Glyndŵr's Way - Day 13, Thursday 6th April, 2017

We woke to a stunning day so off we set - wondering to begin with how many taxis would appear as it had turned out to be a bit of a quest to find a Welshpool one that could understand where we needed to be collected. It was only a 4 mile trip back to the start point so I think they thought at first we were joking! In fact those 4 miles are treacherous along a single track road and it would have added to the beginning of the day and meant a 15 mile walk ahead which we thought was a bit far... We had looked at the remaining walks and decided we could cut a day out of the suggested route by making today's walk to Pont Llogel rather than just to Lake Efyrnwy/Vyrnwy which means that after today we will only have 2 days left....

As it happened a taxi did arrive so we were safely returned to Llangadfan and today the start was a little steep but not massively which was a bit of a bonus! The day now was cloudier than it had been but warm and still.

And this walk was a little different to previous ones in that it was one of forestry tracks, lane walking, woodland ways and quiet secluded valleys not the big vistas of before - but SO peaceful!

It was a gentle climb then we were into the first forest of the day ....

....which was quite a long walk through the trees and we saw many log piles today which I always find interesting!

Old and new wood, large and small shapes and sizes! We had occasional views through the trees to see the Breiddens as we walked though more forestry ...

.........and then through mixed woodland with pretty little streams running through the trees, no doubt on their way to Afon Efyrnwy which was getting ever closer to us...

The beginning of this walk had been easy on forestry tracks as we dropped won to a caravan park at Ddol Cownwy before we headed REALLY steeply up a short (thank goodness) slope, now in the hot sun once more! We sat on a well placed bench overlooking an old Quaker site with a memorial stone.

Then we dropped down through the trees still to our first view of Lake Efyrnwy.

The stone built dam was the first of its kind to be built in the UK - started in 1881 - and providing water to Liverpool. Our first views to the lake were blocked by conifers to begin with but soon opened up as we dropped down to have clear views of the impressive dam. The lakes seems quite diminutive compared to those at Elan valley - unless that is because this one is in an enclosed space unlike those at Rhayader. (As a matter on interest the pipework for the Elan valley reservoirs is now being updated in the villages it passes through en route to the Midlands - having survived for so long; pretty cute builders those Victorians...). Lake Efyrnwy has its own share of provision for tourism, but very unobtrusive and we were really pleased to enjoy a coffee AND a teacake at the Old Barn Cafe - this was such a treat! And in the hot sun! So often on our walks we have arrived as the cafe closes...or there isn't even a cafe! This would have been the end of the walk today so we were pleased that we had chosen to go further, both because we were enjoying ourselves so much and because we still had a few miles in the old legs yet!!

 So, onwards once more we were leaving the Lake behind and headed off on another track and then over fields to Abertridwr, a little hamlet just, passing many lambs!

....and pheasants...

We had then to follow the road, only for a short way thankfully and then crossed to a lane which was now running kind of parallel with the earlier walk. Glyndŵr's Way does change direction a lot....Then into pretty woods where we had a climb again - this time a stairway to heaven with over 150 steps ...phew!....Trees opened up to views of the Breiddens briefly....and across then, as we turned again, to the walk we had done on Tuesday. The gorse here smelt beautifully, reminded me of the walk over the Clwydian Hills at the north of Offa's Dyke...

We could see Llwydiarth church coming into view as we dropped down into fields,

passing more old machinery....

 and a caravan park to arrive at the post office which we had sussed out the other day and knew they provide coffee. We sat by the church...

 enjoying our drink and a bun - such luxury - wondrous!

This is also the start of 2 other shorter walks - Ann Griffiths walk, a 15 mile walk to Pontrobert. Ann was a well known 19th century hymn writer and there is a really lovely bronze memorial to her here.

The other walk is Pererindod Melangell walk - an old drovers road, quarrymens pilgrims' walk which leads to a 1400 year old nunnery. Pont Llogel, the bridge over the river here and where the car was parked, is the old medieval deer park which belonged to Sir Grufydd Fychan, an ally of Owain Glyndŵr.

So there we are, another lovely 11 miles completed once more.....only 2 days left - exciting!!

