Portbrid two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 80.00% of reviewers

I haven't walked the whole of this route, but I can offer an insight into the difficulties people are experiencing trying to find their way through the dunes at Merthyr Mawr. I only walked from Newton to Candleston Castle, then made my way back along the coast, rather than continuing to Bridgend. Anyway, if you use an Ordnance Survey map to get through the dunes, things start off pretty well and the paths you follow are fairly accurately drawn on the map. All of a sudden, everything goes haywire, and the maze of trodden paths you find on the ground simply don't match what's shown on the map. Furthermore, a very bold straight line route shown on the map simply doesn't exist on the ground. That's why everyone finds it a struggle. I walked back and forth through those dunes, just to see where the waymarked paths went, along with the most well trodden paths, and I managed to separate out three good options for getting from one side of the dunes to the other. I marked them on a map and you can check them as follows...

To get from A to B on the map you have three good options...

1. This path runs downhill and is waymarked. It's also used by horses and it's been trodden very deeply into the ground. If you meet horse riders, it's difficult to get out of the way. The route continues through a valley that carries a stream. You will have to walk in the stream all the way through the valley if there's been any rain. (See picture of how wet it gets.)

2. This path is waymarked, but once you start following it, you have to spot the markers otherwise you'll end up following option 3. I think this is the best route through the dunes and it's also the closest to the right of way shown on the Ordnance Survey map. (See picture of a marker post.)

3. This is a good route, but once it splits from option 2, there are no waymarks, so you have to follow the most trodden path onwards, and not get pulled off course onto other paths. The final descent is close to a huge, bare slope of sand. I deliberately avoided that, although people do trudge up and down it, because otherwise I'd be emptying sand out of my shoes for a week! (See picture of the sand slope.).

Walked from Porthcawl to Bridgend. A really great walk through varied terrain. As others have mentioned, Merthyr Mawr Warren is certainly a test of your navigational skills, but it's also the nicest part of the walk. There's some road walking, but it's not too busy.

Started at Porthcawl on a showery spring day. The route goes east of Porthcawl on the road until you split off on a right of way through a caravan park.

The next section is very pleasant walking off road on a paved path on the coast path going around Trecco bay caravan park overlooking the beach.

On leaving the entrance to Newton Beach, the route runs through Newton Burrows/Merthyr Mawr Warren. Don’t panic too much if you don’t follow the route exactly. The Warren is a maze - just make sure you head in the right direction.

Sections of this area are prone to flooding and can get very muddy so take care.

As you approach Candleston farm, you can take a footpath off the route to the north east. It will shorten the journey and cut out a section of road walking. I chose not to do this as there are some fantastic landmarks that would be missed.

About 15 mins on from here you visit the Big Dipper. It is Wales’s tallest sand dune! Getting across the stream to the footpath was difficult when I visited due to flooding and had to Wade through a few metres to get across.

Shortly after you arrive at the main car park and Candleston castle. Definitely worth a visit!

Leaving the car park you walk alongside a single track road that was fairly quiet for my visit until you branch off the road close to the church.

If you have time it’s worth a detour at the point to visit the church and the stones museum at the back.

Returning to the route, there is a small section of field walking before you follow the road around the Merthyr Mawr Estate House for 20 minutes.

At the 90 degree right angle in the road you carry on over the stile and down to the road close to the dipping bridge. Be careful walking down as it is generally a little muddy and slippery.

Take some time to have a look at the dipping bridge as you cross the River Ogmore and take a left heading towards the A48.

As the end of the fields, you can avoid the busy A48 crossings by following the small way marked path to the right of the gate to the field edge (50 metres or so). At the end you’ll see an underpass that takes you under the A48 and into Newbridge fields.

Follow the river to the Bridgend Life centre and then it’s a short walk on the road into the centre of Bridgend.

The sun came out for me while walking through Merthyr Mawr Warren and it stayed mild for the duration. A fantastic route and thoroughly recommended.

This is an enjoyable route. All the main points are covered in the first review; the most important is that the route through Merthyr Mawr Warren (from Candleston car park to the beach near Porthcawl) is difficult to navigate as it is indeed warren-like with many more paths than are shown on the map, and few markers. It’s easier to walk through straight through the dunes between the car park and the beach (directly south of the car park).
The footpath sections south of Bridgend are well-marked; there are a couple of stone-slab stiles (see pic 2).

This is a hugely rewarding walk of just about 8.5 miles with glorious sea views, fine countryside and fields all the way into the heart of Bridgend. It does not seem to be suitable to wheelers owing to a large number of obstacles. It is difficult to navigate in the Merthyr Mawr Warren and it would be easier to remain on the Wales Coast Path to Candleston car park where the designated SlowWay rejoins.
The first half of the walk is mainly on soft ground where the paths are sometimes narrow and uneven. This gives way to harder surfaces in the second half of the walk but there are many kissing gates and stiles throughout the entire walk. Some fields in the later stages have livestock (horses). A short diversion leads to an underpass which helps the crossing of the busy Bridgend by-pass.
Bridgend has all the facilities for shopping, banks and food that you would expect in a town, and a main line railway station to Swansea, Cardiff and London.
I have given it only four stars because of its limitations for wheelers.

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