The Vale of Ewyas

Saturday 17th October 2020

After the fabulous weather late summer, autumn kicked in at the end of September with a lot of rain so that it wasn’t until the middle of October that a window in the rain enabled me to get away for another walk, but I had other priorities as well. I was running out of books to read so a return visit to Hay-on-Wye, the original Town of Books, was called for, but after just a couple of hours there I had already spent too much so I headed off into the hills to the Black Mountains. This is a range of hills that I have a lot of affection for having been the scene of some of my earliest hill walking experiences and I have returned every five years for a memorial walk ever since. However, those walks, including the most recent in 2019, have all failed to visit the south eastern corner of the Black Mountains around Llanthony Priory and its stunning surroundings in the Vale of Ewyas. I have had to go back to 2005 to find the last time I visited this amazing place and that is far too long ago. But first I had to get there from Hay-on-Wye and that involves a long drive over the Gospel Pass, the highest road pass in Wales, along narrow single-track, badly eroded roads into the Vale of Ewyas. After one point having to park up to let a herd of cows pass I eventually reached Llanthony Priory whose car park seemed to be full until someone pulled out of their spot and fortunately for me provided me with a space to park.

Ignoring the ruins of Llanthony Priory for now I crossed the valley and headed up into Cwm Bwchel following an excellent, well-signposted path as I reflected on the difficulty I had twenty years ago when the paths were not so clear. The terrain is now fabulous with many trees growing in the steep valley making for a tremendous climb in relatively warm weather as the sun tried to break through the clouds over the ridge on the far side of the valley. Generally the Black Mountains were holding onto a thick layer of clouds, but these were well above the tops to provide me with clear views all day. I was soon stripping layers as I climbed thinking I had not anticipated such warm weather, helped by a lack of winds, having expected a cold, autumn wind. The excellent, rocky footpath led me to the top of the ridge, near Bâl Bach, where I turned right to climb up to Bâl Mawr and tried to remember previous visits along this ridge. Apart from the previously mentioned walk in 2005 I can’t remember any other time I had been in this part of the Black Mountains, but back then I had thick cloud so no view along this glorious ridge that was now laid out before me for the first time, which is astonishing when you consider how much walking I have done in the Black Mountains since 1999.

After passing the trig point on Bâl Mawr the ridge narrows uncharacteristically for the Black Mountains undulating delightfully before climbing to the top of Chwarel y Fan. To my left was the Mynydd Du Forest with the Grwyne Fawr Reservoir further up the valley while to my right was the fabulous, much-loved, Vale of Ewyas. When I reached the top of Chwarel y Fan I realised that this would be the highest point that I would climb this year when I have been unable to go to the Lake District or to Scotland, so I was really thankful that I had been able to make this trip. When I reached the Blacksmith’s Anvil stone that marks the crossing of a path over the ridge I turned right passing many helicopter bags that are evidence of the continual maintenance of the paths in this area so the paths are now a lot better than they were twenty years ago. Gradually I descended into the Vale of Ewyas before the terrain steepens dramatically on a rough, stony path that is a delight to walk upon as it zigzags down the steep hillside.

I climbed up this way last year in hot weather having already walked a long way so was really tired at this point and unable to appreciate the excellent path as much as I did now. When the terrain eased I had a moment of indecision about the correct route to take until I eventually found the right route down past the Grange onto the road into Capel-y-ffin. The Youth Hostel that I used to stay in while visiting this area was not far from here, but is now luxury holiday cottages. I do miss that Youth Hostel. Passing the hamlet of Capel-y-ffin and its two churches I took a path that I have taken many times in the past, though last time, in 2019, I had diverted off the path while in descent and now I found it a little confusing. The first couple of times I took this path, back in 1999 and 2000, I also went wrong so it is clearly still not a clear path, but I soon managed to find the right route that took me almost to the Vision Farm where a path leads steeply up through bracken. This path has left such a lasting impression on me since I first climbed it in 1999 that I have returned every five years to climb it again, but now I was climbing that path unusually outside of those memorial walks.

It is a very steep and exhausting climb, but whenever I stopped to catch my breath I was able to look at the tremendous view down the glaciated valley of the Vale of Ewyas that has captivated me for over twenty years. Once the gradient eases there is a turning into a boggy section where the path is not clear and was missed by me on my first couple of climbs, but now I knew to look for it as I kept going to the pile of stones that marks the crossing of the ridge-top path that also carries the Offa’s Dyke Path and the border between England and Wales. Turning right I headed along the ridge in now much colder weather than when I had started the walk so the clothes that had come off then were quickly put back on. I passed over an unnamed hill and a trig point until I reached a junction onto a path that descends all the way down to Llanthony Priory where I had stopped for a moment to take in these entrancing ruins in its fabulous location. This was a fabulous walk and absolutely thrilling to be back in the Black Mountains walking along paths that I hadn’t walked along for many years and was thoroughly worth the effort to get there. Covid restrictions and bad weather have since prevented my travelling anywhere so I am really thankful that I was able to do this walk in October in an area that holds many memories for me going back more than twenty years.

