Graig Llanishen walk
A wintery walk along a ridge overlooking north Cardiff.
(Photos © urban75, Christmas Day, 2006)
With a hangover still biting hard from a long night in the Deri pub in Rhiwbina, I set off in the fog from Thornhill for a delightful walk across a deserted Craig Llanishen to Cefn Onn and back.
It's a pretty easy walk - around 4 miles - once you've puffed up up Caerphilly Road and the views from the ridge are fantastic (well, they are if there isn't a ton of much fog about!).
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-01.jpg)
Looking back along Caerphilly Road (A469), with the turn off to Lisvane to the left. This used to be a very quiet country lane up until the 1980s.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-02.jpg)
Looking west at the Wenallt aerial mast.
Close to the aerial is a two storey, semi-sunk bunker built for the Royal Artillery as part of the ROTOR radar and air-defence network.
Built in 1951 during the Cold War, the building served as the Anti-Aircraft Operations Room for the Cardiff and Newport Air Defence Zone.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-03.jpg) Walking up Caerphilly Road, which rises to 250m up Thornhill and then climbs up around Caerphilly mountain. It's a tough hill to cycle up!
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-04.jpg) When I was a kid, there used to be a mass stampede from north Cardiff up Caerphilly Mountain to the Traveller's Rest pub which stayed open an extra half hour on weekends (11pm as opposed to 10.30 in Cardiff).
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-05.jpg) Turning east at the pub, you can pick up the footpath by walking throught the car park.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-06.jpg) Looking north from Graig Llanishen at the main A469 below.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-07.jpg) Remains of Castell Morgraig, a 13th century ruin with an enigmatic history.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-08.jpg) Mossy rocks on Graig Llanishen.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-09.jpg) Lots of trees along the route hadn't survived the winter gales.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-10.jpg) Looking south towards Cardiff from the ridge of Graig Llanishen.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-11.jpg) Lovely, lovely sheep!
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-12.jpg) Wintery scene on Graig Llanishen. Throughout the entire walk, I didn't see a single soul. Fantastic!
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-13.jpg) Although the footpath route is now signposted, some of the trees used as posts hadn't lasted the winter.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-14.jpg) Ventilation shaft for the Caerphilly railway tunnel underneath.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-15.jpg) Detail from one of the five air vents needed to bring fresh air into the mile-long, single bore, double track tunnel below.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-16.jpg) View of the disused Cefn Onn halt, which closed in 1986.
![Graig Llanishen walk on Christmas Day 2006, by Caerphilly Mountain, north Cardiff, south Wales](images/graig-llanishen-17.jpg) Half a mile south down the line is Lisvane and Thornhill station, which replaced Cefn Onn, being sited more conveniently to new housing developments in Lisvane.
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