Kenfig Pool

As it was quiet workwise and the weather was dry, I headed to Kenfig Pool which is a national nature reserve situated near Porthcawl, Bridgend, South Wales.  Wild storms and huge tides between the 13th and 15th centuries are mainly responsible for creating the Kenfig dunes as they threw vast quantities of sand up over the Glamorgan coast. This buried the nearby borough of Kenfig, and its castle, of which only the tower is still visible. Kenfig Pool is about 70 acres and is a valuable stopping point for migrating birds. The lake's maximum depth is about 12 feet. A medieval island, built by the aristocrats living in nearby Margam to encourage wildfowl (which they would shoot) to nest there, has long since sunk beneath the waters.

There are many legends concerned with the lake. It is said that the bell of the church can sometimes be heard tolling sadly under the lake. Fisherman are said to have had their lines broken by the city's walls, and one landowner even died when his horse tripped on such a wall, sending him to his doom in the lake. Swimmers are advised not to swim in the southwest of the lake; that is where the so-called Black Gutter lies. Whirlpools allegedly occur here, sending many to an untimely grave.

The blip photo shows the well known tree at the lake that often gets surrounded by water. In the distance can be seen Port Talbot steelworks. I was lucky enought to capture a bird flying past and a young child and his pup played by the waters edge.