The North Chiltern Trail

Saturday 19th September 2020

With good weather continuing in September I wanted to go for another walk, but not in the Peak District where I have walked many times this year and away from the crowds, so I decided to head south to an area that I first visited in 2017 and have returned many times since, to the Chiltern Hills. I’d noticed that there is an area of the Chilterns AONB that is disjointed from the rest, on the far side of Luton, not far from the M1 motorway, which would make access convenient for me. I’d never been there before so I thought I’d explore the north Chilterns making use of an extension to the Chiltern Way called the North Chiltern Trail that passes through the area. The total length of the North Chiltern Trail is forty-two miles, which is too much for one day, however, it splits easily into two halves with the northern half staying inside the Chilterns. Driving down the M1 I parked at the car park for Sharpenhoe Clappers setting off through the woods and soon had extensive views to the north from the top of the chalk escarpment before climbing to the remains of an Iron Age hillfort amongst an impressive beech wood where a war memorial dedicates the area to the National Trust. Plunging steeply down the escarpment I came into the small village of Sharpenhoe following signs for the North Chiltern Trail under clear blue skies though with a brisk wind. This was great weather to be walking in so I happily set off along the trail briefly leaving the Chilterns AONB to head across farmland and the A6 to reach the large village of Barton-le-Clay.

After a short walk through the village I was back in the Chilterns climbing the steep escarpment of the Barton Hills National Nature Reserve. There were stunning views to the north as I climbed the fabulous chalk slopes beside gorgeous wild flowers in what is simply a great place to walk and reminded me of why I love the Chilterns. The ground was rock-hard, which made walking very easy as I slowly climbed to the top of the hill and followed the edge of the escarpment looking out to the extensive views until, all-too-soon, I turned south and headed through relatively dull terrain past many fields until I reached the Icknield Way. This is an ancient trackway that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire and further south is called the Ridgeway, which I walked on my first visits to the Chilterns. I was already by this point becoming concerned about the length of the walk having already taken several hours and only being about a quarter of the way round so I considered turning right, but this would have shortened the walk far too drastically, so I turned left and headed east along the Icknield Way.

Eventually I came off at the Pegsdon Hills Nature Reserve where more chalk downs with the same extensive views north grabbed my attention as I slowly descended once more past meadows ablaze with wild flowers even though it’s not the best time of year. At the bottom I didn’t have to wait long before I was climbing the escarpment again, this time to reach Knocking Hoe National Nature Reserve after which I finally said goodbye to the extensive, northern views and turned south. The walking now deteriorated as nothing could compare with the northern escarpment though there were many wild flowers to see, but not as many as if I’d been walking earlier in the year with the impending autumn season acting against me. A field of sunflowers attempted to lighten my mood as I kept following the North Chiltern Trail and despite my earlier misgivings I seemed to be making good progress. Passing beside many, many fields I slowly made my way along the trail past Wellbury House until I came to the point where the North Chiltern Trail turns left towards Great Offley and I maintained a straight course soon returning to the North Chiltern Way after it has made its more than twenty mile diversion south.

I was now also on the original Chiltern Way as it makes its swing around Luton, but the terrain still didn’t improve until I came near Warden Hill where I had views across the large town of Luton at the top of another chalk escarpment and here I turned north following the edge through an abundance of lush vegetation and stunning views. Passing through the Nature Reserve I made my way to Galley Hill and down to cross the Icknield Way slowly heading to the village of Streatley, which is just a short distance from Sharpenhoe Clappers where I had parked, but I had still one final treat to come. North of the village I came across the northern escarpment again, but frustratingly trees now blocked my view down into, first, Cow Hole, and then the much large and deeper, Watergutter Hole. I had to be content with walking around the top before the view north finally opened out on the far side of Smithcombe Hill before I turned away from the views and over the hill to the car park where I had started. This was a very long walk of over twenty miles, but most of the walking had been on the flat so I had been able to maintain a brisk pace throughout almost the whole walk so it was completed in just seven hours and despite sometimes passing through dreary farmland was enlightened thanks to the extensive views from the Chiltern escarpment in fabulous weather.

