The wind had been so strong during the night that a couple of pegs had pulled loose. Rain water had somehow breached the outer fly and my ground sheet and trousers were wet. I had a small indoor swimming pool. No bother though i had breakfast in the hope it would pass before i packed up and set off for Porthcawl some 12 miles away.
While just packing the last of my gear away the lifeguard team pulled up and immediately saw to my needs, they put the kettle on. A lovely bunch of guys and a slightly different breed to the crews of the lifeboats. As we were chatting and sipping on a hot brew the clouds began to settle and it was time for me to negotiate the steel works.
Leaving the station i set off following the promenade as far as i could before continuing along the coastal path which led to a complex of roads. I soon found myself away from the coastal route and simply making it up as i went along. Unable to persuade the security guards to let me walk through the steel works i assured them I'd improvise a way.
Quite frankly it was a total ball ache but i followed the main bypass eventually finding a low fence which meant i could come off the road with the dangers of the oncoming traffic. I was then faced with having to negotiate a electricty substation but managed to squeeze around its permiter and picked up a disused track. This took me back to the coast path and across a dozen rail tracks heading towards the coast. I was getting closer however the coastal path had other ideas and i was soon redirected along a narrow trail. It was getting a little frustrating.
I did however eventually find a way down to the beach and was able to hike along it pretty much all the way to Porthcawl. Smelling the inviting odur of chip shop chip my stomach grumbled and although I'd walked passed i turned back. The overwhelming desire to eat a chip buttie minus the butter. I simply don't like the taste of butter. The lifeboat station wasn't much further and upon arrival let alison know so that one of the crew could meet up and show me round the station and the boat, an Atlantic rib.
Once again the kettle was immediately put on to boil while i discussed the trek and my plans ahead. I was also offered the use of their shower but alas with time quickly passing and evening drawing close i found i soon ran out of time and had to press on in order to get to the days final destination, Ogmore which was almost directly across the bay a further 7 miles away.
Leaving the station i quickly hiked passed the pleasure beach with its fair ground rides and crowds of tourists eating candyfloss and munching on burgers. Escaping the flurry of screaming children and annoyed parents it was some relief that i broke free and soon found myself back hiking a sandy beach with only the sound of the sea once again lapping the shore. The tide was now on its way out but darkness would soon befall.
The beach was several miles long and a fast flowing river would pose my next challenge. It had been suggested by one of the Porthcawl crew to use a bridge that led from a nearby Penybont treatment works to the other side of the river warning me that i would probably need to scale a security fence in order to get on to it. It was certainly worth a look.
Reaching the estuary i turned inland prepared to get hoolley out if necessary. Reaching the bridge though i noticed that other people had also used the bridge to cross. Probably locals. The security fence had by the look of it been breached several times and on a small section the barbed wire had been removed. I scrambled up the bank towards the treatment works and located the breach. Ok so there was a little climb but compared to the deer fencing I'd tackled in Scotland this was no big feat.
The sun was beginning to set just as i left the bridge and turned to head towards Ogmore. My plan was to hike to the village via the coastal path and then continue on to the heritage centre situated about two miles further on. Again the Porthcawl crew had suggested a quiet camping spot nearby which sounded ideal. It was dark when i finally arrived at the centre at the bottom of a small valley. The long grass was particularly inviting and as i lay on it and stretched my legs. It was around 11:30pm by the time I'd had my evening meal and eventually settled in.
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