Monday, 27 June 2016
Glyndŵr's Way
Abbeycwmhir → Clywedog Dam
Distance: 22.68 miles
Ascent: 1270 metres
Duration: 7 hours 10 minutes
Shifting Power
« Not walked | Not walked »
The plan for today was to walk as far as Llanidloes, but having set off early (to avoid the promised rain), I reached the village at lunchtime and with clear skies overhead I decided to push on to the next obvious landmark. (Once again the benefits of having a willing support crew are clear.)
From Llanidloes, Glyndŵr's Way joins forces with the Severn Way for a mile or so, and a little longer with the Sarn Sabrina Walk, whose way marks — depicting a water nymph — led me in a roundabout way to finding an online recounting of the story I know as the Daughters of Pumlumon. I hadn't dreamt it after all!
The changes of power in the country are clear today. From the abandoned Abbey near the start, to the stone by Llanidloes market hall upon which John Wesley stood to preach; from the disused Bryntail lead mine at the foot of the Clywedog Dam to the dozens of wind turbines looking down from the hills above Llandinam.
There's change on a micro level too: a house at Hengynwydd Fawr offered "Repairs: musical instruments and computers", an unlikely combination effortlessly capturing progress of technology. And then there's the national and international level: the caravan park at Newchapel flew the Welsh and European flags side by side, jolting me back into remembering the as yet unknown change ahead for our country.
Notes for future walkers:
- West of SO 044 719 the path via Cwmysgawen has been closed, so the Way is re-routed north along the minor road to SO 043 726 where it picks up the bridleway west towards Lower Esgair.
- At SN 930 869 a new diversion takes the Way off the B4518 and onto the rough scrubland of Penwar, rejoining the original route on the drive to Bryntail farm. Another smaller diversion a little later on takes the route around the farmyard to the north instead of through it; it's well signposted.