9th January 2013 - Exercise into the New Year ??

Sunshine and mild this morning. A good excuse to get up and out with the dogs. Bed is still warm and inviting but the opportunity is there to brave the elements and explore a little more of the countryside under my nose.

And as many people put their thoughts to a new regime of Health and Fitness in January, I took the opportunity of visiting another relic of Llanelli's history, the Old Castle Exercise and Fitness track. I have walked around the Old Castle fields many times and recall times from the past when I had taken the opportunity of running around the track and using the equipment that was built, open and free, for any passer by to use. Try as I might, I cannot find any records on Google of the building, financing, or the later dereliction of the track - but parts are still there to be seen.

Early sunshine rising over Old Castle ponds. Another Llanelli Blogger Robert Lloyd informs me that the Pond is over 40 feet deep in places, a place full of danger in the icy weather.

Indeed, I recall from my early days as a constable in Llanelli, assisting in the recovery of a body from the water. Details are blurred now, but the general consensus was that the deceased had fallen in, possibly drunk, while trying to climb around the metal railings that used to separate the grounds. It was a regular short cut from one end of town to the other. But the fencing required a little athletics to swing around over the water.

Yes, I was much younger then, still thinking that I would improve my general health by exercise, a concept I still endeavour to grow out of ...  But the start of the Fitness Track - part of an all-Wales drive for better health as I recall -there is still a block of rock and it is clear where the plaque used to sit... Now it is but a lump of stone. 

once there was a sign here 

 Looking out over the fields -a lonely post shows the start of the trail. I always used to run it anti-clockwise, I think that was the way it was laid out. And so today I follow the path - though the track itself is lost in the grass and the trees.

The balance bars as still in place. Covered in lichen and a little slippery underfoot in the damp of the morning but still serviceable.

This one has lost one of its struts, but it is almost at ground level. I recall them as being in a zig-zag, having to walk from one to the next - but there is little sign of this any more.

Here I think was a joint between two sets of balance bars - but only an empty pop bottle adorns the place now.

Turning the first corner and a quarter of the route completed - three lonely poles still stand proud against the treeline. Once they held bars to swing on and somersault over. The highest used to be for Chin ups.  Now there are no connectors - just the three poles. 

Nothing else appears down this stretch. the trees are higher than I remember and there is no sign of the track which may well be hidden between those trunks. Turning the next corner, the treeline now parallels the old railway track, now the cycle path...

 and along this stretch are the parallel bars - still in place and still usable.

Two posts however also stand along the line - and I have no idea what they were for ... no marks to show what was connected to them.

And so we reach the Old Castle Ponds again and a circuit of the track has been completed. 

So - with one last look from the cycle track back onto the exercise fields -

I return under Sandy bridge the way I came. Certainly no fitter than when I arrived this morning, but having captured one more little part of Llanelli before it disappears entirely.

Now I think I will go back to my researches and see if I can find any photographs from the past to fill in the gaps that are my memory...

8th January 2013 - Another Walk - Sandy Water Park

Another day - another walk around Llanelli area - this time - Sandy Water Park
The Llanelli Coastal Park Walk provides some wonderful scenery on the grounds of the old Steelworks, and before that - the old Mott and Bailey of Old Castle Works which may very well go back to pre Roman times.. and in my case some memories of the are over the last thirty five years.
We start today by Old Castle Ponds, at the base of the Agen Bridge. Where the cast iron sign post tells us that we are on route 47 - the chain links at the base holding up the details "Swansea 17 miles"  Tumble 17 miles"

Climbing the unofficial pathway by the signpost up onto the Agen Bridge crossing the busy relief road from Weslec Roundabout to Union Bridge.  Known officially as the Pont Agen Bridge.

I note the details from the Council deliberations:

INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Leader of the Council has received a letter from the Clerk to Llanelli Town Council suggesting that the new bridge over the B4304 at Sandy Waterpark be named "Pont Agen" and that the Mayor of Agen be invited to undertake the official unveiling.
2. BACKGROUND TO THE REQUEST
2.1. Members, I believe are already aware, during a recent visit to Llanelli's twin town of Agen in France, the Agen Council magnanimously named a street in the commercial sector of the town "Rue Llanelli", to mark the tenth anniversary of the twinning link between the two towns.
2.2. The Llanelli Town Council's Twinning Committee have now discussed the desirability of reciprocating this gesture and resolved that a request be made to the County Council for the new cycle/pedestrian bridge over the B4304 at Sandy Water Park to be named "Pont Agen".
2.3. Members of the Town Council considered that it is particularly appropriate for a bridge to be named in this fashion in view of the symbolic image which the bridge represents of the link that has been forged between the two towns of Agen and Llanelli.
2.4. A further pertinent point that influenced Members of the Town Council in their decision was the fact that they have extended an invitation to the mayor of Agen and some of his colleagues to visit Llanelli during the Eisteddfod week. As the bridge is scheduled to be completed before the Eisteddfod, the Town Council consider that it would be extremely opportune for the Mayor of Agen to be invited to undertake the official unveiling.
2.5. Members will be aware that the Millennium Coastal Park Board is considering names for the facilities/locations across the park. This bridge is located just outside the park and forms part of the Council's Llanelli and Coastal Corridor Sustainable Access Strategy which is being funded by Transport Grant Package Funding from the National Assembly of Wales. Due to the proximity and linkage of the bridge to the Millennium Coastal Park I have consulted the Project Director, Mr G Phillips, over this issue. He has confirmed that he has no views on the name as long as it says "Pont D'Agen or something Welsh and French".
2.6. If the Town Council's request meets with Members approval, I will then proceed to discuss the practicalities with the Town Clerk.
3. RECOMMENDATION
3.1. That the new cycle/pedestrian bridge is named "Pont Agen" and that Committee agree to the Town Council's suggestion that the Mayor of Agen be invited to undertake the official unveiling.

But from my point of view - it is a safe route across a busy road to the Millennium Park and Sandy Water Park.

Once across the bridge, one of the many sculptures raises its head. The leek and the daffodil. On a dark winter morning it is difficult to distinguish the bright colours of the green and the yellow - but they are stark in the skyline...

As you walk around the water edge,  a large mound appears ahead of you - with a strange structure on top . To the right are some standing stones, not old and ancient, I have walked here for many years without seeing any stones.. but all paths lead up to the pile on the pinnacle.

Looking down from the top - we can see the Pwll end of the lake. 

The Sculpture itself appears to be a pile of ingots - cast in stone rather than steel.

The plaque reads:

"Sandy Water Park..
Steel making commenced on this site in 1897 when the Llanelly Steel Company built their works on land reclaimed from the sea.

The Works underwent considerable expansion over the years and with the introduction of electric arc furnaces in 1978 became on of the most modern plants in Europe prior to closure in 1981

The site was acquired in 1984 and developed into a water park by the Llanelli borough council and the welsh development agency as part of the coastal regeneration scheme."

But there are excellent views over the water park from the top...

looking back towards the railway and the sea - views out towards the Gower are dramatic. But of course as they say in Llanelli "If you can see the Gower from here - it is going to rain .. If you can't see the Gower - then it is raining !!"

Walking down from the sculpture there are benches and tables for the walker - though these days it seems that cyclists are more likely to be whizzing past at break neck speeds and bright in their Hi Vis Jackets. This table and seating is in the shape of a leaf and small leaves as seats.  Sadly, one has been snapped off and not repaired...  

Down to the water levels. In summer there are often signs warning of algaen bloom - poisons in the water from the early days of steel working I think - though how no-one thought that digging a pond on the site of a steelworks could ever provide fresh water!! I used to Wind-surf across this water, before they built the houses to watch my embarrassment !!

Now - we have the home for many swans - and this time of year they give due warning to the passer by that they do want too close a proximity.

Of course - over the later years - the houses have been built and then we had the Sandpiper - a pub with food  on the site .

and then in 2012 - the final straw - a hotel on the site  - Welcome to Travelodge !!

And that takes us around the whole of the park  - back to the Bridge - to Weslec roundabout which I hear is soon to be a skateboard rink - but that is for the future - this is 2013 - January ... So some final views of the walk ..

 

 Enjoy Llanelli. Enjoy the Scenery. Enjoy ow history is changing.

7th January 2013 - Mabonogion - lost Sculptures

Monday in January.

The Wales Coast Path website proudly proclaims :

Sandy Water Park & The Mabinogion Woods Sculpture Trail
Millennium Coastal Park, Llanelli SA15 2LF.
Large lake with interesting birdlife and numerous Swans, including a trail through the woods with Mabinogion inspired sculptures.

This morning I strolled across the Agen Bridge into Sandy Water Park, once home of the Steelworks, now part of the coastal cycle path SUSTRANS, and part of the Millennium Coastal Path, the "Carmarthenshire Bit" as they say on the website. Considering that we have had the wettest year in history according to the pundits, this was the seventh day of the new year where I managed to walk without need for waterproofs. 

But this morning I was concerned with the heroic age or mythological past of the British Isles, the eleven stories of the Mabinogion, and the path that winds through the woods at the eastern edge of the water park.  