Glyndŵr's Way - Day 12, Tuesday 4th April, 2017

So yesterday we enjoyed a day off - really it being a while since we had walked that we thought we might be a bit achy, but in fact we were ok! Yesterday was another brilliant day so it was spent in the garden....and then today, off we set once more. This time in slightly overcast conditions to start the day with even a bit of rain as we left...The car was parked at the Cann Office Hotel in Llangadfan. The hotel's name is apparently derived from Cae'n y Ffos, castle with a moat, and there is an old earthwork in the hotel garden... Mach Taxis duly delivered us back to Llanbrynmair, taxis cost is getting a bit expensive out here as taxi companies are a bit few and far between so they have to make long trips to deliver us now!

So off we set - uphill, as I said in my last blog - I was really hoping this climb would bring us to the tops as it was REALLY steep! Kites were following us overhead...

It really was a hard climb - and I forgot to say that this morning had started with sun at our home but as we started our walk it was quite cloudy and a bit chilly.

Once on the tops we had impressive views back across the Dyfi and Pennant valleys and very soon to our left was the Mynydd Cemmaes windfarm and Moel Eiddiew.

We headed parallel to the heights of yesterday, soon walking the length of the well defined slopes of Mynydd Rhiw Saeson. The only trouble with the cloudiness was that Cadair Idris was lost under it so I was glad I had got such great photos of one of my favourite mountains the last walk. It did get a bit chilly up here for a while as we rounded the hills, Banc y Gorlan but soon we headed into forest.

It was a pleasant enough walk through the forest tracks, about 2 miles of it so that was easy going even though we had few views of course.

As we emerged from the trees it seemed really bright! And indeed the sun started to appear and once more we had those great panoramas to enjoy across the Gam valley.

It was also very boggy today!!

And as we carefully plodged our way we were once more accompanied by windfarms to the left of us, windfarms to the right - so many of them up here...

We headed through the bogginess down to the valley bottom where we passed a big group of walkers having a lunch break, about a dozen of them. We walked then along a quiet road through the pretty Gam valley - the road just serving the few outlying farms. Towards the end of the valley once we had crossed the river Gam, we left the road and headed past one of these farmsteads, Dolwen with its many cows! I have also been a little pleased that these winter walks mean that the cows are in the barns!! We left the farm on another old track passing puddles full of tadpoles!

And also passing the hill Moel Ddolwen - with its fort on top! Very soon we could see the Breidden hills peeping through ahead of us - our destination at Welshpool is getting closer now!

We had a break as did the following group of walkers ....

....so as we waited for them to set off once more,

we counted the turbine revolutions on the hill alongside Moel Ddolwen!

Then we were crossing a large stretch of common ground with many wild ponies - and very much bogginess!

The views in the now very blue sky were just tremendous. Soon we began our descent once more down into a pretty little valley, crossing boggy fields and then we could see Llangadfan ahead.

These apparently well manicured fields are really still quite saturated - intended for sheep, not crops in these parts of mid Wales that's for sure!

We wound our way slowly through the little village and crossed the river Banwy making our way to the hotel. We had tried to spot the church but it is in fact a little way past and south of the hotel. It is named after St Cadfan who arrived here in the 5th century and became the first bishop of Bardsey Isalnd off the Llyn peninsula.

Another simply wonderful day - when we were up, we were indeed up! 11 miles further....

Glyndŵr's Way - Day 11, Sunday 2nd April, 2017

First of all....a happy birthday to my niece, Jill! And then apologies for it being so long since we walked, and therefore blogged!......I had really intended to finish in 2016, however often things stack against us, don't they? So this "Way" has become somewhat like the Milky Way in that it's turning out to be as endless - particularly bearing in mind that we did start it once before, now several years ago. We have had a crazy winter with some not suitable weather for walking, well for us fair weather walkers anyway, thrown in. We have also enjoyed meeting our new grandson, visited and still visiting new family homes...lots of new beginnings for us to take part in with our family.

