We decided that we had had enough decorating and the forecast looked good for a few days so we thought a couple more days walking would do nicely...
Day Three: Felindre to Llanbadarn Fynydd
So after the next Welsh lesson, we headed to Llanbadarn, our end point of the day to await the taxi who took us back to Felindre. He was telling us about the windfarm being built on these lovely hills - of which more later...It was in fact misty first thing but by our start time the clouds had lifted and off we set.
Passing the Wharf Inn, we headed through a farmyard with noisy dogs - thank goodness for kennels!
Up the hill we went with fantastic views behind and into the first cow field of the day (gulp!). The berries really are prolific this year - see these haws....will it be a bad winter?
Safely through we were once again on an old track - perfect!
(But see how easily it can be to get lost with fallen down signs!!)
Down the track we went passing some pretty ox eye daisies still looking lovely
and into the next farmyard complete with 2nd noisy dogs of the day - again thankfully in a kennel. Up the track we went like old drovers with such beautiful views. Crossing fields with sheep and their colourful brandings,
we could now see the massive mechanical paraphernalia needed to build the turbines on top of these super hills.
Like great robotic arms reaching from the tranquility of the fields, well apart from a few mooing cows - and see the bull there, luckily there was a fence between us!
We came to a junction at Castle Hill farm and met the 3rd dogs of the day - not in kennels this time as they rushed down the lane towards us making a heck of a noise - fiercesome! Their tails were wagging, Chris told me, but I didn't really feel that comforted so I trotted off in the opposite direction which luckily happened to be the correct direction too!
We walked down a lane here with Bryn Mawr hill to our right and passing a cottage, quite a large small holding it would have been at some point - Chris was quite envious. The stream behind it had been dammed at some point making 3 little ponds. Soon ahead we could see the new track forged to enable the building the next windfarm, here in these beautiful, drumlin-filled hills and open pasture.
The massive lorries were stirring up dust and dirt as they toiled along with heavy loads.
The windfarm is Garreg Lwyd and will consist of 17 huge turbines twice the size of those on the hill overlooking Newtown at 300 feet. We sat and ate lunch watching the vehicles ploughing up and down before heading up the hill once more alongside the "new road". A couple more humongous lorries passed us - a weird sight and sound in this lovely scenery. Can it be worth it?
We passed the huge platforms where these turbines will be standing.....they really are big...
....and we crossed the really expensive road built to allow the huge machines to plough up and down.
Can't help but wonder if in fact this expense makes any sense ... the road alone must be 6 miles long and its depth means that it would have been expensive - and not that environmentally friendly in its quarrying and delivering here.
Soon we were leaving the machines behind and very close by is the castle mound of Castell-y-Blaidd (castle of the wolf).
This was a 13th century castle but it is believed it was abandoned in favour of Tinboeth castle about 5 miles south west - and of which more tomorrow! Taking a last look back to see one of the platforms where a huge turbine will soon be standing...how different this view will be then...
We then passed through cow field number 3 here - again no bull in sight - phew! From here were lovely views all round as we descended slowly along a lane. We could see the turbines above Newtown and the hills faintly to the north
and back south to Radnor Forest and Llandegley rocks. It was a beautiful afternoon. we could just make out the shape of Tinboeth castle.......
- unaware today about how close we would be to it tomorrow! We dropped down into Llanbadarn, passing a strange memorial stone! Commemorating one man who had built a weigh station here - and another man who had knocked it down - both Pughs, whether related or not is not made clear!
Although we had deliberately walked slowly for the second part of our walk, it was still much too early for the New Inn to be open sadly! It opens at 6 for meals and there have been good reports of food there so we were a bit thwarted! I had called them yesterday to ask if it was OK to use their car park for the day and the lady was very grateful that I had asked permission and even wished us a good day's walking so we will return for a meal before too long! 7 more miles completed today....
Day 4: Llanbadarn to Abbey-Cwm-Hir
A bright and breezy morning saw us back at Abbey-Cwm-Hir awaiting the taxi to get us back to Llanbadarn. We knew there was a village hall in Abbey-Cwm-Hir thanks to the taxi man so leaving the car had been easy.
Back at the New Inn off we set firstly along the Newtown road, not too busy this morning, and with the River Ithon/Afon Eithion on our right where we saw a heron fishing and fishes jumping. We soon turned right passing the church and a few pretty old houses
and crossed the bridge and then headed, you guessed it, up a hill!