Entrance to the Path

It would be quite easy to miss the entrance to the path if you are unaware of its location. It is by the car park - but there are no signs pointing to the entrance. Just a single post, and you have to get right up to it to find the writing thereon..

The carving is not very clear - but at least you now know that you are on the right road. A closer look at the post and you can see that there are further carvings at the top of the post.

 As you enter the path, through the clearing you can see the first of the sculptures. A cast iron boar.

He is well weathered and I have visited him often as I walk the dogs - and he only improves with age.

The Boar

The boar is in a small clearing with a two small benches suitable for sitting and contemplating the 'whichness of the why', but for the busy dog-walker it is back to the path and through the trees. The whole site used to be the Steelworks, and the trees and features have all been planted and grown in the time I have lived in Llanelli. I used to drive through the area in a police car in the early eighties. The Duport Electric Arc Furnace at Pwll was one of the finest in the country they say, though I recall it mainly for the sound of the locomotive pulling the metal from the interior in the early hours of the morning as I tried to sleep in the police house opposite. But the trees are fast growing and now well established.So I walked on in search of the remainder of the sculptures. I remember the stag, and the owl, had I missed any in my previous perambulations?

And so, as I got half way through the path, I came to the sad sight of the post that once held the Stag. Similar to the boar, it stood in pride of place atop another post...   but all I was met with was the broken stump of the stand.

Through to the end of the path, and no sign of any other sculpture. the Owl that I recalled was nowhere to be found. No other animals or relics of Mabonigion tales to be seen . Only the simple post at the other end of the path. this too held the legend of the path...  but no suggestion that the path had been denuded.

As I left the path, I met with one of the groundsmen, clearing some rubbish from the site. I asked about the stag.
"It is safe" he told me. "The post was vandalised but we managed to keep the stag and it is in the depot while we wait to see what we are going to do with it."  I will try to visit the depot and see where it is...
"But the owl", he confided, "we never found.... The post was broken and the owl stolen. We haven't seen it since"

Once more, I leave my walk a little saddened.

6th January 2013 - History is damp...Ghosts or Players?

I walked across the old grounds of Stradey Park Rugby Football ground.
That is not difficult, as it is only a couple of hundred yards away from the house, in fact it used to be rumoured that I would lean out the back window and yell "Can you keep the noise down - some people are trying to sleep here !" when a match was on...  But though I used to walk that way regularly, I have not been that way since the fences went up and the buildings started getting knocked down.

Now, I do not consider myself to be much of a Rugby fan. Before you jump down my throat, I live in Llanelli, I have lived here for 35 years, but I am not Welsh, I was born in Glasgow and raised in London. I am not native Llanelli, and it is quite possible, though difficult, to survive in this town without having a religious fervour for the game with the funny shaped ball. There - I have said it!!! But then most of my friends know that about me already.

As a young constable in Llanelli, I tried hard to fit in and enjoy the game. But there was a tendency for one policeman to be watching the crowd when on "Crowd Control" duty. It was partly because I did not wear contact lenses in those days - they were rather new technology. And my glasses really never fitted very well under my cap. Yes, we had caps in those days before we had the "Bobby" helmet. Dyfed-Powys Police were different that way. They called us "Pongos" in training school. So watching the game was rather pointless as I could not really see the action on the field. So I watched the spectators instead.

After a few months I thought the whole matter through.
Saturday afternoons were Rugby Afternoons. This involved getting to your traffic "point" for traffic control about 2 hours before the match. Best to remember to go to the loo before taking point. There is very little opportunity to relieve yourself once you are at the junction  directing traffic! No extra cup of tea that morning! Then after the game starts the van pulls up and you get a lift to the ground, sneak in the side entrance by the South Stand and make your way around to the Town end, more affectionately known as the Tanner Bank.  Twenty minutes before the end, regardless of how exciting the game was, you were once more in the van heading for another two hour Traffic Point, hoping that someone would remember to pick you up - or face a long walk back to the station..

Yes - I thought it through - all self respecting Llanelli criminals were naturally Scarlet Supporters! They were little different from any other member of the populace other than their criminal activities, so they would of course be at the match. Thus, likelihood of any criminality during the match was marginal. Domestic Disputes would not really flare up until at least half a dozen pints after the match ... most shops were shut, and there were no vehicles on the road. So it seemed only natural to volunteer to "look after the town" while the match was on - an act of selfless altruism which allowed all my rugby fanatical colleagues to watch the match while I took on the arduous task of finding a nice warm place with a cup of tea, radio by my side, to ensure that the town was "Safe".

And so it was for many years that I found the quietest time of the week was match day in Llanelli.

