It has been a busy Autumn but also really colourful for the last 2-3 weeks - glorious! We had selected this week some time ago for our next foray along Glyndŵr's Way as it looked as though the weather would be "settled" - hmmmm! We had booked a hire car for these few days as some of the parking looked a bit remote so we wanted to have some flexibility and the cost was probably the same as taxis would have been - can't recommend Smart cars as a result though.
Day 5: Abbey-Cwm-Hir FROM Llidiartywaen - Sunday 6th November
We decided that it would be better today to "walk the other way", south to north or more like west to east on this day in fact. As I said Glyndŵr's Way is quite confusing as you're never entirely sure which direction you're heading. It doesn't seem so important on an inland walk to continue on the same direction, as long as we cover the distance that's fine. We knew we could leave a car safely though at Abbey-Cwm-Hir village hall, so we did that and drove off to look for a suitable parking place to set off from. Sure enough we found the community hall as shown on the map but we weren't sure if the gate there would be closed in the evening so we parked at the side of the road - these roads are really in the middle of nowhere so it wasn't a problem. It had been a beautiful, sunny morning as we set off - even though the temperature was only 3 degrees....but as we left Abbey-Cwm-Hir, the dark clouds were gathering and as we parked at Llidiartywaen, the heavens opened and the wind blew very cold!
We donned our gear and set off staunchly and easily found the path. The wind turbines above us on the hill (which we could barely see now through the mist and the clouds and our muffled up hats), were droning away, really quite loud even above the wind as we strode off. Once in the valley, of course we had to go up - and it was really steeply up believe me!
A very hard start after a few weeks' rest! The first 3 miles were really tough and heavy going, made worse by the fact that we could still see the car across the other side of the valley for those 3 miles!
Plenty of red berries in the hedgerows, being enjoyed here and there by fieldfare and chaffinch. I do believe it may well be a hard winter this year...
We felt we had hardly made an impact on the distance we had to travel and now the clocks have gone back, we knew we were a little bit limited to walking in daylight! At one point we missed a sign too and were struggling uphill again when we didn't need to - that was a relief at any rate, to be able to go down for a change!
Again there were many interesting things to find out. In an old quarry near Blaentrinant, a new farmhouse is being built where the remaining old barns looked like old quarry buildings. From here we were mostly walking on little lanes so the going was much easier and before long we were walking at the edge of a larch wood with fabulous colours ....
overlooking a wide, open "plateau" like valley - not unlike our Walton Basin at home, where glaciers had dug out an open space. We rejoined the small B road which we had driven up earlier for a short distance and then joine a forestry track, walking through pretty deciduous woods to reach Bwlch-y-Sarnau, a pretty, tiny village with its old phone box - have seen so many phone boxes in these tiny hamlets in varying stated of disrepair.
We had caught sight of more turbines through the mist, they occupy a lot of these hilltops, and also so many old quarries, some quite small, others quite large, some still in use to a limited extent. I guess these hills weren't always so peaceful. Today we could often hear the plaintive cry of buzzards overhead.
And so up we went again - here with lovely views now the clouds had lifted; some of the bigger hills to the north and west trying to make an appearance. We were now striking back to Abbey-Cwm-Hir, at one point missing another sign and so mistakenly going through a farmyard. This path does seem to like going through farmyards - not really one of my favourite pastimes...We headed back along the small road before turning into the woods around a little hill called Sugar Loaf. Very pretty and lovely to scrunch through the autumn leaves
- but then it was steeply uphill again for a short while and before long we could see the Hall and the church coming into view.
We were very pleased we had made it - and in the daylight!
11 more wonderful miles in mid Wales!
Day 6: Llidiartywaen to Llanidloes AND Clywedog to Llanidloes - Monday 7th November
This walk is kind of developing according to the weather - and our fitness levels....
We set off today with lesser expectation of distance to cover and so planned to get to Llanidloes - and then review the situation. As it's been quite wet and especially so overnight last night, we thought we should have less pressure in case the going was too muddy and therefore tiring. It was though a beautiful morning, even though it was zero degrees as we drove to Llanidloes and as we left the lead car once more at Llidiartywaen, the turbines on the hills across from us were clear to see - only 2 actually going round though...And so we were off once more, heading for the car now in Llanidloes where parking was of course not a problem. Uphill of course to set off ...
