Exploring sand dunes in February. We take a sledge and find lots of little paths to explore and the joys of exceptionally sharp thorn bushes.
Sunday 9 February. Cloudy. 5°C
We’re heading out on a trip today. After weeks of staying close to home we’re venturing a bit further and going to the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr. I refuse to tell B where we’re going and her curiosity is roused.
Me: “You’ve never been before. I used to go before you were born. I think you were probably a bit young before but you’re definitely ready now.”
I’m honestly not sure why we haven’t been. The lack of loos is probably a factor and in the past, I’d always visited in the summer and it tended to get very hot with the sun bouncing off the sand.
B: “So long as it’s not a beach”.
Me: “Err… no it’s not. There might be some sand”.
B: “Or a forest”.
I’m not sure why forests are suddenly out too.
Me: “There are some trees and some sand but its not a beach or a forest and it’s not like anywhere you’ve been before. If you don’t like it, we don’t have to stay long”.
This is working quite well as a way to keep her positive. I’m pretty sure she’s going to like it but throw in something that will definitely help.
“And we’ll take the sledge”. I can see an issue coming over the horizon and steer it off. “But it’s not going to be snowy”.
Suddenly everything is getting quite bouncy. I’m determined to be prepared for this one. It’s really cold with an icy wind. We wear wellies, snow jackets (so we can move easily) and take a change of clothes. We also take hand warmers, gloves and hats.
I tell B its sand dunes as we drive into the car park and she definitely likes the idea. We can see horses from the car park which helps. We grab the sledge and head out.
It’s an amazing place. The dunes are a mixture of different sizes and shapes and there are little paths everywhere with tufted grass hillocks. It would be great for hide and seek so long as you all have a plan if you fail to find each other. We head straight up the first mini dune and try out the sledge but it’s not steep enough. We pick it up and move on, meeting another family with a sledge (which is a bit of a relief as I wasn’t sure if I was over optimistic on the sledging options). They say there’s some good steep hills quite a walk further on towards the beach.
B and I head in the direction they point but then we see a big hill towards the right and decide to try that. We climb up – its’ really steep but like stepping through light deep mud – your feet sink down about half a foot each time. B tries the sledge again getting me to pull her. We find out that if you sit upright on it it digs into the sand and won’t budge. B tries lying flat and it goes slowly along. I get her to try lying on her front but it’s not comfy. We’ve had the sledge since she was two and she’s too big for it really. I suspect we’d be better off with something bigger and flatter.
We climb back down the hill – which is possibly more fun than the sledge was – and continue down the path towards the sea. We meet a few more people who say the best hill for sledging is actually by the car park. We walk a bit further and then turn back. We’re both knackered already with the effort of climbing in sand. A bit like with challenge 329 – finding wands, as soon as we start to head back B finds more energy and is haring off, climbing hills and exploring. We enjoy going different ways round mounds and hillocks.
There are these amazing thorn bushes everywhere and she carefully picks a thorn (it’s about 8cm long). She tries scratching the bark of a nearby tree with it, then finds she can use it to pick off bits of moss and lichen.
Heading back into the car park we see the big hill. It’s massive and definitely excellent for sledging. Neither of us suggest doing it though. We definitely have trouble keeping energy levels up outside longer than an hour or so at the moment. I’m pretty sure that will change as soon as it gets a bit warmer. That said, it’s not felt cold in the dunes. I suspect they are sheltering us from the wind and the sand is keeping the ground warmish.
We had a really good time and will definitely be going back again. I think I was wrong to presume it’s only a summer place. I’m sure it’s great on a cooler summer day but I really want to explore it in Spring and Autumn when it’s not too warm. Next time we’ll probably still bring the sledge but keep it to the car park – and then go off and properly explore the different routes. I think it could be a bit like a maze, approached in the right way.
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