Wye Valley trip – 2024-06-11 – Taith Dyffryn Gwy

report by / adroddiad gan Nor'dzin Pamo 

 

Forty-eight stalwart members of Whitchurch WI set off at 9:30 from Ararat Church. 

 

First we travelled to Chepstow to pick up our local guide, Pam. She fed us interesting snippets of information about the area through which were driving, including a slight detour to see Tintern Abbey, and then arriving outside Shire Hall, Monmouth. A coffee break was the first order of the day on arriving in Monmouth and then the group had a relaxed look around the Shire Hall. After this, different groups of people explored Monmouth following their own interests and having lunch.

 

 Cychwynnodd pedwar deg wyth o aelodau selog SyM yr Eglwys Newydd am 9:30 o Eglwys Ararat. Yn gyntaf fe deithion ni i Gas-gwent i nôl ein tywysydd lleol, Pam. Fe wnaeth hi fwydo pytiau diddorol o wybodaeth i ni am yr ardal yr oedd yn gyrru drwyddi, gan gynnwys dargyfeiriad bach i weld Abaty Tyndyrn, ac yna cyrraedd y tu allan i Neuadd y Sir, Trefynwy. Seibiant coffi oedd trefn gyntaf y dydd ar ôl cyrraedd Trefynwy ac yna cafodd y grŵp olwg hamddenol o gwmpas Neuadd y Sir. Ar ôl hyn, bu grwpiau gwahanol o bobl yn crwydro Trefynwy gan ddilyn eu diddordebau eu hunain a chael cinio.

 

I was interested to see the castle and wandered off on my own in that direction. I had been warned by Pam that there was not much left of the castle, and this was indeed the case. 

 

Next to it is the regimental museum on one side and a memorial garden on the other.
The memorial garden is a peaceful spot and I sat on a bench there for a little while enjoying the sunshine and birdsong. Looking at the map I had picked up in Shire Hall, I noticed a footpath from the lane I was in that crossed over the river, across open land, and back round to Minnow Bridge, so I decided to give this a try. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a lovely walk. At the end of the fields was an area with benches and a pond with ducks, and I sat there to eat my packed lunch. There was then a short walk by a busy road, and a left turn brought me to Minnow Bridge. The walk had not taken as long as anticipated (no distance scale on the map) so I was able to sit by the river next to car park meeting point for half an hour and commune with pigeons and ducks.

 

Roedd gen i ddiddordeb mewn gweld y castell a chrwydrais i ffwrdd ar fy mhen fy hun i'r cyfeiriad hwnnw. Roeddwn wedi cael fy rhybuddio gan Pam nad oedd llawer ar ôl o’r castell, ac roedd hyn yn wir. Wrth ei ymyl mae amgueddfa gatrodol ar un ochr a gardd goffa ar yr ochr arall. Mae’r ardd goffa yn llecyn heddychlon ac eisteddais ar fainc yno am ychydig yn mwynhau’r heulwen a chân yr adar. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrth edrych ar y map roeddwn i wedi ei godi yn Neuadd y Sir, dwi’n sylwi ar lwybr troed o’r lôn roeddwn i ynddi oedd yn croesi dros yr afon, ar draws tir agored, ac yn ôl rownd at Minnow Bridge, felly penderfynais roi cynnig arni. Roedd yn daith gerdded hyfryd. Ar ddiwedd y caeau roedd ardal gyda meinciau a phwll gyda hwyaid, ac eisteddais yno i fwyta fy mhecyn cinio. Roedd yna daith fer wedyn ar hyd ffordd brysur, a daeth troad i'r chwith â mi i Bont Minnow. Nid oedd y daith gerdded wedi cymryd cymaint o amser ag a ragwelwyd (dim graddfa pellter ar y map) felly roeddwn yn gallu eistedd wrth yr afon wrth ymyl man cyfarfod y maes parcio am hanner awr a commune gyda cholomennod a hwyaid.

 

 

 

It was then time for us all to be back on the coach for a short drive to Symonds Yat West for a boat trip followed by refreshments in the Old Court Hotel. The walk to the boat passed a delightful 13th century church in the parish of St Dubricius. Interestingly—being Whitchurch Cardiff WI—this village is also called Whitchurch.

The steps down to and into the boat were a little tricky, but everyone safely boarded. We were told about how extraordinary flooding in recent years had affected the locality, and of some huge salmon caught in the river by famous fisherwomen. We were accompanied on the boat by a duck who seemed perfectly at home. 

 

 

 

 

Roedd hi’n amser wedyn i ni gyd fod yn ôl ar y bws am daith fer i Symonds Yat West ar gyfer taith cwch gyda lluniaeth i ddilyn yng Ngwesty’r Old Court. Aeth y daith gerdded i’r cwch heibio i eglwys hyfryd o’r 13eg ganrif ym mhlwyf Sant Dubricius. Yn ddiddorol—sef SyM Caerdydd yr Eglwys Newydd—gelwir y pentref hwn hefyd yn Eglwys Newydd. 

 

 

 

 

Roedd y grisiau i lawr ac i mewn i'r cwch ychydig yn anodd, ond roedd pawb yn byrddio'n ddiogel. Dywedwyd wrthym sut yr oedd llifogydd rhyfeddol yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf wedi effeithio ar yr ardal, ac am rai eogiaid enfawr a ddaliwyd yn yr afon gan bysgotwr benywaidd enwog. Daeth hwyaden gyda ni ar y cwch a oedd yn ymddangos yn berffaith gartrefol.

 

The Wye Valley trip was a delightful day – relaxing, informative, and interesting. Everyone seemed to have a lovely time. I, for one, am hoping to get over to Symonds Yat West again to explore the Butterfly Zoo and Hedge Maze that are also on the same site. Thank you to Glenys who organised the trip.

Roedd taith Dyffryn Gwy yn ddiwrnod hyfryd – hamddenol, addysgiadol, a diddorol. Roedd pawb i weld yn cael amser hyfryd. Rwyf, am un, yn gobeithio mynd draw i Symonds Yat West eto i archwilio'r Sw Glöynnod Byw a'r Ddrysfa Hedge sydd hefyd ar yr un safle. Diolch i Glenys a drefnodd y daith.

Forest Farm – Our Local Nature Reserve / Fferm y Fforest – Ein Gwarchodfa Natur Leol

Speaker: Albyn Austin

Albyn began with an outline of background and history of the Forest Farm Nature Reserve. It was originally a mixed farm and didn't become part of Cardiff until 1967. In 1982 the canal and long wood were declared an SSSI. In the 1980s the farm had become derelict and some of the land was lost when the M4 was built, and then by the creation of the industrial estate. In 1992 it formally became Forest Farm Country Park and Local Nature Reserve.

 

Dechreuodd Albyn gydag amlinelliad o gefndir a hanes Gwarchodfa Natur Fferm y Fforest. Fferm gymysg ydoedd yn wreiddiol ac ni ddaeth yn rhan o Gaerdydd tan 1967. Ym 1982 cyhoeddwyd y gamlas a'r pren hir yn SoDdGA. Yn y 1980au roedd y fferm wedi mynd yn adfail a chollwyd peth o'r tir pan adeiladwyd yr M4, ac yna trwy greu'r stad ddiwydiannol. Ym 1992 daeth yn Barc Gwledig Fferm y Fforest ac yn Warchodfa Natur Leol yn ffurfiol.

 

The canal was an important means of transport for local industry. It was used by the ironworks, and later by the coal industry. The development of the railway in the 1940s gradually took away its traffic until it was no longer being used by industry by 1944. In 1965 Forest Hall was demolished and is now the location of the car park. The Friends Group created disabled access and planted the orchard in the 1990s. The pond and its sculptures were created in 2017, and the Redwood Giant in 2018.

Roedd y gamlas yn ffordd bwysig o deithio i ddiwydiant lleol. Fe'i defnyddiwyd gan y gweithfeydd haearn, ac yn ddiweddarach gan y diwydiant glo. Symudodd datblygiad y rheilffordd yn y 1940au â'i thraffig yn raddol nes nad oedd bellach yn cael ei defnyddio gan ddiwydiant erbyn 1944. Ym 1965 dymchwelwyd Neuadd y Goedwig a dyma leoliad y maes parcio erbyn hyn. Creodd y Grŵp Cyfeillion fynediad i’r anabl a phlannu’r berllan yn y 1990au. Crëwyd y pwll a'i gerfluniau yn 2017, a'r Redwood Giant yn 2018.

The canal is fed from limestone hills in the Castell Coch area, which is the reason for the existence of some unusual plants along the canal, including toothwort and elf cap fungus can be seen. The top end of the canal has tended to be short of water, but it is 5ft deep the Melingriffiths end. There has been an ongoing problem of erosion of the towpath. A large variety of wildlife can be seen in the Nature Reserve, including owls, woodpeckers, nuthatch, herons, snipe, egrets, buzzards, foxes, rabbits, voles, shrews, stoats, weasels, grass snakes, slow worms, otters, mink, salmon, dragon flies and damsels flies – and of course kingfishers for which the canal is famous. 

Mae’r gamlas yn cael ei bwydo o fryniau calchfaen yn ardal Castell Coch, a dyna’r rheswm dros fodolaeth rhai planhigion anarferol ar hyd y gamlas, gan gynnwys llysiau’r dannedd a ffwng capan y gors. Mae pen uchaf y gamlas wedi tueddu i fod yn brin o ddŵr, ond mae'n 5 troedfedd o ddyfnder ym mhen Melin Gruffydd. Bu problem barhaus o erydu'r llwybr tynnu. Mae amrywiaeth eang o fywyd gwyllt i’w weld yn y Warchodfa Natur, gan gynnwys tylluanod, cnocell y coed, delor y cnau, crehyrod, gïachod, crëyr glas, bwncathod, llwynogod, cwningod, llygod pengrwn, chwistlod, carlymod, gwencïod, nadroedd y gwair, nadroedd defaid, dyfrgwn, mincod, eog, pryfed neidr a phryfed mursennod – ac wrth gwrs glas y dorlan y mae'r gamlas yn enwog amdanynt.  

For more information visit their website: www.forestfarm.org.uk, and follow them on Facebook: #forestfarmphotography #forestfarmwildlife

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth ewch i’w gwefan: www.forestfarm.org.uk, a dilynwch nhw ar Facebook: #forestfarmphotography #forestfarmwildlife