First day of Glyndwr’s Way walk today. "Glyndwr's Way is named after the remarkable late-medieval Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr, and is one of three National Trails in Wales. It links at either end - Knighton and Welshpool - with the Offa's Dyke Path." The trail is an exploration of the green heart of Wales, chasing the shadow of an inspirational warrior and statesman. Glyndwr's Way is one of the quietest National Trails, exploring sparsely populated countryside, featuring a succession of hills and valleys largely used for sheep-rearing. The route meanders around, with frequent twists and turns, ascents and descents, so that the scenery changes continually. Some of the higher parts feature open moorlands or forestry plantations. There are a handful of towns along the way, with a scattering of small villages and abundant small farms. Glyndwr's Way sits squarely in mid-Wales, extending almost from the Welsh-English border to the coast, a total of 217km. It links with the Offa's Dyke Path to bring walkers back to Knighton, an additional 47km. The route is entirely confined to the only inland county in Wales - Powys. The only towns on Glyndwr's Way are Knighton, Llanidloes, Machynlleth and Welshpool." So - it looks like our total walk will be about 264km.
Nice temps today; probably high teens C (but we managed to work up a sweat going uphill). Windy at the top of the hills sometimes. Mostly overcast with a bit of sun. Overall - a lovely day for a walk. A bit hazy/overcast for distance photos, but at least no rain!
The walking was quite easy. No huge hills. The footing was generally good. Mostly on hard-packed (but a bit uneven) trails. Some grassy sections, some tarmac or gravel roads, some slightly boggy sections. We were in the forest a bit, and out on the wide-open bogs/moors a bit towards the end, but mostly walking through rolling farmland with lots of sheep and a few cows.
We started the day with our first (of many more to come, I’m sure) full Welsh breakfast. Eggs, toast, grilled tomato & mushrooms, bacon/ham & sausages, and baked beans. A choice of cold cereals, juice, etc as well. I don’t think we’ll be losing any weight! We found a little bakery and grocery store across from our inn, so picked up lunch there. We were off by 9. The official start is the clock tower just up the street. Ron carried the guidebook and kept us on course all day.
We don’t have any hard-core hikers in the group. So 24km on our first day was pretty impressive. A few sore feet and muscles tonight but I don’t think anyone has any blisters. At the end of the day we were fetched by a taxi and shuttled from Felindre back to Knucklas. We’re staying at the Castle Inn, and the food is fabulous! Early to bed, though. Lots of weary bodies tonight....
A sampling of pics from the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment