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Tour Southerndown |
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Southerndown can be reached by travelling along the B4265 then at St. Brides Major turning onto Southerndown Road (the B4524) – you will arrive at the village of Southerndown with The Three Golden Cups pub on your right and the turning for Dunraven Bay on your left. Alternatively, turn off the B4265 at Ewenny onto the B4524 and travel via Ogmore, which is the journey that follows.
After leaving Ogmore-by-Sea, you will come to a
narrowing of the road and pass West Farm once owned by the Powell family and now a dwelling. Then pass the
site of Little West
on the left behind which are
Little West Bungalows B&B/holiday let.
As you follow the road round you will come to a small cluster
of cottages and houses.
By taking a detour and turning left on the sharp bend then travelling straight ahead up a slight incline you will come to Groes Farm incorporating Groes Farm Equestrians where you can organise to stable your horse/s. With this building on your right you can then travel on to St. Brides Major via the hamlet of Heol-y-Mynydd.
Heol-y-Mynydd
Alternatively, continue to follow the road around the bend to the right and you will pass Southerndown Cricket Club with its pavilion, and All Saints Church on the left. On the right you will see the building that was Southerndown Home for the Blind and Elderly.
Left photo: Cricket Pavilion Right photo: Frolics Restaurant (re-named La Plie in 2008)
On the next left bend is
The Three Golden Cups
(very well situated, as if you have walked from one
of the other villages you will be just about ready for some refreshment!) and if you continue on this road you will arrive at St. Brides Major.
The turning on the right takes you down to Dunraven Bay and the beach.
La Plie Restuarant (previously
Frolics) is on the right as you travel towards the sea.
For those who do not mind the walk down to the beach there is a car park on the right hand side just before the road passes through the boundary walls and descends towards Dunraven Bay. Remember to keep to the marked pathway. For those who do not fancy the climb back up, there is parking at the bottom of the hill. During peak times overflow parking is allowed through the gates of the Park.
The
cliffs at Southerndown rise to over 200 feet/63 metres and it is important not
to go near the edge. They are very
dangerous, as they are composed of beds of lower lias interspersed with
calcareous and argillaceous earth. Atlantic
gales, especially during the winter months, have taken their toll as the cliffs
face south west. During the last
150 years or so the cliffs have fallen away to such an extent that a cave (known
as Booker’s Hole) which used to run under them to a depth of approximately 60
feet/18 metres no longer exists.
Approximately one metre is lost to erosion every ten years, although some
individual falls are greater than this.
Dunraven Bay, Southerndown
At the bottom of the hill, a small shop/café selling mainly ice cream, snacks, and confectionery is open at peak times. From the lower car park there is a concrete slipway to the beach, or you can walk across the pebbles. Dunraven Bay is very beautiful, and Southerndown beach has a large expanse of sand when the tide is out that extends outwards up to 975 feet/300 metres and across up to 1,625 feet/500 metres. It is an extremely popular tourist beach as even on a busy day you can find usually somewhere to sit and not feel overcrowded.
The Lifeguard Station is manned during the summer and peak times. If flags are flying: only bathe between the red and yellow flags; red flags mean do not enter the water. There is an emergency telephone. Note: red and yellow flags indicate the safest place for swimming or body-boarding; black and white flags fly for surfing, kayaks and other non-powered craft; an orange windsock shows offshore winds or unsafe water conditions.
Great
care should be taken when walking around the bay as it is easy to be cut off by
the tide,
and it is not possible to climb the cliffs to escape the sea because the shale
and fine-grained material is so soft and crumbly. Similarly, it is not safe to sit under the cliffs to sunbathe
and notices remind visitors to keep at least 130 feet/40 metres away from the cliff face.
Trwyn-y-Witch
(Witches Point), the rocky outcrop at the end bay on the left as you look out to
sea, is formed from carboniferous limestone and is a popular site with
fishermen.
Left photo: footpath to beach Middle photo: warning notice Right photo: Seamouth Lodge
Staff and Rangers at the Heritage Coast Centre man a small tourist information shop, arrange exhibitions and organise various activities, walks and tours. The gates next to Seamouth Lodge were made in line with old drawings detailing how the original gates were fashioned. Inside the grounds is the site of Dunraven Castle, tumuli and an ancient hill fort (the earthworks are in the form of a triple entrenchment). The Heritage Coast have been kept busy with restoration, repairing walls, planting new trees and stocking the flower garden. They also replaced a plaque marking the spot where an arrow landed after being shot by Sir Ralph Frankland Payne Galway from the tower of Dunraven Castle in 1911. At the top of the hill you can look down upon Temple Bay and the beach known as Temple Shore which becomes completely covered by the tide – this area is inaccessible to the public.
At
night, the lights at Minehead and other locations along the Somerset/Devon coast
are visible. Several navigation
lights can be seen along the opposite coastline. On a very clear day it is possible to pick out the differently
coloured fields and various bays; it is said to be a portent of more good
weather when the white North Foreland Lighthouse at Lynmouth can be seen and
From Heol y Mynydd towards Southerndown