The weather was expected to be great for the weekend, but I came down with a cold during the week, which put the brakes on my walk plans a little bit!
We stayed at the Star Bunkhouse in Bwlch, which is about 12 miles W along the A40 from Abergavenny. Compared to our recent YHA experience, this was lovely - cosy, clean, comfy, with hot showers, etc.
Frog Spawn
Saturday Mar 21st: 9 miles, ascent approx 400m (map OS Outdoor Leisure OL13).
From Bwlch, 5 of us followed the Beacons Way NE and briskly up to the top of Cefn Moel. Leaving the Beacons Way, we continued N on a bridleway to Myndd Llangorse. Here we caught up with some of the others out on a "bigger" walk. After late elevenses, we all headed for the trig point via a track, where we went our separate ways. After passing slightly to the W of the summit, we turned NE on another track for about 1/4 mile and then sharply S on the E slide of the summit.
We passed a couple of small ponds by the track close to the summit and stopped to inspect frog spawn in various states of life and death and spotted a few tadpoles as well. After 3/4 mile S along this track, we dogleggged E on a bridleway to a cairn that marked the path (bridleway) SE to Pen Tir. To look at some more ponds, we strayed E of the main track and stopped for lunch by one of these near the summit. It was a gorgeous afternoon so we had a long relaxing break with skylarks singing above us.
After inspecting more frog spawn we headed roughly SSE down from the top of Pen Tir. At the boundary at the edge of the open moorland of the hilltop, we doglegged NNW briefly along the edge of an old earthwork and then followed a sunken trackway SW for about 1/4 mile. Arriving at a small tarmac lane, we rejoined the Beacons Way, which we followed by road and footpath to Cwmdu on the A479. We stopped for refreshments and more sun in the roadside garden of the Farmers Arms pub.
Ready for the last section of the walk, we recrossed the river via the Beacons Way (retracing our steps briefly), and then followed the road S parallel to the river down to Felindre. A the S end of the village, we turned W at the T-junction for a couple of hundred yards and then continued in the same direction on a footpath (over Clarach Brook).
Fuelled by fruit sherbets, and encouraged by Emma C's singing and thoughts of chilli for dinner, we continued SW on the footpath crossing a patchwork of fields, climbing towards Neuadd-fry, and then Tre-graig. Here we picked up the byway SW and then W back for the last 3/4 mile back to Bwlch for a nice cup of tea. A lovely day!
Roaming on a Roman Road
Sunday Mar 22nd: 9 miles, ascent approx 250m (map OS Outdoor Leisure OL13).
Today, 4 of us set off under a lovely blue sky, for a walk up to Llyn Syfaddan (Llangorse Lake), the largest natural lake in Wales (ie, not a human-made reservoir). Following the A40 NW, I was looking for a footpath to Castell Blaenllynfi, but turned N too soon. Deciding not to turn back, we climbed a wall and a couple of barbed wire fences in Bwlch Wood and made our way down a steep wooded bank, to emerge into an open field and then onto the B 4560 about 1/4 mile N of the A40.
Having worked out where we were, we went NW on this B road for 1/4mile and then turned W toward Castell Blaenllynfi. Where the road barnches NW and SW, we went SW for about 1/3 mile to join a bridleway thatr followed the route of a Roman Road. We followed this NW and then NNW, climbing up to the summit of Allt yr Esgair. There had been an iron-age and then a Roman fort here, which would have commanded excellent views of the Usk Valley below us to the W. To our NE, the lake below, where there had been another ancient settlement, reflected the blue sky.
We followed the track down hill and beyond as it turned WNW, eventually meeting a road E of Pennorth. About 2/3 of a mile of quiet country road ESE was followed by a footpath N to Tymawr Farm. From here we headed E briefly and then N again toward the S shore of the lake. Turning E for just over half a mile, we heard a buzzard mewing and then saw a pair of them circling above the trees ahead. There was a bit of a cool breeze, but we found a sheltered spot and stopped for lunch looking out at the lake, near the church at Llangasty-Talyllyn.
After a quick lunch (some of us were going home that afternoon), we took the road SW by the church, and soon picked up a footpath which we followed for about 1/2 a mile across fields, SSE and then SSW, to rejoin the road (another quiet lane) at Home Farm. From here, we made swift work of the 2-3 miles SSE along the lane back towards Castell Blaenllynfi. A wiggle on the road brought us to a footpath heading roughly S for a 1/4 mile to the A40.
The last 1/2 a mile SE along the A40 through Bwlch delivered us back to the bunkhouse for tea, macaroons, Sunday papers, and goodbyes for some.
A lovely weekend!