A longish but very varied and enjoyable walk from Llanymynech to Castle Mill in which I encounter a two-headed horse.

Date walked: 19th August 2021

Distance:  13.5  miles

Maps used:  OS Explorer 240 Oswestry

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

***************

Bad news; despite a perfectly decent nights sleep my painful knee had not received any miraculous overnight intervention, and was still hurting as I hobbled into the breakfast room at The Bradford Arms. I contemplated my options over my (perfectly acceptable) cooked breakfast.

Abandoning the path was an option and a bus could get me to a train station and back to Welshpool. But I had three more nights accommodation booked and train tickets back from Prestatyn so I would take quite a hit by bailing out. Not to mention the disappointment and having to make fresh plans. On the other hand I had a 13 mile walk ahead of me over moderately demanding terrain. A dilemma.

I decided to get a taxi to come and pick up the rucksack and take it on to The Swan Inn at Pontfadog and I would dose myself up with Ibuprofen, put on the knee support that I always carry with me, and hope for the best.

I had no backup way of carrying stuff so phone and battery, painkillers and gel, guide book and map and a small bottle of water went into the fleece jacket and I set off with some foreboding, knowing that I had to get to Pontfadog now, come what may.

The path followed the A483 for a short while, crossed the Montgomery Canal……

… and then turned off the main road to take a steep lane towards the old limestone quarries. The Guide informed me that it was here that Charles Darwin undertook his first geological fieldwork in 1831. See, how educational it is reading my posts. As I was reading the guide my solicitor friend from Buttington turned up looking a bit miserable. He had had an unpleasant camp in a closed caravan park. I didn’t share my bad news but wished him a better day and watched him speed up the hill. As I climbed up what was now a track I could easily make out the wear marks from the wheels of carts that had carried the stone down to the canal.

Quarries are invariably interesting places to explore and at the top of the hill the remains of the wheel house were well preserved if somewhat overgrown.

I resisted a more thorough investigation but did take the small deviation off the path to visit the comprehensively vandalised Border Viewpoint.

Beyond repair, I think

Passing underneath Asterley rocks, where I greeted woman who was filling a tub with early blackberries, the path passes by a golf course. Me, I missed the path and found myself on the side of the 14th green.

Not wanting a golf ball injury to add to my problems I quickly retraced my steps to find my route which took a more protected path through the woods at the bottom of Llanymynech hill.

That path dropped steeply down through the woods and onto a wide forestry track though Pen-y-coed woods…..

….to arrive at a long disused railway track, the rails of which were, surprisingly, still in place.

Look to the right of my pole

Just beyond there was the most disgusting stench from, I think, a battery chicken shed that almost made me bring up my breakfast.

Awful places; I’d ban them.

Its quite warm by now so I have had to tie my fleece round my neck which wasn’t that great.

…. to a railway crossing for the Tanat Valley Light Railway.

The only surviving part of the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales railway line according to the Guide.

From here the path continues to climb gently on a quiet lane to turn off opposite Cefn Farm where a small herd of inquisitive young cattle required that I take their picture.

The path dropped down to the village of Nantmawr….

… climbs quite steeply up the hill on the road and then leaves the road to continue the climb across some fields. By now it was about 12 o clock and I had finished my small bottle of water. I was hopeful that I would re-fill it at a horsebox that I passed but the tap was dry. Damm.

Still climbing, I passed some fancy sheep….

Or are they goats?

….. gaining some pleasant views over the surrounding countryside.

Around here I passed a house and called in to beg a re-fill of my water bottle which was given without comment. For a couple of miles I had been noticing that the finger posts were carrying memorials to some of those who had died in the 1914-18 Great War.

A quick google when writing this found that this is part of  the Trefonen WWI walks where the memorials mark paths where the soldiers would have lived and walked.

The path continued to climb though woods, passing a sweet little cottage….

… to arrive at the Trig Point marking the not very high summit of Moelydd.

285 metres or 935 feet if you prefer. Bit too cloudy for the best views.

This was very nice open countryside with only sheep for company.

Though frankly sheep, much as we like them, are not that companionable.

Though frankly sheep, much as we like them, are not that companionable.

After dropping off the hill the path picks up a decent track where, for reasons lost to me now, I took this picture of a rusty gate.

Still it’s sometimes the little things that catch my interest and a little collection of decorated stones was certainly intriguing.

