Day 82: Barry to Nash Point

This is my last day of coastal walking before the new year. The path from the motel winds through the dark woods of Porthkerry Country Park. It’s so still. I pass a light from a small cottage tucked away in the trees, still sleeping. The beam from my head torch reflects off luminous green eyes, darting across the meadows. What creature is this? As I get closer, I make out a dog walker, the dog wearing a reflective collar.

The sound of traffic recedes, replaced by the wind, the birds, and the sea. It’s good to be back in the open spaces. I have a good feeling about today.

The sun is breaking through the heavy cloud, allowing the wild park landscape to slowly reveal itself. I breathe deep. My shoulders relax. I had a back operation many years ago, to fuse two lower discs, and took Tramadol, a powerful opiate, for a few weeks. I occasionally experience a flashback to how it felt, like being submerged in a warm bath of bubbles. I feel it now. Connections.

After passing through a couple of holiday parks, I reach the intriguing quarry at Rhoose Point. This is the start of a wonderful sequence of varied landscapes, the path descending from the rocky cliff top into the salt marsh.

A chimney, long on the horizon, reveals itself, to my surprise, to be part of the decommissioned Aberthaw power station.

The barbed wire and concrete recedes into the distance, as I return to the majestic Jurassic Blue Lias rock formations; layers of limestone and shale. I could be back in Dorset.

The day ends at Nash Point Lighthouse. Having recently watched The Lighthouse, my mind is filled with visions of Dafoe and Pattinson rampaging and descending into madness. Not a pretty thought.

I head inland to Marcross village and the journey home. It was a great day, and a fine conclusion to the year. Time for a break for Christmas and New Year, meeting up with friends and family. I might even clean my boots.

Walk distance: 14 miles.

Total distance: 1,200 miles.