Just a Quick Note – 26/04/23

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Just a Quick Note

26th April 2023

The e-newsletter of the Twmbarlwm Society

Hello Folks

Before I remind you of things to come – lets have a quick shout out to everyone who made our Hot-Cross-Bun on Good Friday such a great success. We had 25+ people on our walk from Stony Bridge but Rob, in conjunction with Islwyn Ramblers and Abercarn Scouts had over 120 follow their walk from Cwmcarn Visitor Centre – and of course there were many, many more made their way up in their own groups.

There must have been hundreds of visitors throughout the day and it’s great to see that so many people still appreciate keeping an old, local tradition alive and well – see you again next year.

We put a post on FaceBook about it at the time and a few photos – I have since added a whole gallery of photos – click here to see them  https://photos.app.goo.gl/vWytx6Nfi9sFfrwh8 – if you have any photos of the day you would like to add, you can do so on the site – or just send them to me here.

Of course, a big thank you goes out to Tescos who donated all the buns and a pile of Easter eggs which we gave as raffle prizes at our talk on the Newport Ship at Crosskeys RFC. And I must say thank you to Sue for the buttering and jamming of the buns and to Abercarn Scouts for carrying them up the hill and distributing them.

The Last-Sunday-Of-The-Month Litter Pick will be:–

Sunday 30th April 2023

Please make your own way there and we will meet you at the car park below the Twmp at 10:30 am.

We are usually there for a couple of hours and we collect litter from the area immediately around the car park and some of us walk around the wider area to check out fences, paths etc. and effect any repairs if we are able. Tools, Pickers, Bags and Gloves will be supplied.

This is also a great opportunity to meet other members and learn more about the area and the work that the Society gets involved with.

Please make your own way to the car park at the end of Mountain Road, below the Twmp. We will provide tea and bikkies to all helpers after the pick and there will be soft drinks on offer too – or bring your own picnic if you need to.

Don’t forget – if you are taking a walk up there any day of the week for exercise or walking the dog, why not think about taking a rubbish bag with you to collect any litter on your way – every little helps. If you do leave any filled bags in the corner of the car park, make sure to let us know so that we can inform the council to collect it.

Projects and Events

Adventure Triangle Work

If you have walked up the Twmp recently you will have noticed more of the work that came under the heading of the Adventure Triangle Work has been completed.

There’s a new floating path on the east of the Twmp from the dry-stone wall to the base of the Twmp and a new base constructed around the Trig-Point. The knee rail and some of steps up the Twmp are due to be renewed – in fact they might be done by the time I send out this Newsletter. The stone steps at the car park have also been improved.

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

Almost as an extension of this work you will see that there is now a new stock fence stretching from Pegwn-y-Bwlch around the south-western slope of the mountain to join up with the forestry land above the forestry extraction road.

This has been done to ensure that cattle can no longer stray onto the forestry road and so on down to the Darren Road. We are aware that the fence installation has caused some damage underfoot but be assured that it will be rectified as the project progresses.

Since the wild fires of 2018 Cadw has helped us to push the idea of a Sward Management Scheme on the mountain top to future-proof the hill fort. As part of the Scheme, devised for the area by Cadw and the Gwent Wildlife Trust, a controlled number of cattle, provided by the Commoners, will be allowed to graze the top of the mountain in order to aid the regeneration of the fire-damaged sward of the Scheduled Ancient Monument – using cattle for this job will also increase the bio-diversity of the whole area.

Livestock has always been allowed to graze the wider common of Mynydd Henllys and Mynydd Maen but cattle have been excluded from the Twmp itself as that area was not designated common land (although they often found a way in through broken down and vandalised fences and gates left open). A small number of cattle will now be allowed to graze there for the reasons mentioned above so please be aware and make sure you follow the countryside code when approaching the cattle – give them plenty of space, do not startle them, and keep dogs under control on a lead.

It is also our intention to organise some “bracken-bashing” days on the mountain to minimise the encroachment of bracken onto the mountain top. We hope to get community groups involved in this as it’s an important part of managing the landscape and it will be a fun activity for kids and adults of all ages to be involved with – we’ll let you know details in due course.

The pathway across the top of the bailey (the path with the trig-point in the middle) is also due to undergo some repairs as it is getting very bare and worn down in places. Some areas will be scarified, soil added where necessary and re-seeded. Another activity where we hope to call on some volunteer help.

Note – all this work occurs sporadically due to weather conditions and contractor availability, so if you are walking about up there and come across any working machinery please be sensible and keep your distance, keep your dogs under control and ensure the operators know you are there.

KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A MEMBER?

We are always looking for new members to help us further the aims of the society which are “…to research, restore and protect Gwent’s most iconic landmark, Twmbarlwm” – and in particular we are looking for members who really want to get involved and help with our work – and to bring new ideas to the table.

We are especially looking for someone who could take over the responsibility of Treasurer – as our current one, Martyn, is retiring. Ideally it would be someone with experience in this field – please contact me, Terry Evans if you think you or someone you know could help.

The Twmbarlwm Society has existed for over 12 years and so far have achieved quite a lot on the mountain and we are recognised by local councils, Cadw and other official bodies as a major influencer in environmental, and historical issues of the area. 

Next year promises to be another busy year with CTS being heavily involved in major local projects and we need people with the skills to help move these project forward including:

  • the on-going progress of the Archaeological Investigation of Twmbarlwm – this is a major project managed by CTS, funded by Cadw and implemented by Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust
  • work on the Landscape Management of the area supported by the Gwent Wildlife Trust, Cadw and the Commoners.
  • and with the re-opening of the Cwmcarn Forest Drive, the Twmbarlwm Society will feature strongly in influencing how the tourist attraction will develop – together with Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive, CTS campaigned for the re-opening of the drive and will continue to be involved with the development of the drive.
  • Remember, there are also plans underway for wind turbines to be installed on Mynydd Maen in two separate locations (described in previous JQNs) – the society will be at the forefront of putting forward the opinions of local comunities – you could be helping to get that message out.

 

Many Regards

TERRY EVANS
Chairman Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society

Address general queries to:  twmbarlwmsociety@gmail.com

Here’s a few quick photos – but please go and see the whole gallery at https://photos.app.goo.gl/vWytx6Nfi9sFfrwh8