I approached the village of Trefonen through some lush fields, dotted with several fine mature oaks.

The edge of the village was marked by some rather lovely posts.

It was half past one and I was in serious need of refreshment so was delighted that the village shop was open so I masked up (one day this will hopefully be an incomprehensible remark) and  bought a sandwich and can of coke and sat on a bench opposite the Offas’s Dyke Brewery.

You must be wondering how my knee was holding up. Well, not bad but I did top up with another dose of Ibuprofen at this point – and I still had a fair way to go.

A short way out of the village the path was reunited with Offa’s Dyke…..

… only to lose it again when the path takes a steep road down a hill to join another lane. From here the path climbs steeply up through Candy Woods, the dyke reappearing once more on the right.

Towards the top of this long climb through the woods I passed a stone bench which the Guide says was built by quarrymen.

I didn’t stop; it looked very low and I feared I might not get up again.

I’ve never really got on with these chain sawed mushrooms

… with some nice views.

I had used up my water again by now so when I saw a house just off the path where the path entered the Llanforda estate I called in.

Warning: its an organisation that hosts shoots

The woman was hanging up her washing and my hello made her jump but she was very happy to refill my bottle, telling me with some emphasis that it was “Welsh water” (I thought that we were in Shropshire).

The path emerged from the wood onto a common where a stone sculpture of what I took to be a rhinoceros turns out to be that of a horse.

The Guide says that it is a two-headed horse; something I’ve not seen before.

In fact this is Racecourse Common and a small pile of stones carries a sign claiming it to be part of what was the grandstand of the old Oswestry racecourse. 

might have left a bit more of it in place to justify the sign – the guide describes it as “scanty”. Quite.

I was amused to find that a nearby wooden seat carried no less than 6 memorial plaques.

Cheapskates; I’d want a bench to myself.

At the end of the Common the path reaches a crossroads with one of those very old metal black and white signposts you see in TV drams set in the 1940’s.

The path takes a road straight ahead on the top of Bakers Hill to a settlement called Carreg-y-big. There’s an equestrian centre here and next to it another booth for those who are carrying an Offa’s Dyke passport and wish to stamp it (ok, I succumbed to the nonsense and stamped my guide book). What I missed was a small diversion to see Shropshire’s tallest standing stone (2m). My bad. Next time.

I did take a pic of some sheep though.

After Carreg-y-big the path continues on the level, tightly contained between a barbed wire fence and a small wood….

……and then emerging onto a more comfortable wide rowan-edged track that gently rose towards Selattyn Hill.

At the end of the track was a wooden sign post that made no sense to me at the time engraved with the words “Selattyn Tower”. 

I realise now, of course, that this post was missing its arm that was pointing to this ancient monument some half a mile off the path. I think this is an indication that I was getting a bit focussed on getting to the end of the day’s walk, still a few miles hence.

From the side of Selattyn Hill the path descends down a track to a settlement called Craignant. This track is clearly owned by some very anxious people.

In fact for “anxious” read obnoxious.

The last bit before reaching Craignat was a steeply stepped path leading to a stream which, frankly, my knee could have done without.

Sorry, pic’s a bit blurry

But from Craignat it was a gentle climb again and that on the dyke itself and with some grand beech trees to enjoy.

This path then opened up to, quoting the guide, “a dramatic view of Chirk Castle on its hilltop beyond the Ceriog valley”.

Huzzah! Even my pic captures some drama I think

At this point I have to admit to myself that my knee is really quite painful. I telephone the hugely helpful and kind owner of the Swan Inn, the pub being a couple of miles away,  who have already offered to pick me up when I get to the road at the bottom of the valley. Sticks out, I descend the steep hill to the road as slowly as possible, hugely relieved that I have made it. At the bottom of the hill the River Ceiriog barely gets a glance from me.

The little hamlet of Castle Mill is my rendezvous. Tomorrow my plan is to wild camp in the Llandegla Forest. Well, as Scarlett O’Hara says in Gone with The Wind, “tomorrow is another day. ”

A special “hello” to ratyriv77 and arlloyd22 who have started following this blog since my last post.

If you enjoyed this post, or didn’t or have something fascinating/banal to say about it, do please make a comment below. It’s just nice to hear from you. And if you would like to be notified when the next post is published please put your email into the Subscribe box on the right of this; I promise that it will not be passed on to anyone else.