Walk 7: Rhoose to Llantwit Major

The walk from Rhoose to Llantwit Major was the final walk our February 2020 trip to South Wales geographically, although not chronologically. The plan for February half term was to walk all the way to Swansea, however, the weather had other ideas – who knew it might be stormy in February?!

Although we didn’t make it all the way to Swansea, we made some last-minute changes to our itinerary and managed get a good few walks in. We completed this walk on the date it had originally been planned for – around the middle of the week.

From our accommodation in Cardiff, we took the train to Rhoose, as we did for our previous walk, but this time, when we reached the coast, we took a right-hand turn and followed the path west.

This was one of the first walks on our adventure where, at times, we really felt we were walking along the coast proper, with lovely views of pretty, pebbly beaches.

The beginning of our walk took us along a path with coastal views to our left and fields to our right. After walking along the path for a while, we wandered down some steps and through a holiday park. We were treated to some really interesting coastal views here, with the marshy landscape of Aberthaw Nature Reserve making for some fun water patterns.

The next part of the walk, past Aberthaw Power Station, wasn’t the most scenic, with some very industrial views and, at one point, a stretch with a concrete wall to the left of us and a fence to the right, which all felt a bit eerie.

Once we were through this section, however, we reached the beginning of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast – 14 miles of plunging cliffs, secluded coves and some really interesting geology.

We continued along the coast for a while, with a few ups and downs as we headed to the sea and back up onto the cliffs. Finally, feeling tired and with the sun setting, we reached Llantwit Major beach. Thankfully, we didn’t require the car for this trip, as the car park had completely flooded!

After what felt like a trek along a road, up a hill and into Llantwit Major, we reached our accommodation for the night – a cosy flat above a restaurant.

With another Wales Coast Path walk ticked off, we had reached the geographical end point of our February 2020 trip to South Wales. Little did we know, bar a solitary walk in September 2020, we wouldn’t be getting back to our adventure until two years later!

🥾 Distance: We walked around nine miles, including walking into Llantwit Major from Llantwit Major beach.

⭐ Highlight: Some lovely views of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

👎 Less Good: The slightly odd bit where we were sandwiched between a sea wall and a fence!

🚗 Transport: We took a train to Rhoose from Cardiff, and then walked to our accommodation in Llantwit Major.

🛏️ Accommodation: We had a lovely stay in a flat above The White Hart in Llantwit Major.

🌱 Food: We grabbed some food at the local Co-op, which we enjoyed in the flat.

🗺️ Map: This route is featured in the official South Wales Coast guide.

Still not convinced? Read my ten reasons to walk the Wales Coast Path. If you’re ready to start planning your walk, you can find lots of resources to help you on your way here. Please note, I collect a share of the sales from the links on this page.