I've been desperate for a few years to find a local bluebell wood, and this year The Boy loves nothing better than tramping through a forest, so in search of the elusive sapphire flowers before they disappeared, we headed to Cefn Onn for the first time. This was recommended to me by Laura from Side Street Style and I am very grateful that I followed her advice!
Tucked away in a fold of Caerphilly Mountain, Cefn Onn Country Park is on the northern fringes of Cardiff. The park was laid out between 1911 and 1925 by Ernest Albert Prosser (general manager of the Rhymney Valley Railway, which runs alongside the park with an abandoned train 'halt') as a woodland garden where his son could recuperate from tuberculosis.
Luckily we used the SatNav to get us there because we could have easily missed it. When we arrived, we were almost put off by the limited parking and 'seen-better-days' toilets, but I'm so glad we persevered as once we had walked under the 'bridge' with the thundering traffic of the M4 we discovered a wonderland that I'd never have guessed was there. Cefn Onn (meaning 'ridge of ash trees') holds one of the finest collections of rhododendron and azalea bushes in Europe, and they were in full bloom when we arrived. The huge collection of both native and exotic trees create a high canopy which helps to muffle the sounds of the 21st century, the sunlight streams through this creating a dappled effect on the colourful bushes and carpet of bluebells.
We veered off the tarmac path running throughout most of the park so we could do our usual tree climbing and 'exploring'. The Boy asked if there was a playground and I pointed out the balance beam that was the fallen tree trunk, the climbing frame which turned out to be an oak, the stepping stones across the stream and the treasure hunt that was hunting for pinecones.
There is a small stream (Nant Fawr) which runs throughout the parkland, with stepping stones and a Japanese bridge, as well as fallen logs and more structured bridges. The stream stems from a large pond (which is probably fed into from a brook higher up the mountain) which is three-quarters of the way up the park, and is a beautiful spot for a picnic, or for hot golden retrievers to jump into, much to the amusement of The Boy.
We must have spent two and a half hours wandering around the park and had a brilliant time. Definitely one to return to in the Autumn when the leaves are turning golden colours and creating a crunchy carpet underfoot.
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that is beautiful! i keep meaning to find a local bluebell woods too
There's a website that helps you find local bluebell woods:
http://visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/things-to-do/nature/Pages/bluebell-walks.aspx#.UaSBaZzExdg
They do seem to be dying back so I'd try and get to one over the next few days if possible.
Absolutely gorgeous post. I saw your photos on Instagram (with envy)- can't believe how close it is. A great find!
Oh you must go, your three would love it and it's such a quiet and pretty place.
Ahem- why don't you have share buttons? 🙂
I do, but there at the top of the post 🙂
I am a doofus. 🙂
what a simply stunning place to visit and explore. the colourful springtime flowers you captured are so pretty and the red of that bridge is too, such an unusual design.
And what great tree climbing and jumping! He really is in his element and enjoying himself. that green coat of his almost acts as a camouflage doesnt it? x
It's gorgeous there Jenny, so quiet and peaceful, hard to believe that the M4 passes overhead. He's becoming so confident with his climbing, I can't believe it.
That looks a really beautiful place, love all the little discoveries you made that are in your collage.
It is so pretty, I can't believe I've lived here all my life and never been there before; it's become a new definite favourite and next time we'll be making it all the way to the top of the park.
Beautiful photos! I love all the jumping and climbing. We are pine cone hunters here too!
Looks like so much fun, and the biggest playpark ever! x
Beautiful and local to me! I am definitely going to go visit 🙂 Thanks.
Yey I am so glad you had a good time and that you found it, as it can be easy to miss, we are due to visit again at some point as it offers a lot of outdoor play and it not too busy.
Lovely photos and the little man looks like he had a lot of fun
Laura x
A great recommendation there and I'm loving all the colours, I can spot most of the same plants and bushes in bloom here on the farm at the moment. This is a wonderful time of yer and it looks like The Boy was delighted with his natural playground. I'm looking forward to the leaf crunching autumn pictures too! A delightful post, thank you for linking up.
That looks truly beautiful – the photos are gorgeous, especially the collage of all the different plants. And The Boy jumping off the tree is lovely 🙂
Gorgeous photos & lovely to see The Boy is honing his tree climbing skills on every outing.
Looks like a gorgeous park to visit. I love the red bridge! Great photos.
Beautiful photos. It's so special when you discover somewhere new like this and can immediately see yourself returning there again and again. It will be lovely to see how it changes as the year goes by.