Offa's Dyke

Cwm to Welshpool

September 13, 2024

Today the weather was absolutely perfect.  A little cool to start but I warmed up quickly and was soon pulling my coat off.  Not a hint of a breeze and a lovely sunny day.  The trail was nice and level so we made good time.  There was quite a bit of the trail down a single lane gravel road and quite a bit was through cornfields.  This was a great change from all the sheep pastures we have been traversing.  I guess I just wasn't ready for how much sheep manure there is in a sheep pasture.  

The flat roads and corn fields didn't produce the astounding panorama vistas we have been seeing but making good time was great as well.  The flat route didn't last all that long and by mile 5 we were climbing up some incredibly steep hills.  I didn't even think that dirt and rocks would stay on such a steep slopes.  After a couple of hundred feet of climb the trail leveled out and we walked along though this beautiful treed forest.  In the forest there was a place where they were raising pheasants.  There were literally hundreds of them running all over through the forest and down the road.  I guess they were free range pheasants.  

At the top of the big hill of the day was the Iron Hill Fort.  It was first constructed in 600 BC and used continuously through 50 AD.  You can see the huge earth works from a couple of miles off.  It was then used by several different armies throughout history.  It has never been excavated and is currently a nature reserve for birds and other wildlife.  The center of the fort is covered with thick growth of trees and underbrush.  As you walk around the fort there is a 15 foot deep moat and 40 foot high earthen walls. The immensity of the earthworks are astounding. 

After we left the fort we only had a couple of miles down hill to the pick up point. We were suppose to call the lodgings to let them know we close and to the pick up point however their phone didn't work.  So I contacted the travel agency and they provided an alternate number which did work.  When we arrived at the pick up point we only had to wait about ten minutes and the car arrived and wisked us off the the lodgings. Tynllwyn Farms where we are staying is a lovely old English home in the country.  

Todays walk was 14.35 miles with climb of 1558 feet.  

What a great day

Terry