostedfootpath opposite. At the Burrows continuealong the public footpath directly oppositeand through the A-frame barrier. Follow thewell-defined, waymarked path that runsbehind Lime Tree Way into Newton Burrows.The path is relatively level and the surface iscompact sand.

Newton Burrows. In 1973, a 3OOO year oldburial tomb was found near here. This was oneof many burials in the area associated withthe Beaker Folk, so called because they decorated pots they made. Archaeologicalfinds also indicate that the Iron Age Celtsand the Romans settled here.

The Jolly Sailor public house

This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationary Office,© Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. (Bridgend County BoroughCouncil Licence Number 100023405, 2007).

Atgynhyrchir y map hwn o ddeunydd yr Ordnance Survey gyda chaniatâd yr Ordnance Survey ar ran Rheolwr Llyfrfa Ei Mawrhydi © Hawlfraint y Goron.Mae atgynhyrchu heb ganiatâd yn torri hawlfraint y Goron a gall hyn arwain at erlyniad neu achos sifil. (100023405, 2007).

Sandford’s Well

Newton

Newton Church NewtonBurrowsSandford’s

Well

Merthyr MawrWarren

Wig-fach

Rifle Range(disused)

Merthyr MawrWarren

Tythegston

Cwm y

Befos

CandlestonCastle

Car Park

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Newton beach

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