Ogmore Circular
Two hours brisk walking will cover this circular walk
of 6 miles, 10 kilometres, from
Ogmore to Southerndown and back. Park at the Ogmore car park
on the beach (there
is a charge in season). Toilets at Ogmore and Dunraven Bay (latter may be locked
up off season). Refreshments (in season) at Ogmore and Dunraven Bay but Three
Golden Cups public house is also passed en route.Tea room at West Farm in
season. As an alternative you can
start the walk at Southerndown (Dunraven Bay) car park.
(Explorer 151, grid ref. 862755)
For a map showing how to get to the start
click here
Car park at Ogmore with Ogmore River and
Merthyr Mawr dunes beyond. The walk goes in this direction.
Walk to the end of the car park where the River Ogmore meets
the sea and follow the river inland. There are good views across to Porthcawl
at first, then the sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr. Take any path but keep the
river on your left and the road on your right. After a while, looking up
river you will see the ruins of Ogmore Castle beyond a bridge over the
river and on a clear day the wind turbines will be visible on the horizon beyond
this. After about 15 minutes (from the edge of the car park) you will see a
house on your left. Cross the drive that leads to this house and head towards
the main road aiming for a black and white chevron sign on a corner of the road.
Looking up the valley with the Marie
Flanders well in the foreground
Cross the main road here and, ignoring the narrow road to the
right signposted Norton and Heol y Mynydd, head up a valley following the blue
bridleway sign past a heavy black and yellow metal barrier. Stay in the valley
bottom which climbs gradually, ignoring a smaller valley which branches off to
the right just beyond the edge of the trees on the right. Pass a ruined building
on the top of the ridge to the right and then a well, Pant Marie Flanders,
on the path (25 mins). At
the top of the valley the ground flattens and you will see houses ahead. Aim for
the road junction (35 mins). Keep straight ahead down the road opposite,
signposted to Southerndown and just past Groes Farm on the left you come to a
road junction (43 mins). Go ahead on to a path following the blue bridleway sign
opposite and pass a barn on your left with a sign ‘W H Smith of Whitchurch’
on it. After about 75 yards the path forks to the left. Go through a metal gate
and follow the path down to a road by a cattle grid (53 mins).
Turn left along the road for about 20 yards then right over a
stile. Cross the field aiming for a stone stile about two thirds of the way
along the wall on your left. Then aim for a waymark post at the right hand end
of a ruined wall with the houses beyond. You will see a bungalow with a wooden
fence in front and telegraph pole to the right – aim for the right-hand edge
of this fence and through the gap to a kissing gate. Turn left a short way to
the main road. At the main road turn left and then, at the road junction, turn
right passing The Three Golden Cups public house on your left (60 mins).
Left, above Dunraven showing the route back
to Ogmore. Right, looking down on Dunraven gardens
Just before the road bends to the left, take the stone stile
on your right by a lamp post. Keep to the edge of the field and cross two
further stiles, the first 4 metal bars, the second stone, with steps the other
side and a large house on the right. Take the right-hand edge of the field that
drops steadily with trees on your right. At the bottom of the field go through a
wooden gate and turn left along a path. Through a kissing gate then right on to
a tarmac road past buildings on your left, a thatched cottage on your right and
down to the Dunraven Bay car park (75 mins). To visit the ruins of Dunraven
House turn left where there is a sheltered walled garden but return to the
car park to continue the walk.
Two views of Dunraven House before it was
demolished.
From the car park ascend the hill to your right keeping to
the grass alongside the road. At the top, squeeze through the gap in the wall
and head diagonally left across the car park, through the kissing gate with two
seats beyond. From here turn right and follow the path all the way back to
Ogmore car park keeping the sea on your left and wall on your right. Pass West
Farm from where the path runs close to the wall with steep drops to the left.
Follow the wall when it curves sharply to the right, drop into small valley and
head back towards the sea aiming for a path of exposed rock which then becomes a
flatter grassy area. The path eventually reaches a gate on the opposite end of
the car park from which we started.
Left, sketch map of walk. Right, OS map.
Alternative
walk
To shorten the walk, when you get to the cattle grid (end of paragraph 2), turn right along the road for a short distance until you
see a grassy area on the left of the road. Cross the road onto the grassy area
just past a yellow waymark sign and then aim towards the sea between two walls
where you will see some concrete posts. Go through the concrete posts and then
head right along the cliff top picking up the original route - final paragraph.
This short-cut reduces the overall walk distance to 4.5 miles.