So with great pleasure in finding a suitable day - and wow was it! - off we set in the sun to Llanbrynmair. We were duly picked up and returned to our last end point at Cemmaes Road, or Glantwymyn, by Mach Taxis once more. And off we set, safe in the knowledge that now BST is with us, we won't get caught walking in the dark in the unlikely (!) event that we should get lost.....

Hedgerows are burgeoning, daffodils have been blooming for a couple of weeks, primroses are looking pretty, violets and celandine are cheering us and the scent of wild garlic is already filling the air here and there.

Leaving Cemmaes Road behind, we crossed the river Twymyn and headed off  up another of our ancient tracks - mid Wales is just riven with them.

Beautiful panoramas unfolded before us all day long. As we were heading uphill, a small group of birds flew over sounding like seaside birds but we couldn't identify them.....can you help?

They really had quite a raucous call for a relatively small bird.

Buzzards, chaffinch, blackbirds, crows and the occasional pheasant accompanied us. They too are enjoying this bright and surprisingly warm spring. We also heard another strange sound as we went over the hills here and we were sure it was dragon's breath.....it really did sound like it!

And the trees are not yet in leaf ...

so the views and the patterns of branches were wonderful today..

And yes we did get slightly lost....the first time as we approached a newly renovated farmstead, now a holiday home.....

This time the reason was weird signage, as as happened before....and yes there was maybe a touch of poor observation skills involved too. However, the bonus was that the detour involved us gaining quite a bit more height which meant we had wondrous views of Cadair Idris!

And as we walked the day really did get hotter and hotter. Another wonderful part of today was seeing so many new lambs frolicking and gambolling in the sunshine. There were Kerry Hill sheep, badger faced and plenty of cute little white cuddly ones!

A new one had just been born in the fields passing the ex farmhouse and was being guarded staunchly by a proud mum. It was still a good track to be walking on with new views opening up as we got higher and rounded more corners.....

..............wind farms are scattered evenly up here. The one on Mynydd Cemmaes was in front of us and as we dropped to the foot of Moel Eiddiew at the Mynydd's south eastern end, we saw a hang glider enjoying the thermals.

And this was a good spot to enjoy a lunch break to minimise the climb we had started once more. And we found another perfect place as we have in the past with such amazing views.....today it was Cadair Idris, just wonderful.

And from our spot at the bottom of the hill, we had no wind turbines to bother us or spoil the view. Here somewhere there are shown on the map some ancient house platforms but we didn't see any sadly.

We headed off uphill and then joined another old track/holloway making the going easy...

 and with new vistas now across the Tymwyn valley to the hills we had headed down on the way to Machynlleth and we thought we could maybe see the sea at the end of the Dyfi valley....

Soon we approached Gwern y Bwlch forest, still climbing gently and then emerged looking out across the valley to Mynydd Doed and Mynydd Rhiw Saeson, the latter (the hill on the right below) being in English, Hill of the English or Saxon.

There is also an old house at the foot of the hill, Plas Rhiw Saeson, one of the oldest still inhabited houses in mid Wales, being 11th century.

Chris thinks the locals would have tried to acquiesce the invading Saxons by giving them the hill and its valley to settle in.....why not? With Cemmaes windfarm behind us now ...

and the magnificent views up to southern Snowdonia,

Cadair Idris had dropped from view behind the hill we had just walked up,

we set off down the very boggy fields to a farm where once again the route has changed from the old guide book we have so our second "lost" of the day happened! But luckily the farmer was around to set us straight! Although we had a trudge through his really boggy fields for a little while...We soon dropped down the hill with great views ahead up to Talerddig valley

and to our right to Cwm Pennant and its hanging valley...

Soon we were passing a transmitter being repaired and lots of lambs in the neighbouring fields and then we walked along the road and the river, Afon Rhiw Saeson and into Llanbrynmair! Phew! 8 more miles along the way....

We enjoyed a lovely coffee in the Machinations cafe - interesting wooden models that work are made here! It had been a super day. Much of this "way" is so special as the day starts with its steep climb onto the hills and then the whole walk is more or less on the tops with such wonderful vistas to enjoy - so that when you are once more in the valleys it seems a bit dull! We have also noticed that we haven't had a lot of company on this walk...so far anyway...