Barry Island

We had a good night’s sleep, good food and service at the Inn. All around it was a bit of a maze as land here becomes developed. It was no good using the sat nav and we drove in circles in the morning trying to find Barry island. Unsure whether to include this in our island list but a local said it should count! Now a peninsula it was an island until 1880s and in 1896 the rail link was completed running along a 250 yards pier structure. Land has filled in at the sides and the docks also link the gap. The only way to Barry Island once was across the mud at low tide or by steamer at high tide!

We found a parking spot where the coaches park for the funfair in the summer.

This is a dog walker’s paradise. Hundreds were on the beach and promenades. We maybe saw 1 or 2 people only without a canine friend. Dogs can’t go on the beach in the summer. They all seemed well behaved! And later we saw they were welcomed by the café owners offering dog bowls, dog treats dog beds, love and attention.

It is a lovely sandy bay and we set of left of this following the path, Clements Colley Walk to a viewpoint from where we could see Sully Island over the docks.

The clouds merged with the land- we think Somerset- and it drizzled with rain. Yellow patches in the sky promised better weather perhaps.

We met a couple who said the lady’s grandfather helped build the harbour wall and worked on the tidal swimming pool- now gone. They pointed out the building next to the pleasure park which used to have a skating rink on the first floor-now a children’s amusement area. There must have been a good view from the grand wall height windows. They told us Barry Island is a resort for day trippers not having many hotels. Miners were sent here twice a week on day trips for respite.

We walked by some new houses with great sea views and Bob was taken with the concrete balls protecting the grass verges. We were foiled by dead ends here though many cul de sacs looked promising. Eventually we arrived back at the car and we took the right- hand side of the bay passing the pleasure park that actually looked to be open, with music playing.

 

 

 

Down on the beach the sand was very soft and hard to walk on. Before climbing up the path to the grassy banks- an ancient wild flower meadow- we admired the rock strata edging the beach. Contrasting pink and grey levels could be clearly seen like layers of a gateau. As we walked down towards the sea on the bank edging Whitmore Bay, the name for the beach, we walked into the rain, heads down. It had been a good hours walk of around 2 miles by the time we got back to the car.

Barry Island has the 2^nd highest tidal range in the world of 49 feet!