A wet trudge over 7 miles of the Offa’s Dyke path, finishing by abandoning the walk at Forden near Welspool

Date walked: 11th June 2019

Distance: about 7  miles

Maps used:  OS Explorer 216 (Welshpool and Montgomery).

Guide used: Walking Offa’s Dyke Path by Mike Dunn published by Cicerone in 2016

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If you had read the post from yesterday’s walk you’ll recall that I had stayed last night at Offa’s Dyke Cottage c/o Diane and Adrian Watts (01588 620642). I had had a pretty wet afternoon and though my clothes had dried off my boots were still a tad damp. Never a nice way to start the day. And looking outside, the rain was already set in. Diane very kindly offered to take me into Welshpool but you know that I could not accept such generosity. And although I wasn’t looking forward to starting the day in the rain, I couldn’t in any case quite see the practicalities of abandoning the walk at Cwm only to need to get myself back there at some point in the future.

So after breakfast the boots and waterproofs were put on and I set back on the path.  In the rain. The route continued on the road for a few hundred yards before returning to the top of the now extremely slippery Dyke.

Today’s walk across the Vale of Montgomery was, in theory, a doddle compared to the previous day, with no steep climbs or descents until after Forden.  Except that almost any distance on a slippery and insecure surface is twice as much effort as on a dry and secure one.

Added to that, I quickly found that I was needing to negotiate flooded sections and deep puddles, so that my boots soon became quite squelchy.

Mellington Hall offers a pricey Bed and Breakfast for the well-heeled walker with a decent change of clothes (and a static caravan park for the less well-off wanting a longer stay).

Mellington Wood offered me a flooded boggy section which was no fun to get through.

Sorry, the light was so poor that my camera couldn’t cope

A mile further on the path joined the B4385, crosses a stream at Brompton Bridge….

… and passes Brompton Mill….

…. to arrive at The Blue Bell Inn at the junction of the A489 and the B 4385.

No Longer a hotel

This place is extremely familiar to me since it is just three miles from where my Mother lives in Montgomery and is the point where, when driving up to see her, I always turn. I know Mum would be at home but I wasn’t in a fit state to visit, so I pressed on, the path leaving the road immediately after the junction to head in a dead straight line across the Vale of Montgomery.

As I trudged across this pretty claggy terrain, the long wet grass finding a way to saturate my inner trousers, I began to ask myself the fatal question; “am I enjoying myself”. The answer was “no” and I began to think about my options.

A field edge of bedraggled poppies necessitated whipping the camera out as I mused.

I did have an option of diverting to Montgomery and getting a bus to somewhere from there but I decided to press on to Forden where I knew there was also a bus service if things had not improved.  It was still raining steadily when I crossed the B 4386 just a mile Montgomery. I gave Mum a wave and carried on.

If you squint you may be able to make out the church at Montgomery

There was little of note to make me pause over the next couple of miles, bar a rather charming but clearly empty brick-built cottage…

… and a footbridge over the swollen Camiad river.

As I approached Forden the path was returned to the top of the Dyke once more, the route marked again by some fine old oaks.

On the map Forden looks like a reasonable sized little village. I was hoping for a cafe to dry off a bit and to consider my options. The place was deserted. No cafe. There was a pub but it wasn’t open. There wasn’t any place to shelter either.

The bus stop suggested that there should have been one any minute that would go to Welshpool. It didn’t show up. The forecast for the next couple of days was rubbish. It was all a bit depressing. I resolved that I would try and hitch a lift into Welshpool and that if no one stopped in 15 minutes I would walk on and take my chances.

After 10 minutes  a very friendly  “alternative” couple in a shabby car stopped and despite my sodden state were happy to take me to Welshpool station. My decision was made. The walk would be resumed another day.