A few weeks ago my Dad, Mike and I set off from Bull Bay and followed the Coastal path to Porth Wen brick works. The walk is roughly 5 miles and is relatively easy with lots to see on the way. We saw countless birds from Chuffs to Peregrine Falcons all pointed out to me by Dad of course
We watched in awe as a very miffed Peregrine dive bombed a large Rook just off the shore. The difference in size didn't seem to bother the Peregrine who was determined to knock the Rook out of the sky, it was an amazing spectacle. Apparently the Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest animals in the world and judging from what we witnessed a ferocious predator.
The Brick works were built in the early 20th century and took advantage of the bay as boats were used to transport the bricks out and the coal used to power the furnaces in. It's funny as you don't expect to see such a large construction in a beautiful bay such as Porth Wen but it looks amazing as you round the cliffs. There's three large brick beehive kilns, furnaces and 2 huge chimneys on the site all still in tact. You can even see in places where they dried the bricks. I learnt a new word too "Sagger makers bottom knocker" isn't that a good word...
"Saggars are used to hold and protect pottery during kiln-firing, and by placing various substances in a saggar it is possible to produce dramatic visual effects on the finished pottery.
Producing saggars to the correct specifications required was a skilled job and needs a craftsman - the saggar maker. However, making the bases of the saggars is a less skilled job which can be left to a lesser craftsman, namely the saggar maker's bottom knocker, who makes the bottom of the saggar by placing clay in a metal hoop and literally knocking it into shape."On the way back we saw an injured Rook which looked like it had a broken wing I wonder if it was the same Rook we saw desperately trying to out wing the Peregrine.
More photos here
http://my.opera.com/pendragonnw/albums/show.dml?id=11765522