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Eight young people from Thornhill have given up their half term
holidays in order to walk the 32 miles from Thornhill to Penrhys in the
Rhondda. As part of Thornhill's 'Through The Wormhole' project these young
people took the route taken by pilgrims that runs through the estate.
Day One - Thornhill to Machen.
Everyone agreed that this was fun, there was nothing to this walking, the
sun was shining, the birds were singing, we were getting close to
Twmbarlwm and lunch. I suppose things began to go downhill (unfortunately
not literally) when one member of the group was stung by a bee.
The unfortunate insect was dispatched to a more worthy place, the sole of
someone's boot, quite quickly. However this incident did put a bit of a
dampener on the day.
Day Two - Machen to Pontypridd.
Talking about dampeners, day two was a bit wet, well very wet actually, in
fact it was a typical Welsh Spring day; it started to rain before dawn and
just managed to finish in time for supper.
Everyone managed to complete the day's walk despite being soaked to the
skin. Unfortunately, camping out was rained off and everyone was glad to
see the inside of Daerwynno Outdoor Centre, a warm fire and a hot meal.
Day Three - Pontypridd to Ynysybwl.
Despite the early rain, the sun came out and cheered everyone up. After
the soaking the day before, all the young people appreciated having dry
clothes even though by this stage their feet were beginning to feel the
pressure. At the end of the day, back at Daerwynno, everyone managed to
enjoy the home made rice crispy cakes (made especially for the occasion by
a member of the group), the dough nuts and flumps. "Almost worth the
walk!" as one young person said.
Day Four - Ynysybwl to Penrhys.
The finish line; after a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Penrhys, and
fish and chips or even an omelette at Llanfair United Church in Penrhys,
the young people were ready for the minibus trip back to Thornhill and the
welcoming sight of the development team holding a finishing line across
the Community Centre gates.
This group of young people worked hard and showed a commitment to
completing this, at times, gruelling walk. They supported each other
through thick and thin and they deserve recognition for their commitment,
not only to completing the walk, but also to each other.
Cath Cleaves.
Link to the The official report |