Walk through Graig Fawr Woods South Wales

At Aberbeeg, at the base of the hill leading to Trinant is a forest track.  At first it appears to lead to a stables with two chestnut ponies.  

The fence posts reflect the dampness of the woods with miniature whimberry bushes and bonsaied trees growing from their rounded summits.

Mostly dry and even underfoot, despite the wettest June on record, the banks ooze moisture.  Springs trickle or gush as moss drips and glistens in the sunshine.   Green upon green is highlighted by buttercups and vivid purple foxgloves.     Wild thyme peppers the bank with its miniscule blooms.  As we walk, the birds sing and tracks and holes in the bank reveal the presence of more wildlife - rabbits?  foxes?  mice?     A large black beetle scurries across the pebbled path in a rush to cover and safety.

The sound of water is tracked to a stream cascading from the bank.   The water is surprisingly orange from iron deposits.   Is it pollution when the iron is a natural resource?

Barely visible amongst the scrub and trees, are the rocks of a disused quarry, but, peer up through the branches and a large brick wall extends precariously beyond sight.

Mostly dry underfoot and QUIET !

The sound of traffic on the A4046? Aberbeeg to Cwm road is lost as our path rises above its track on the opposite side of the valley.   Then the volume increases as our path drops level.   Very little can be seen of the traffic as it plays hide and seek between the trees, along with the river and railway line in the bottom of the valley.

Iron deposits colour the water seeping from the bank.   The orange streak extends parallel to the path for some yards before disappearing into the ground.

Seeping iron deposits

Recently washed down from the bank by the excessive rainfall, a large trangle of fine silt glitters with small particles of coal.   Useful to bank in a coal fire ensuring its slow burn overnight or whilst the householder is away from home.   With today's homes largely heated by gas and electricity, not everyone would easily recognise it.

Coal deposits washed on to the path by the rains

As a child I was encouraged to pick up any pieces of coal I should come across, "for luck."   In truth, it was added to the fire at home to burn, however briefly.











After an hour's walk, or so, we cross the river Ebbw and an open plain.   Two pit wheels, ceremoniously half-buried, and rings of bobbing margarite daisies are its only decoration.  This was once the noisy, dirty, masculine environment of Marine Colliery, and the end of our woodland walk.

Traffic appears between the trees on the opposite side of the valley

Depending on the time of day, as you reach this point, you may be able to buy a cup of tea and some refreshment from a mobile van, parked on the roundabout near the entrance to the site.

Site of Marine Colliery, Cwm