Tuesday 31st May - day 42
It was bright and sunny this morning but very windy, so I had an exhilarating start up the coast path from Porthcawl.
My ankle was giving a lot of pain and I stopped and rebandaged after applying Voltarol cream, and then tightened up the boots as much as I could, and started using my walking poles, and after a couple of hours things settled down a bit. Further on I went through the industrial wastelands and sand dunes south of Port Talbot, where surprisingly the paths were quite good, but there was a feeling of remoteness and desolation. Further on there were disused railway shunting yards and all kinds of debris. Whilst this was a bit unsightly it is interesting to see and a change from the endless crop fields of the eastern boundary.
In Magram, which is just a large housing estate servicing the local steel and BOC industries, I had a cheese omelette in a cafe. I listened to two locals talking for about twenty minutes in Welsh, but I thought I detected the occasional English phrases. I was curious and asked them very politely about this mixing of the two tongues and they told me they had been speaking in English all the time. I know I do not have a good ear for these things but the fact that their accent could disguise completely what they were saying was a bit surprising.
I had targeted the Premier Inn at Baglan for a stay - these places usually have plenty of rooms and booking, I thought, was not essential. On arrival I was told they were full because of The Eisteddfod- there is ualways something. After some pleading by me the receptionist and her mother who was also present said they thought I could camp in the environs, and they then consulted Gareth the manager who said ok, and he took me on a tour to decide where to pitch. That decided he offered me a cup of tea and just at the point when I had fixed the tent he arrived with tray, teapot, and milk served at my tent. What a change from the negative attitude of the guy at Acorn Camping at Llantwit a couple of nights ago.
Thought for the day - why do cutlers make knives and forks with sharp square edges at the end of the handles threatening scalpel incisions of the palm as one eats?
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Mick & I are once again stunned at how many unsolicited cups of tea you've been given on this walk. So seldom happens to us!
ReplyDelete(Just an aside: often as we walk past an isolated house one of us will voice the fantasy that someone will pop out and offer us tea and cake. We did exactly that as we passed Pait Lodge, on the south side of Loch Monar, this year. We couldn't believe it when we learnt that, whilst we sat at the end of their drive eating oat cakes in the rain, the chap who walked through the garden two minutes after us did indeed receive that very invitation and enjoyed tea and cake with the owner!)
Anyways, I hope the ankle improves soon. Dare I suggest that it might appreciate a bit of rest?
Gayle