NCN04 In Bridgend County?

[Little yellow Brompton]

I know that NCN04 runs up against a locked fence in Pyle ( Pic below if I got this right) and it pops up again on the seafront in Aberavon, but where does it go in between?

I think it used to run along the promenade in Porthcawl for a short while , but the wrinkly nimbys * whinged when it was next to the road because they "coudn't cross the road safely" and they whinged when it was swapped to the sea side of the promenade because they " coudn't see the view" eventually the whinging won and the cycle route was taken away and no cycling signs posted on the road!

* Porthcawl is filled to the gunwales with wrinkly nimbys.

 

[Banjo]

Sounds a bit like the cycle route from Penarth Road to St Fagans. First couple of miles are great along the river bank with picnic areas on the bank etc then suddenly it stops and you have to go out on busy dual carriagrway probably the busiest roads in Cardiff before picking up the route again the other side of Ely Bridge. OK if on your own but wouldnt take children or inexperienced adults that way .

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Sounds a bit like the cycle route from Penarth Road to St Fagans. First couple of miles are great along the river bank with picnic areas on the bank etc then suddenly it stops and you have to go out on busy dual carriagrway probably the busiest roads in Cardiff before picking up the route again the other side of Ely Bridge. OK if on your own but wouldnt take children or inexperienced adults that way .

Is that turn left at the castle and out down Cowbridge Road?

 

[Banjo]

Is that turn left at the castle and out down Cowbridge Road?

It takes you along the Bank of the River Ely until you get close to the old Ely Papermill site near Ely Bridge. You then have to find your own way through the streets to join Cowbridge road over Ely Bridge to meander through more busy streets to find the trail again. Cowbridge Road West is possibly my least favourite road to cycle on ,narrow lanes ,potholes and nose to tail with cars all day.

Its a shame that the NCN route has gaps in using the A48 between Bridgend and Swansea is ok but not exactly pleasant cycling.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

It takes you along the Bank of the River Ely until you get close to the old Ely Papermill site near Ely Bridge. You then have to find your own way through the streets to join Cowbridge road over Ely Bridge to meander through more busy streets to find the trail again. Cowbridge Road West is possibly my least favourite road to cycle on ,narrow lanes ,potholes and nose to tail with cars all day.

Its a shame that the NCN route has gaps in using the A48 between Bridgend and Swansea is ok but not exactly pleasant cycling.

I'm not quite sure how else it could go, unless someone wanted to fund tarmacing the green lane above Penybryn that would come into Margam Parc , but even then you are left with trying to get through the gap left between the M4 and the Steel works at Port Talbot. The sea side section at Aberavon is nice, but that dumps you into Sandfields ( I was glad the FNRTTC went through there at 5:30 before the troglodytes woke up) and then the misery of Jersey Marine and Fabian Way! :-(

 

[Peteaud]

I find most of the cycle networks a joke. My local one just stops.

I know that it started off as a good idea, and if all the proposed links could be finished it would be much better.

 

[Banjo]

The only really nice route from Bridgend to Neath is up via Nantymoel over the Bwlch then down via Cymmer. Or meander up to Maesteg then across to Cymmer , steep climb and steeper descent between Maesteg and cymmer though.

Sadly its a choice of Hilly Scenic route or Flat traffic infested route .

Half way up Bwlch looking towards Nantymoel.

 

[Glow worm]

I've been trying to plot a LEJOG using NCN routes and it's pretty pointless. Very few routes seem to be direct apart from maybe the odd old railway line or two.

And what's with this Bridgend County business? Are they just making counties up nowadays or what? I know we've been losing 1000 or so year old counties like Berkshire and Bedfordshire recently at the drop of a Whitehall non-enitity's hat - but Bridgend County - are they on drugs or what FFS?

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

I've been trying to plot a LEJOG using NCN routes and it's pretty pointless. Very few routes seem to be direct apart from maybe the odd old railway line or two.

And what's with this Bridgend County business? Are they just making counties up nowadays or what? I know we've been losing 1000 or so year old counties like Berkshire and Bedfordshire recently at the drop of a Whitehall non-enitity's hat - but Bridgend County - are they on drugs or what FFS?

It's was named Bridgend County to try and bury the errors of Oqwr Borough , including millions of £s lost to BCCI

 

[Glow worm]

It's was named Bridgend County to try and bury the errors of Oqwr Borough , including millions of £s lost to BCCI

Sounds like a bit of a cock up. When I lived in Wales, I was all for losing the ridiculously anglicised and imperial 'Cardiganshire' etc in favour of 'Dyfed' and latterly the more preferable 'Ceredigion' for example- but Bridgend County? - sounds like somewhere in Alabama. (If they ever mess about with Norfolk there'll be war!)