It started out with the best of intentions the walk we were about to embark on – honest! I had noticed it before but not really taken much notice, it was the “Gower Way Sign” (LLWYBR GWYR) which I had taken to be a cycle path in the past but it is in fact a walking route! Anyways, we decided to start to follow it….
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| From 2010 – 31.01.2010 – Gorseinon & The Start of the Gower Way |
We started to walk along the nicely tarmaced way, (which in my opinion is probably the most looked after path I have come across for a while!) I have wondered if the route was part of an old train line (I know that there used to be a train station in Gorseinon many years ago) – but I no evidence suggested it and I have discovered since The Gower Way is in fact 35 miles from Rhossli to Mynydd y Gwair!!
Still we came off the path rather abruptedly as it started to rain – not your normal type rain, freezing rain which at first I thought was snow again. But instead of turning back we took a path off – which was not a well maintained… But the muddy areas were frozen and the the puddles were ice! The biggest problem was climbing the little hill that suddenly appeared from nowhere!
Having scrambled to the top – of what felt like a mountain (mainly because I felt freezing) I suddenly felt much better as the snow / rain had now gone and the view made it worth it
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| From 2010 – 31.01.2010 – Gorseinon & The Start of the Gower Way |
The top of the hill was not exactly exciting as we needed to walk around a chain link fence… clearly a company property was behind there. We decided that we would carry on our walk past the industrial area – so we crossed the road and scrambled up a slope.
It was then we realised we must be in another park of some kind. Again the idea of there being an old trainline being there at some point was a bigger possiblity – particularly the landscape and type of soil and stones that were around! We decided to investigate. We found a very odd metal shaped building – was it for a playground? Sadly I didn’t take a picture 😦 It was then clear there was an old railway at one point – the path was about the right width for a track!
We decided to make our way to the top of the track bed and it confirmed my suspicion, the old level crossing gate had been left intact! (even though a newer one was there too! (you can see them on all my picasa photos if you interested!) I took one last photo of where the line could have gone and We decided to leave the railway history behind…
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| From 2010 – 31.01.2010 – Gorseinon & The Start of the Gower Way |
We followed the path down the hill not knowing what to expect next. Not everyone is excited by old level crossings! As we walked down further we thought we would be ending the walk but no….. on our right something caught our eye. A ruin? A castle? So we investigated. Hidden amongst trees and not every well displayed is a mill… with very interesting past
The mill has now been protected by the Archaeological Trust which is a good thing as it looks like it has been disrepair for quite a long time. Sadly the old cottages that were attached to the mill had been demolished a long time ago. Evidence of the Mill using some sort of damming system further down the stream could be found – but you had to climb through the woods to get to it. I wonder if anything else is going to be done?
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| From 2010 – 31.01.2010 – Gorseinon & The Start of the Gower Way |
After visiting the mill, we found our way out of the parc – Parc Melin Mynach. We were off to warm up with a Sunday Lunch! Great way to finish a walk which included the Gower Way (well starting a tiny bit of it LOL!), Railway Walk to Historical find.
My Route Map & Photos can be found if you click on the photo below!
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| 2010 – 31.01.2010 – Gorseinon & The Start of the Gower Way |
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