[1] Begin from the car park at Llantwit Major Train station.
(A) Llantwit Major is an ancient settlement and claims to be the home of earliest Christian University. The church is dedicated to St Illtyd who, at the end of the 5th century or in the early 6th century, founded a monastery at or near this site. It was one of the most important monasteries in Glamorgan and local kings and nobles were buried there.
Facing away from the train station cross the road and follow it to the left. At the mini roundabout turn right; there are public toilets on the right. Continue on East Street past the shops then go between the Town Hall on the left and “The Swan Inn” on the right, down Church Street, passing “The Tudor Tavern” on the left and “The Old White Hart” on the right. Continue straight ahead towards the church. Go straight through the churchyard, keeping the church on the right. On exiting the churchyard there are two left turns ahead; take the second one to the left, passing Rock Cottage and going slightly up hill, then turn first right by the medieval gatehouse.
(B) The field opposite the medieval gatehouse contains a dovecot – a remnant of the monastic grange that was here. The grange was farmed by monks, and doves (pigeons) were very important as a source of meat and eggs for food, feathers for bedding, and bones from which to make tools.
Follow the road to reach a hedge lined track, noting the dovecot in the field to the left. Walk along the hedge lined track turning sharp left and then sharp right, passing a waymarked footpath on the left, and various gates on the left and right until reaching a gate ahead: do not go through this, but go into the field to the right of this with electricity poles crossing the field. Follow the hedge line keeping it on the left, ignore the stile on the left and continue to the corner of the field. Ignore the turning on the left; turn right here and keep the hedge on the left, until reaching a stile on the left approx 20 mtrs before the electricity poles.
[2] Cross the stile and continue on in the same direction; cross the next stile at the field boundary and go straight on keeping the hedge on the right. At the next field boundary cross a stile in the right hand corner leading into a small copse. Cross this and go through the copse and exit over another stile with a sheep wash on the left, turn right and carry on keeping the field boundary on the right. At the corner of the field turn left following the edge of the field to a metal gate with a stone stile to the left of the gate; go over the stile onto the road.
[3] Turn left on the road and continue on until you reach the main entrance to St Donat’s Castle.
(C) St Donat’s Castle has existed since the 13th century and was during the 16th century home to the influential Stradling family, one of whom was an adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. After a varied history of neglect and restoration, in 1925 the castle was bought by Sir Randolph Hearst, the American newspaper magnate, and became famous as a venue for glamorous parties attended by Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe. During the second world war soldiers were billeted there, then in 1960 the castle was acquired to become Atlantic College, an international sixth form college.
At the entrance to St Donat’s Castle, follow the road round to the right; it then bears left, and on the left is an old (medieval) house where there is a a waymark post. This is the footpath entrance to St Donat’s, to the side of the double steel gates with a sign on them saying “No Pedestrians”. There is a small pedestrian gate on the right hand side; go through here and follow the road to the visitors’ car park on the right. To the left of the car park entrance there is a path marked “St Donat’s Church” follow this down to the church.
Retrace your footsteps from the church for approximately 20 meters to a waymark post on the left; take the stony path through the trees to a gate. Go through the gate and forward to a metal gate, go through this and straight ahead to the Y junction in the road - take the left hand fork. Immediately past the barn on the left there is a stile: cross this and follow the path to a stone stile; cross this and go straight ahead keeping the stone wall on the right. At the field boundary ahead there is a stile to the right: go over this and walk diagonally left across the field towards the electricity pole in the corner where there is a stile. Cross this and follow the fence on the right to a stile straight ahead: cross this and turn right down a farm track to the gate, go through the gate and down the lane ahead. A short way up the lane there is a gate on the left – go through this. Ahead are two lighthouses. Turn right and follow the hedgerow to reach a stile on the right; cross this and go straight ahead keeping the hedgerow to the right. At the corner of the field turn left keeping the hedge on the right; follow the hedge to the trees ahead.
Go through the gate and follow the track turning left and then right between the houses to the road; turn left and follow the road to Nash Point.
(D) On the way to Nash Point look at for the large lumps in the ground at the top of the opposite side of the valley. They are the remains of an Iron Age hillfort.
[4] Continue straight ahead towards the nearest lighthouse and go through the gate.
(E) The taller lighthouse was the last in Wales to be manned, though it is now automated and operated from Trinity House. The reason for having two lighthouses here is because the way to ensure safe passage is to ensure that the lighthouses are lined up; when only one lighthouse was here there were still numerous shipwrecks in these very dangerous waters.
With the lighthouse on the left follow the road round heading towards the foghorn and second lighthouse. Take the grassy track on the seaward side of the road and continue to a stile; go over this and follow the coastal path which eventually leads to steps down to the shore side of St Donat’s Castle.
(F) This is the rear of Atlantic College and is the home of the inshore lifeboat service for this stretch of coast – you will cross the slipway and pass under the launch rope. The lifeboat service is run by students from the College as part of their commitment to be involved in community service whilst they are studying there.
Here you have a choice to walk along the beach or carry on along the coastal path.
If you choose the beach go down the steps to the slipway and follow the cliffs to Tresilian Bay and then to the beach at Llantwit.
If you intend to walk along the beach, ensure that you check and understand the tide times before you set off. This coast has a very high tidal range and it is very easy to become cut off very quickly.
For the main route, go to the end of St Donat’s castle wall and turn left up some steps then follow the path to the right along the cliff top. When you enter a wooded path keep to the main path through here - there is a path on the right down to the beach but don’t take this, just carry straight on. At the end of the wooded area there is a kissing gate: go through this and turn right and then after a short distance turn left along the coastal path. Follow this to reach a stone stile. Cross it and take the steps down to Tresilian Bay.
(G) As you walk along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, look out for 3 “pill boxes”, remnants of the coastal defences against the expected invasion during World War 2. There is one before Tresilian, one tucked under the steps leading down to Tresilian beach, and one after Tresilian. The bay was traditionally the haunt of smugglers, and the house stands on the site of a very ancient building. The cave near the sea is known as Reynard’s cave and is the largest on the Heritage Coast.
Go down stone steps into Tresilian Bay, cross a pebbly beach and up stone steps to reach the cliff top path at the other side. Continue along this to reach a bench at the top of some more stone steps to the right. Go down these steps to Llantwit beach and turn left in front of the café and toilets.
(H) You are now at the bottom of Cwm Colhuw and there was a harbour here which was busy in the 13th and 14th centuries. Huge storms in 1483 and 1584 destroyed the harbour and formed the pebbly beach. Take time to imagine a wide river running through the valley and boats sailing up it almost as far as the churchyard you passed through at the beginning of the walk
[5] After the café, go through the car park to a tarmac footpath/cycleway. Take this and on reaching the steel gate by the road go left through the kissing gate, then continue along the path which is now a grass track. At the end of this path there is another kissing gate: go through this and turn left to the mini roundabout. Go straight over here and continue along the residential road towards Llantwit. At the fork in the road go right, and then at the T-junction with The Hair Studio in front of you turn right, following the road round to the right and passing between “The White Lion” and “Kings Head”. When you get to the pedestrian crossing cross over to the left and through the pedestrian precinct between Greggs and the Co-op, then turn right and then left: you will see The British Red Cross furniture and electrical shop in front of you. Turn right diagonally through the car park to a pedestrian crossing which leads to the railway station car park.