.....and over really muddy fields but with fabulous views to the Severn valley and even to the Breidden hills at Welshpool.
Some of the field walking here was squelchy in the extreme and made much worse by a recent herd of cattle it seemed... We passed more small quarries along our route today,
saw the edge of the Pumlumon range of hills - the source of the rivers Wye and Severn - and some Jacobs sheep with really big horns!
And then it rained for a while - a couple of showers found us this morning. There was plenty of field walking today and many colourful woodlands to walk through and around and some pretty little dells with waterfalls. In one little wood we found shelter under the huge oak trees as the rain beat down.
And then we could see Llanidloes ahead - a plume of smoke from an Autumn fire streaking into the sky above it.
It was a pleasant walk down a little lane, crossing the busier A470 on a footbridge..
to get into the really pretty little town.
Quite like the other mid Wales towns in its layout but with its fantastic 17th century market hall in the middle. It had been a 5 mile walk and by now the sun was really shining and we felt fine so we decided to head up now to the Clywedog reservoir and do a reverse walk again - back into Llanidloes for a second time today!
The reservoir looked stunning on the sunshine....
....with the ruined 19th century Bryntail mine in the valley below.
The mines in this area were successful in their search for lead ore and we were to pass another before the day finished too. We left the reservoir above and followed the road down to the old ruined mine, crossing the river Clywedog.
The dam here is huge - and a little bit scary to imagine the water being held back here! The reservoir was built in 1967 to hold back the head waters of the river Severn. It was quite a climb to leave the reservoir behind,
crossing a farmyard, we soon joined a path parallel to the road where we heard quite a lot of people watching a nearby hunt. And the hill fort here is majestic - Pen-y- Clun.
There are many forts,standing stones and barrows around here - the old people were much in evidence even before the industrial mining began. as we walked along this field, there were quite a lot of red admiral butterflies - I was struck to think that I don't seem to have seen so many butterflies this year. And as always at this time of year - some wonderful fungi...
We crossed the road into a field - and promptly got lost! He! he!
Didn't take too long to find the error of our way though and then had a lovely walk along an old track, quite possibly linked to the old mining tracks as were now looking across to the village of Fan - still with its old chimneys from the 19th century lead mine there.
In the 1860's there were 700 men working there! So much industry in these Cambrian hills. This track also seemed to be a Rhiannon track
- well I called it that, think it's just a nature trail as we passed this sign quite a lot today and the following day. And there were some magnificent tress - oaks, beech and birch....some with few leaves, some with still quite a lot...
We crossed another road and got lost again as we headed steeply up through a field.
By now the sun was sinking and the colours were just marvellous...
Soon though we passed Penrallt farm with dogs in their kennels and passed the golf course to head through the pretty wood, Allt Coch, into the town once more, crossing the river Severn at last.
By now it was indeed dropping dark, the moon riding high and the lights on in the town as we wound our way back to the car park.
We were pleased that we had managed to achieve another 6 and a half miles - a lovely day!
Day 7: Clywedog to Penffordd-las (Staylittle) - Tuesday 8th November
It was a cloudy, dull start to the day and still on the chilly side but really still. We had decided that we would make it to Aberhosan tomorrow - our last day this walk and not to Machynlleth - that idea had been too ambitious for us. So having studied the map, Chris realised that we could make Penffordd-las the destination today. We asked permission to park in the outdoor centre in the village which was given freely - thank you! and so we drove back to start at the reservoir.
Not quite as spectacular without the reflections in the sunshine which we had seen yesterday but looked very impressive as we looked down from the top of the hill we had to climb to begin!
This hill is another hillfort - Pen-y-Gaer. And from here we could look across to the turbines once more which have looked down on us for 3 days now - we would be leaving them behind today, although I have a feeling there will be more. Crossing fields and heading alongside the water was so pretty - and so peaceful.