Bretton Clough and the Great Ridge

Saturday 12th September 2020

I have done a lot of walking in the Peak District this year as it is the nearest National Park to me where I can easily do a day walk without the problems inherent at the moment with accommodation. There are now not many places left there that I think are worth walking that I’ve not been this year, but while I was pondering on this I remembered the walk that I did a month before up Win Hill where there are views across the valley to Lose Hill and the Great Ridge between Edale and Castleton. This was definitely not a place to miss and to make the walk a bit more interesting I thought I’d also try to explore some of Bretton Clough, which is a secluded valley that I had glimpsed for the first time on that previous walk. Parking on Sir William Hill Road between Grindleford and Bretton I immediately set off across the heather covered Eyam Moor under fabulous blue skies while at this early hour a cold wind was blowing. Before the path starting to descend, and with the views opening out across the Derwent Valley, I came off the main path along a shallow ridge past something that is marked on the map as Rock Basin. The faint path I was on follows the ridge to the trig point that marks the highest point on Sir William Hill, but since that is beside the road I turned off to descend the hillside and was soon veering left again to take another path that was also heading in the wrong direction.

To get to Bretton Clough I needed to take a convoluted route across the hillside that eventually paid off as I descended into the valley through terrain that had steepened with banks covered in lush vegetation and was handsomely rewarded when I reached a side stream within a delightfully dark, wooded ravine. Leaving these tranquil surroundings I followed the fabulous path that skirts the side of Bretton Clough through dense woodland that frustratingly doesn’t descend to the bottom of the valley until I reached the junction between Bretton Brook and Abney Brook at Stoke Ford. There I took a path heads up Abney Clough through awesome, wild woodland scenery sticking closer to the valley bottom than in Bretton Clough until eventually I climbed out of the valley into the village of Abney. Ahead of me was the broad, featureless hill of Abney Moor that I had climbed on the walk a month before and had not enjoyed, so now I took the quickest route over on a road that was decorated with harebells and yarrow before passing over the saddle and descending along Brough Lane. Ahead of me I now had views of Win Hill and Lose Hill, but the sunny weather that had started the day was now gone with a generous amount of cloud cover.

When I reached the village of Brough I followed a path that skirts an active quarry to reach the village of Hope where I set off on the path that heads up Lose Hill and was packed with people, and the crowds would only get worse. This is a very popular route and the path was never in doubt with a blazed trail through the fields all the way up the hill that I don’t think I have ever seen so popular. Slowly I climbed Lose Hill until eventually I reached the top where I sat with views across the valley to Win Hill and had my lunch sheltered from the brisk wind. After eating I set off along the path at the top of the Great Ridge passing so many people on the path so that it was very difficult to maintain social distancing, but this is a fabulous ridge with gorgeous, solid rock under foot and stunning views across Edale towards Kinder Scout and along the ridge to Mam Tor. The sun finally came out again while I was on the ridge so now I had great views back to Lose Hill as I made my way along the path descending steeply from Back Tor and passed Hollins Cross to climb up to the top of Mam Tor.

From the busy summit I headed steeply down the hill keeping away from the flagstoned path that was packed with people and kept going downhill to a road taking the path opposite to pass Windy Knoll and over a second road along a track that maintained the direction on a similar route to that I had taken in 2017 to reach Mam Tor. My interesting walk was now over, but at least I was leaving the crowds behind as I passed over Bradwell Moor and after several dull miles eventually came out onto a road not far from the point where I had spent the weekend for the walk in 2017. Turning left my long, wearying walk continued that took me all the way back to my car passing through the villages of Little Hucklow and Great Hucklow. Most of it was on a road with the only exceptions being a stony byway that climbs into Great Hucklow and on another byway above Great Hucklow through beautiful woodland below Hucklow Edge. Joining the route that I had taken a month before I passed through Bretton and over the top of Sir William Hill until, after many weary miles since leaving Mam Tor, I finally reached my car.

This was an exhilarating walk, but was very hard on my legs with some really steep ascents that really tested my stamina and strength over almost twenty miles of brisk walking. Despite the crowds, the Great Ridge was really fun and I enjoyed what I saw of Bretton Clough, but I was frustrated at not being able to get deeper into the valley, so I will have to make a return visit to explore deeper into this overgrown delight. Though the long walk back to my car lacked interest the weather was really good in the afternoon with barely a cloud in the sky, which made up for the walk as it was just a pleasure to be stretching my legs walking in the countryside in such weather. I may have been to the Peak District many times since I was a child, but it is still a fabulous place to walk.