Tanner Bank

But walking around the grounds now, there is a mound where the tanner bank used to be. Temporary fencing around the whole site - but gaps where the fencing has fallen and the once verdant turf is now indistinguishable from the rest of the tufts of course grass. Local complainers always said that there would be trouble trying to build housing on this site due to the drainage problems - the ground is wet but there is still history here. You can almost see the score boards in the puddles.

9 - 3

As you walk past the old North Stand area there is nothing to show that fans have stood in all weathers, muffled from the cold. There is no sign of the building or the lines. Looking out over the pitch towards Pwll End there is only the expanse of cleared ground and a distant line of houses.

Sadder still is the sight of rugby Posts, denuded of their famous Saucepans, lying rusting on the ground amongst a tangle of broken railing and an old flood light.

Walking past the main entrance to the ground, the Leylandii trees have grown but there is no Electricity Club hidden behind anymore - that has also been demolished. Once this was the car park and entrance - now some rubble on the left and mud on what was once the road and shop.

To complete the walk back from the ground, the entrance to Stradey Park Avenue, the rails and gates are the same, but now there are blocks preventing access.  

So now I do not have to lean out and ask them to keep the noise down. But it is almost as though sad ghosts of the past were by my side as I wandered along the touchline once more. They were no more distinct than the players I failed to see in the past, but now as then - I feel sure that they are there..

5th January - What do you mean it is Saturday??

Where did that come from ???
I mean - I know that I was only lamenting yesterday - um, a couple of days ago, that my "Daily" blog was turning into an "occasional" blog, but Christmas has only just gone and tomorrow is the 12th Day.

How did that happen??
They say that as you get older the days go quicker. I can understand that, even though I am not getting older, maturing - yes, getting older is not the option I took!! But loss of a week without reason of excessive alcohol abuse is just plain ridiculous.

No, I did not make any New Year resolutions. In fact, this New Year was the quietest we have had in living memory. No sudden influx of party goers after the midnight hour, and had there been they would have been sadly disappointed as the drinks bill for the festive season was about 10% of previous years, and mostly still stacked in the kitchen. Wine consumption is not necessarily down at all, but the stocks of home made Susie Wine are diminishing fairly rapidly. Luckily for me, Susie has a 5 gallon barrel on the go this time.

No, I have not set out to be fit and young and blonde, but the dogs are slightly surprised by the opportunity to wander around the environs of Llanelli at unearthly hours like 8.30am. Not a resolution, I don't do them. Just seems a reasonable idea if I am awake at that time - I may as well put the boots on and take a camera out and see what is happening. Actually, the camera is not really needed, at that time of the morning it is mainly misty, almost still dark and foggy, and very little to find as a source or target.
Worse than that, this morning's trip around the old hallowed grounds of Stradey Rugby Ground had to be retraced, as I managed to drop the camera case at the main gate, and did not find out until nearing the end of the walk! The dogs are useless at this sort of game. They have never been able to find anything dropped, can't even retrace their steps. times like that I started to wish that I had put my contact lenses in before going for a walk - at least I may be able to see more than 5 feet in front of me. And, of course, it is not my camera I have with me!!  But luckily, at the main gate, the small case is lying on the ground - so all is well that ends well. The dogs don't seem to mind that we came back the same way as we went.

So, it is Saturday. I can come to terms with that . I suppose I can live with that. Tomorrow we will take down the tree and the decorations, up for the 12 days of Christmas, no more - no less. They will go back in the box for next year - hopefully at another house, another room, and another Christmas.
Only another 51 Saturdays until next New Year ....

2nd January 2013 - 2013 and Beyond....

Occasionally, one can find oneself in a quandary.
It is a new year and the festive high points have passed, and sometime in 2012 you have set yourself the task of what you declared to be a "daily" blog. But, is it a lack of discipline that allows you to go a couple of weeks without writing, or is it just good sense that you really had very little to say ???

Is there greater value in the Blog being "daily" and containing little of value, or "occasional" and filled with "gems".  Of course, the value of the gems may leave something to be required!!!

So, a Happy New Year to any who may pick up this missive.
And the first "gem" I have gleaned in this new year is that 2013 placed backwards almost spells EROS:

Well it can if you have the right font and lettering.

The second thing that I found that seemed of value was an article on how to make bacon candles.

Bacon Candles  [link here]

Unless you are hopelessly vegie, (and don't get me wrong - I have nothing against Vegies, some of my best friends are Vegies, come the apocalypse we can eat all the Vegies - that is what they call the Food Chain...)
then this seems like the best of all worlds. The light of a candle and the smell of bacon, brought together in one stroke of genius.

So with two little gems to start the year off, I will attempt to turn this "occasional" blog back to a daily one ...
2013 and beyond....

well - it is a start...