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| Situated around the junction of the road to Llanrhidian and the road to Cefn Bryn is the hamlet of Cillibion and it is here our walk starts. This small sawmill has been here for as long as I can remember and through the open gate we see stacked up logs , bits of machinery. ropes and other miscellaneous items. It looks too interesting to pass by, so having asked permission, we go through the gates to take a closer look. |
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| Sawn logs piled up and ready for further milling. |
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| Not the most elegant piece of furniture but ideal for a quiet five minutes on a sunny day. There is an accumulation of all sorts of things here, kept no doubt in the belief that something might, one day, be useful. Did you notice the old metal vice in the bottom left corner? |
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| In the corner of the yard near the gates is this lovely old steam engine. Built in 1927, it is a portable wood burning steam engine and until a few years ago it powered the belt driven mill machinery. It is hoped to get it back into working condition in the near future. |
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| At the rear the firebox door is open allowing us to see inside. |
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| Leaving the sawmill, we walk along the road towards Cefn Bryn until we come to Broad Pool, a nature reserve looked after by the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust. |
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| The pool has a rich variety of insect life including many species of dragon fly. |
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| The road to the top of Cefn Bryn disappears into the distance and it's a long walk to the top. |
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| At the top there is a small area on each side of the road where cars can park. When the weather is fine, very many people come here to walk along Cefn Bryn or just to sit in their cars and admire the wonderful views. |
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| A few hundred yards from the road and overlooking the Burry Inlet is Arthur's Stone or Maen Cetti, a large double chambered Neolithic tomb. The capstone of Old Red Sandstone weighing some 24 tons is perched on a few upright slabs. There are,in Wales, many legends about King Arthur. It is said that King Arthur felt a pebble in his shoe when passing through Carmarthenshire. He removed the stone from his shoe and threw it as far as he could. It fell here on Cefn Bryn, a distance of seven miles. Also, it is said, King Arthur has been seen, by moonlight, riding a white horse on the path near the tomb. |
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| From the north side of the Stone we have a fine view of the fields below and the Burry Inlet beyond. |
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| Cefn Bryn forms the spine of the Gower Peninsular. It runs in a westerly direction from Penmaen to Burry Green, a distance of four miles. It is the second highest point in Gower and a good place for views of both South and North Gower. It is a popular area for walkers..... |
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| ....and for mountain bikers. |
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| This pony is just one of the very many that graze here on the 'Bryn. |
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| The ridge and slopes of Cefn Bryn provide ample room for horse riding. |
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| Looking towards the south we see Oxwich Bay and across the Bristol Channel, the faint outline of the Devonshire hills.. |
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| To the east, in the distance, are the hills above Port Talbot.. |
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| This party is well equipped, they must have some serious walking in mind, but for us our walk is over. |