We were following another track, acorns and beech mast crunching now and then underfoot......
before we came to fields with Moel Dod alongside us .....
.......and views back down to Radnor Forest. We could see the hills with the wind turbine building behind us now...
and we were getting closer to Tinboeth castle now across the river from us. This long distance path, Glyndŵr's Way, is unusual in that it heads in a half a circle to get to Welshpool so changes direction often. For a while then we were heading south today. In fact walking Offa's Dyke to Welshpool is much quicker walk! But then we are getting to see so much more of mid Wales this way - and today must be some of the best surely!
We turned then completely southwards and headed alongside Moel Dod on our left across a lovely common with a pretty little valley alongside and below us.
We could soon see Radnor Forest clearly with Black Mixen mast standing out clearly and Llandegley rocks across the valley.
And just through the mistiness we could make out the clear shape of Pen-y-Fan - incredible to see so far! It was quite a windy walk up here but it was such a glorious day that every step was an absolute pleasure.
We just loved it!
And the sheep made us laugh - her coat was sooo last year, darling!
Soon we descended passing a lovely, lonely little house in such a perfect setting with an old track leading up to it ...
and with Tinboeth castle watching over it from the hill across the Ithon valley.
Tinboeth was apparently a Mortimer castle by the way and it got more and more impressive as we drew nearer with a clear bailey and huge ramparts. Apparently only some of the gatehouse is still standing. Glyndŵr must have visited here!
And the light through the trees was just wonderful...
We then dropped down to Tynypant farmhouse - I was really looking forward to this - I am sincerely glad that someone had the good sense to invent kennels! This was the farmyard...
So we crossed a road then, now leaving the Ithon valley behind, and headed past Bwlch and then uphill again onto and across the most stunning common land with rocky outcrops almost like the tors of Dartmoor.
The trig point here on its highest point is at Ysgŵd-ffordd.
What a beautiful place it is. we sat for a while here in the now really warm sun - the Brecon Beacons a bit clearer to make out,
Newtown's windfarm on the horizon,
and lovely valleys below us in every direction.
We passed another walker up here and had a chat - he had walked the Beacons Way over last winter...now there's an idea.... Then we headed quite steeply downhill through trees in such a pretty, dappled light, and now headed south-westerly.
We passed a pleasant chap tending his bonfire near his very remote home where he has lived for 65 years having moved here from Croydon! We followed his not insubstantial driveway back to a little road heading to Abbey-Cwm-Hir, looking forward to seeing the old mansion Dyfaenor, built by the Fowler family during the civil war. However, this was not to be as the house has, since the guide was written, obviously been bought and renovated and is now private. Not to worry, we could look back to the hill where we had been sitting a little while before on Ysgŵd-ffordd....
..and admire the strange, old trees..watching buzzards in the blue sky....
So we crossed fields and had a pleasant walk through a little wood and over a pretty dell passing a wonderful log pile that we wished we had for the coming winter(s)...
and a small quarry which we wondered had maybe been used to build the abbey itself...or maybe the big houses in the valley at least.. The valley looked stunning in the evening light....Cwm hir - long valley..
We passed a super big house, Brynmoil, currently for sale and wandered down its very long driveway and then onto the road through the pretty village of Abbey-Cwm-Hir, passing the old hall, scene of a lovely visit last Christmas with our family.
The Hall is Victorian and has been renovated over a number of years and is now open to the public, especially for Christmas when each of its 52 rooms is decorated in a different style with Christmas decorations - well worth a visit! We visited the abbey ruins briefly on our way back to the car.
The abbey was built by the Cistercians in 1143 and was scene of much battling one way and another. Llewelyn the Great was reputedly buried here finally in 1282 and there is a commemorative plate to him amongst the few walls left standing.
It was a huge abbey in its heyday, much bigger than many others in the UK but was finally laid to ruin once and for all by Lord Fairfax in the civil war having suffered greatly of course in the Reformation. It is believed that some of its stonework was used both in the Hall and the church ...
... and maybe at Llanidloes church further north, maybe we can take a peek there when we reach that point! It was now a perfect evening, a bit of a shame that the Happy Union pub was closed. It does open still and has been owned by the same family for 3 generations, but I think they choose their opening times to suit themselves - and why not? It does have a funny sign on its wall though - a man with a leek in his hat riding a goat....
must try to visit sometime to find out more....
What a perfect day - have seen so many new things in the past 2 days - mid Wales is amazing! Can't wait for next time...after decorating is over....Another 8 and a half miles down today!
