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.
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.
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.
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