The common land on Mynydd Elwysilan hasn’t featured enough in this blog except as a site of crime and conflict. It’s easy to forget what a wonderful asset Eglwysilan is, for cooperative commoners to graze their stock, for the public to access and enjoy. This is about a tour one damp afternoon last week, mostly on the Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC side, and then in Caerphilly CBC.
Some of the footpaths to Egwlysilan are part of the Pontypridd Circular Walk: these are views of the paths PON 10 and 11 from Bryntail Road above Rhydfelin.
The path 11 climbs quickly to views of the common, with nice stone wall features.
This is the Nelson end of the common in Caerphilly, coming off Heol Fawr in Llanafon, with the byway open to all traffic (BOAT) branching left, and the tarmac road to the right. A grey sky doesn’t spoil the magnificent views.
The birdsong and sight of larks rising, and bright stonechats making a curious mechanical chuck was a constant background, but I failed to get any birds in the photos.
This being the common today, it is hard to avoid issues: some messy patches are possibly the reality of “improvement” (as it said on the paper form).
I wasn’t alone. A cyclist was climbing over a blockage of the two byways 118 and 119 where they join the road. Same muck and boulders as other obstructions. It is sad. I couldn’t get through.
More mess, from the mucky block and mucky ditches, which don’t have permission.
It leaves a sour taste instead of enjoying the common, to have ditches everywhere.
I cheered myself up with my shot of a pylon, and drove round through Abertridwr and over to Egwlysilan village, and round to where the sheep by the broken sign were cute.
The continuing obstructions of access and the efforts to remove them have become the main topic in this blog, and have a history going back to 2012.
In June 2012, Caerphilly CBC, egged on by Open Spaces Society and South Wales Trail Riding Folk cleared the byways and everyone celebrated. In 2013, one commoner who dug up the byway was told to pay £26,000 to Caerphilly CBC by the court. It goes on and on. meanwhile, councils have closed teams that used to help keep byways open and the police don’t seem to like detecting the offenders on the common.
Hopefully, everyone standing together will make a permanent change. The public meeting this Friday should help. Meanwhile, I’ve got more obstructions to report as Local Correspondent for Open Spaces Society.
THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED: IT WILL BE REARRANGED
Taff Meadow Community Centre, Broadway, Pontypridd, CF37 1DB
26 May at 18:30 to 21:30
ossjay 
It’s dreadful that people think they can override everyone else’s rights 😡
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