We passed the sailing club, plenty of boats, all now wrapped up for the winter. And here too was a fish farm - the automatic feeder obviously working as we could see and hear the fish thrashing about to devour their delicacies - even though we were so high above them.
As we walked along and above the water, it was so peaceful, at one point I could hear a sycamore leaves falling - magic!
As we were turning away inland from the waterside, I fell in a gateway by a cattle grid - oh dear, I was in trouble for being so clumsy. Then we headed over fields and across a wide common, rich in sphagnum moss to reach the bridge crossing at Afon Biga with the Hafren forest behind.
It was a pretty walk at the edge of trees and even a little robin came to say hello..
And there are Christmas trees galore here - very seasonal...
We then joined the road, crossing another river, the Lwyd, and had decided to continue on this to get to Staylittle - but a bull ahead kind of influenced me to stay on the path which just runs parallel with the road in adjacent fields...However, this path passed very closely to a farm where the dogs (sounded to be a veritable pack of them) went mad that we were causing them some disturbance...for quite a long time. Ironic, don't you think?...A fearless traveller I'm not..We rejoined the road a little further along and walked through the tiny hamlet of Llwynygog making our way back to the outdoor centre....
and as we did so it began to rain and then poured all evening - we had had a great walk - and stayed dry! 7 more miles along the Way! Buzzards, kites and pheasants a-plenty accompanying us today....
Day 8: Penffordd-las (Staylittle) to Aberhosan - Tuesday 8th November
Well - that was a hard 4 days - and arguable (but not very) today had been the hardest! Forecast had said that it would be clouds and sun today...some showers...so we set off with happy hearts hoping for the best although last night we had wondered if we would be better going in an ark - and Donald Trump is now president elect... However all that taken into account, we parked finally in Aberhosan - not that easy a task but felt it safe enough - and headed back to begin at Staylittle - let the day, or was it rain?, begin. We walked back through Llwynygog and up to the path once more and for a short while it was sunny, if very cold.
We crossed fields and the river Clywedog and then headed up following an old sunken path to join an old drovers road on the tops where the rain started and the wind began to blow.....bbbrrr!
It was though fascinating once more to be following an old track ...yes, that really is me below....
.....and before long we passed an old Roman fort too, Pen-y-crocben which looks down on Dylife.
Dylife has substantial old mine workings - lead again where the Romans had mined too, hence the fort. The village also has an old pub, the Star, still open with its advertisement on the footpath signs up here! It was an original 17th century drovers pub...or their equivalent.
Sadly as we looked down on it today, I feared it would be closed even if we had time to wander down there! The fort here was also a place where there had been a gibbet until the 1930's and a man, a blacksmith I believe, had been hung here having killed his wife and daughter. Quite a gruesome story...Shortly we turned off the drovers' road and followed an old Dyke for quite a stretch....don't know whose Dyke this was but there was also signs of a ruined building of some sort along it, now just greened over.
And then it began to rain heavier and the wind blew...we could barely hear the waterfall ahead, as we dropped down to cross the river Clywedog once more -
or the sound of the chainsaw in the forest across the valley. We dropped down and then up again onto the tops of this Cambrian mountain following a forestry path which in all likelihood had been a former miners' track. How did people live up here like this on a daily basis and having to do such heavy work before trudging home to the valley below?
We headed along the tops - and now I picked up speed as the wind stopped for a while, in the hope that we would soon drop down out of the cloud and be able to dry off a bit. A tumble dryer might be needed....We passed Llyn Glaslyn which we could barely make out through the mist and soon began to go down and as we did so, the rain eased and some colour came back into the hills and fields below us!
We made our way carefully down the scree like slate strewn pathway - probably much safer that it would have been with its bare rock which would have been like ice I should think.
Soon we were back to green fields and paths, making our way to Aberhosan.
We left the "way" and wandered down the road into the village. I have to say today's walk was a bit of a toil of a pleasure - kind of enjoyable in a masochistic kind of way, me against the elements....and certainly will remain more enjoyable in hindsight!
It was though with a great sense of achievement ( and dampness) that we made it to the car - 9 more very wet miles - plenty more waiting I'm sure. Maybe I've earned a lot of sponsorship today??? I can hope so!...
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