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Note : the estimated time below is calculated automatically according to Naismith's rule. A more realistic estimate is 2 hours 30 minutes.
Start Point: Lane opposite Millbrook Rd at its junction with Mill Road, Dinas Powys. Grid. ref. ST 154 716. What3Words : ///flight.moved.linked
Getting there from Cardiff:
by bus: to Dinas Powys primary school: 304 from Customhouse Street, 95 from Wood Street.
by car: on the A4232 out of Cardiff, take the exit to the A4055 for Penarth/Barry; straight on past the Merrie Harrier on the right, into Eastbrook, turn right into Millbrook Rd at Dinas Powys Primary School.
Route Description:
First published 1997; revised and updated for 2022.
[1] From the car park space cross into Millbrook Road and walk along it to the junction with Cardiff Road. Cross and walk up Murch Road, continuing on along Murch Crescent for 1km to pass the medical centre on the right. Then go straight ahead across the roundabout to a footpath leading to a surfaced lane. Take the right-hand fork at the farm to a T junction. Turn left and reach Sully Road, then left again, and in 200m turn right into the road to St Peter’s Church and Old Cogan Hall to join a wide track leading to Cosmeston Country Park.
[2] In 800m look for grassy areas on both sides of track with a kissing gate in each and a bench on the left. Take the left one and descend on the right fork to a gap in the fence. Walk diagonally right, going down towards the fence and back up to the left to a path following the wooded trench on the left, and leading to a kissing gate with the playground on your right. Take the gate, turn left and reach a cross path, then turn right to reach a wider path around the lake. Turn left and follow the path around the lake, passing the park entrance, onto a wooden boardwalk (take care, this is slippery when wet).
[3] When the boardwalk ends, continue ahead to reach a service road dividing the lake. Turn left and ignoring the first two cross paths, walk to two kissing gates facing each other, with the mediaeval village to your left. Take the righthand gate and walk half left uphill through a small gap in the facing hedge into another inclined field. Continue in the same direction and go through the gateway at the field corner. Keep to the left edge of the field and go through a kissing gate to the left of the fence at the end of the field.
[4] Now head diagonally right uphill towards small hillocks on the skyline. Pass to the right of these. Two gates are ahead. Go through the righthand gate. Then keeping to the left field edge, walk towards and then to the right of barns and leave farm at a kissing gate in the corner of the field. Walk down a short drive to the road.
[5] Turn right and, taking great care along this narrow country road with no pavements, walk along Sully Road for 450 metres to Brook Cottage on the left. Just beyond the cottage over Cog Bridge climb the stile on the left and walk diagonally right heading for a gap in the facing hedge. Turn left and follow the hedge to a stile, cross it, and walk straight ahead to, and cross a second stile. With the hedge on your left go straight on and climb a waymarked fence (currently stile is awaiting repair) which leads into a small copse. Follow the path round to the right and over another stile. Then ahead along the fence, round to the right and up, and out of the copse into a field. Turn left, go through the gap in the bushes, then ahead towards two gates. Go through the left-hand gate, then keeping to the left, go over the stile ahead, then through the gate ahead, to reach a stile in the left corner which leads onto Cross Common Road.
[6] Turn left and at left-hand bend in road, turn right into a driveway. Leave the driveway by going onto a grassy track on the left into the woods. At the fork take the left path, descend and rise from a hollow, crossing old mineral line, and keep to the clear track to reach the Murch housing estate.
[7] Turn right along Longmeadow Drive and walk to a small shopping centre. Turn left at the junction with Murch Road and follow the road to traffic lights at the junction with Cardiff Road. Cross into Millbrook Road and go along and back to the car parking space.
Cosmeston Lakes - the boardwalk