I just got back from the Glyndwrs Way. I really enjoyed it, it made a real change from the Pennine Way type routes, well worn paths, other hikers, no real brain power demands to know which way to go and the population en-route have not yet got used to lots of hikers. The route was fairly easy, it was well marked but there were many twists and turns so I had to keep my eyes open and on the ball! It was also more than hilly enough to make me break into a sweat, to make my legs ache and to feel isoloted on so many days. In fact I did not one single hiker anywhere, either coming towards me or overtaking!
One or two interesting matters though. Easy for me to get to Knighton by train and only £27 single. I liked Knighton and also noticed how cheap the property is there compared to where I live. I'm not thinking about moving!
The route was very scenic, more than enough hills to satisfy anyone other than die hard mountaineer types. I think the best guide that I read was by 'ramblingman.org' so I will not try to match him in any way. One or two places deserve a mention. At the end of my first day I camped at Brandy House farm, Felindre and the owner was so hospitable! He let me camp on his lawn, he bought me a large piece of Victoria Sponge and a pot of tea as I was putting my tent up, he booked me a place at a nearby pub so I could eat and get in a couple of pints, he also drove me there and collected me when I finished. A real gent! When I settled my bill he said £10! I tried to give him more but he refused. Ramblingman writes about the same experience!
The next night was at Abbeycwmhir, a small hamlet and I camped at Home Farm. I had a huge field all to myself, when I tried to pay the owner insisted that it was free! The one pub did not open until 8.00pm and did not serve food.
I eventually wandered into Llanidloes (a nice ordinary camp site nearby, £7.50) and in the morning I wandered into the small town again and had breakfast in a small cafe. I was soon joined by four older local people (about my age or a bit more, 72) who sat and moaned that their only bank was soon to close. They had always worked in cash or had written cheques and with great pride said they did not have the internet, had never used a card and would never do so! Its the devils work!
I became part of that conversation and felt obliged to point out they will have to drag themselves a bit into my world, to at least get a card and use the hole in the wall machine otherwise they could really fall on hard times. None of them knew how the difference between a cash card, a debit card or a credit card either. They were still coughing, spluttering and protesting about it all as I left!
I also want to mention Machynlleth. I walked into the town, nice coffee and cake shop there and saw signgs to the Tourist Information office. Only one problem, it had closed two years ago so I was told. I went to the local council office and they recommended a camp site that had only opened this year and it was in the direction of the Glyndwrs Way. Off I strolled and then it started to rain hard! In 1.5 miles along a main road I found the site, Penrhosmawr, just off it. It was a farmhouse and a couple of mobile home. I thought I would be camping almost next to the house but no! The owner said to jump in his car and he drove me for about half a mile or more up and along a muddy farm track. It was still raining very hard!
Soon we came to the end of the track. Directly ahead of me was a single gate with a clear sign saying Glyndwrs Way straight on. To my left was some derelict building with a brand new toilet/shower block, with hot water, attached. The owner pointed around and said that I could camp anywhere I liked. I looked and saw 'thousands' of sheep and a large field straddling the farm track but just to the right of the gate was a very nice flat grassed area, sheltered by the field boundry hedge and partly taken up by three white Glamping tents, all empty. I asked how much for one night? £15 said he!!!
I was not amused and commented that seems a bit steep, he shrugged his shoulders! The rain was still coming down in torrents, it was 3pm, I was a bit damp, cold, I was captured! I paid up. Ok, I would have been happy to part with £5 or even £7.50 but the £15 really wound me up! The owner then left.
I dumped my gear in the shower block (very nice) and had a look around. This was not a camp site by my definition, this was a large sloping field of [censored] sheep and when I decided where I would pitch my tent (on a flat bit) I had to kick away loads of it to clear a space for my groundsheet.
I pitched my tent, got in and had to stay there until dawn the following day. The rain never stopped until about 5am, waves and waves of it pounded my tent all night! I stayed dry!
The next morning I packed strolled through the gate and was on my way again.
If I had known better I could have followed the Glyndwrs out of Machynlleth through Forge and I would have then been walking up the farm track that the owner had driven me. If I had done this I would never have guessed that this was a so called 'camp site', I'm not even sure if I would have noticed the toilet/shower block. I am sure that I would have noticed the flat area for a wild camp, just where I had already pitched my tent, it would have glared at me, Camp Here!, Camp Here! and by walking from Forge I wouldn't have had to pay. Grrr!
Yes, for me a really good hike and hard to believe that in the UK their is still some large areas of small population in such a large land area. One thing though, because of rain and dew I had to walk through loads of long grass fields, damp woods and heather moorland. I'm glad I've gone back to leather boots, my outer boots seemed to be forever wet, but my feet stayed completely DRY!