Yesterdays walk, a circular from Dolfor, just a few miles out of Newtown, Powys was spectacular but difficult. Difficult to navigate, almost impossible to execute and potentially fraught with some danger.
Why put this post in General Discussion and not the Welsh section? Because we were visitors to Wales, and the problems arising are probably caused as much by British influences as being endemically Welsh.
The reasons I will not complain on the standard ramblers grounds;
Nettles, Brambles and Briars across the way in abundance.
Broken walk furniture. There was none.
No Fingerposts, they probably have yet to be put up in that area.
No WAY MARKS, again as above.
Locked and obstructed gates on the right of way. Too many to be bothered to identify.
Fallen trees across RoW. again as above.
Privacy notices, deliberately positioned to discourage use of RoW.
Powys is a huge administrative area, most of the money they have available goes into more obvious areas such as Brecon and the obvious tourist locations. So why do I raise the question?
This walk would be graded as one to be included in the best in the country IMO, I would give it ***** rating out of 5, if the way was possible and the features recognized and better managed to attract notice. But it is not its own, there are dozens of mini areas that could be describes as AONBs, within mid Wales that provide exceptional short walks or highlights for high grade longer walks.
What I would be complaining about would be the ignorance of the occupiers of that part of the country on the asset that is theirs. Take one example; The Dolfor Inn has been closed for many years, I thought it had been permanently shut after a GE drive by, but we only learnt that it had been re-opened recently, by talking to a property owner on out way around the walk, when we had to pass through his new build that had no waymarks.
His attitude was disbelief that anyone should want walk the way we intended to go. We met him and his wife at the pub a few hours later, we were able to tell them of one of the highlights of our walk was in Wennault Wood, though getting there and out was no mean feat.
Despite being friendly this person had an underlying disposition to discourage us, this was also matched by another local person, a farmers sister, she had just returned from a 26 mile walk/run from Staylittle that day. But could not fully value the reasons why we were walking on her family farm. Again reasons to avoid walking their fields were stressed. An age old reason for going into fields shut off for hay, which probably date back to scythe cutting, was bought up, despite a RoW going across the field being recognized, and over emphasizing a track as 'private', despite a RoW clearly being marked on the map. This encounter was quite friendly, but I but there may have been some hidden guilt as she took our map off to show a brother, that showed we had made a very difficult crossing of a stream in a ravine to access their land, where there should have been some direction, even on H&S grounds.
Anyway we did take this lady's advice about a change to my planned route. It was both good and bad, it did lead us to a beautiful ravine side track, however we then ran into the most impossible obstructions across the rightful way, though there was a far easier route. This would not be on the Definitive Map AND access to it discouraged by enthusiastic use of barbed wire despite the fact it could have provided an alternative to the impossible section of righteous way!
Should I complain? Should I draw attention to a walk that we, despite out trials and tribulations, thoroughly enjoyed. The Dolfor Inn was enjoying a full booking for evening meals, so we missed out, but should their local attraction add covers for those nights when custom is harder to come by?
Does a local community see within it's identity a 'hospitality suite', and not recognize within that community lack of hospitality in the countryside as a contra influence.
Thanks Dolfor, we had a great day out, a superb adventure. But I have a deep rooted desire to go out and buy a joint of NEW ZEALAND lamb as a protest.