A super 10 mile walk on the Powys/Monmouthshire border with some fabulous views starting and ending with one of the sweetest churches.
Date Walked: 21st November 2021
Distance: about 8 miles
Map used: OS Explorer OL 13 – Brecon Beacons National Park (Eastern area)
***************
This is my first post since the excellent Gary has done a comprehensive makeover of the site, (click this link to his website) so I wanted it to be a good one. Which isn’t to say that all my posts aren’t good but after this I’ve three more walks on Offa’s Dyke to share and the scenery doesn’t compare.
I had walked the first part of this before and on my well thumbed and extensively repaired paper map I had written “wonderful views” on the summit of Crug Mawr, so on an exceptionally lovely bright Sunday morning I felt excited to return here.
I parked in a small layby at the bottom of the steep, steep hill that climbs up to St Issui’s church and getting out of the car I could hear a single bell ringing out to the faithful.
It was bang on 11 O’clock and I might have guessed that there was a chance that there would be a service. I followed a man up the hill and through the lychgate – The Beacons Way passes through the churchyard and although my route headed away from the church that bell drew me in.
For a moment I was very tempted to join the service. I was brought up as a Good Christian, lapsed at adolescence and then briefly got converted and joined an evangelical church in Bristol when I was a student. By my second year I had lost my faith again, and have never regained it. But I am very drawn to churches and seldom pass one on my walks without trying the door or wandering about the graveyard; they are a huge part of our culture after all. Mine, at least.
Situated on the border of Monmouthshire and Powys with views out to The Black Mountains, St Issui’s is a very special place. There has been a church here for over 1,000 years; the existing building is mostly C14th and C15th.
I passed the open door, turned and re-passed, the draw of the hills winning over my curiosity about the ceremony inside.
Leaving the churchyard, the Beacons Way continues up the narrow lane for a few hundred yards. In the hedgerow, bright hips of a wild rose shone in the morning sun, soon to be snaffled, no doubt, by hungry birds.
A lichen-encrusted finger post directs walkers and horse riders alike to leave the road …..
…. and head up a narrow path by a drystone wall.
The views quickly opened up, a solitary beech tree, denuded of most of its leaves, beautifully demonstrating its sinewy structure.
For my money, late autumn is the best season for enjoying the countryside. With the leaves gone from the trees, their exposed branches only enhances the awe in which we should hold these longest-lived of lifeforms. And, now the trees transparent, (deciduous trees at least) views are opened up that are hidden by their clothing of leaves. Bracken is transformed from a dull and intimidating (think tics) plant to glorious beds and blankets of copper froth.
The path climbs quite steeply on closely cropped grass, superior in quality than we have in our garden.
Mown and manured by sheepHigher up, heather replaces the bracken, its brilliant colours now muted but still offering a faint haze of purple.
Ahead, the trig point of Crug Mawr was silhouetted on the horizon.
Those (perhaps lacking skills in map interpretation) arriving at the summit of Crug Mawr (1805 feet) for the first time are given a huge surprise; the panorama is stunning (shoot me if if ever use “breath-taking”). Over to the south-east the sharp profile of The Skirrid (Ysgyryd Fawr).
Ahead, looking east, the vast expanse of the Beacons with not a building in sight..
Is that Pen-y-Fan on the far right?My route left the Beacons Way at this point and headed north towards the conifer plantation of the Mynydd Du Forest.
Though far less tramped than the Beacons Way, the path was easy to follow and dry underfoot.
A couple passed me by and we exchanged friendly greetings.
Seldom if ever is the woman in the lead – why is thatI guess in very poor conditions the occasional cairn could still be a useful marker.
I was struck by several renegade conifers that had a extraordinarily thick growth at their base.
Browsing animals stimulating lower growth?
All theories welcome.I was looking out for one cairn that marked where a small footpath turns right off this one. Once found I took the opportunity of a wide flat stone to have a few minutes sit .
…….before taking the path over a stile into the forest.
I was loathe to leave the sunshine and head into the dark woods.
The wide forest tracks weren’t as gloomy as I expected, though and made for easy walking.
In fact I was delighted to find that in several places the views were quite open to the Llanthony Valley to the east.
This is a big forest and it was reassuring the find one or two notices for a Helpline (always supposing that you have a signal) but really they were back-covering exercises should you decide to play with abandoned machines or “go beyond this sign”.
I was glad that I had downloaded the map onto my GPS enabled phone because it would have been easy to get lost in the labyrinth of paths. My route through the woods required a lot of going downhill, the already low sun casting long shadows of me on the paths.
I didn’t see a soul in the woods but there were sheep who had escaped the open moor in search of a change of diet.
We, like sheep. (you haven’t heard that for a while)Commercial forests of conifer usually get a very bad press for their relative paucity of flora and fauna.
But forestry management is a very long term activity and as these monocultures are felled they are now more usually replaced with more mixed species. I didn’t see evidence of that here but there were clearly some attempts at being more bug-friendly with some stacks of cuttings being left to rot.
And as I neared the lower part of the wood I was pleased to find myself walking on a carpet of the orange needles of larch – a deciduous conifer which sadly is being badly diseased by Phytopthora ramorum, so Natural Resources Wales are clear felling many stands of this beautiful (in autumn) tree.
That’s a wardens van; I didn’t see or hear themMy route took a sharp left which would have eventually joined a road I needed to take to head back towards Partristow…..
…… but I shaved off half a mile by scrambling down through a steep section of recently felled wood to join the road further along.
It was steeper than it looks. Here’s the “looking up” view.
Still with a few miles to go I was quite content to walk on the road alongside the Grwyne Fawr river.
A few cars passed me – and a group of off road bikers who joined the road at speed from the woods, a warden van passing by shortly afterwards. Plenty of time to enjoy the moss covered stone walls at the roadside…..
…. and the warm end-of-day light illuminating the valley bottom.
I left the road after a mile or so and, reunited with The Beacons Way, crossed a stile…
.. and climbed steeply up hill passing a wonderfully weathered tree stump…..
….. and a ruined building.
The path emerged into grassland once more, the low sun shining directly through the yellow leaves of some boundary trees.
The impressive C15th Ty’n- a- llwn farmouse with its huge topiary bird was in full shadow when I passed by, the sun having been lost behind the surrounding hills.
I mentioned at the beginning that the Beacons way passes through St Issui’s churchyard.
A couple and their dog were just leaving the church as I arrived so I went in for a nosey.
It really is an exquisite place, the highlight of which has to be its beautiful rood screen.
Not done justice to in this picBut the last of the day’s light shining onto the altar was rather lovely…..
… and there was just enough light to enjoy one of several rather special wall paintings.
I may have missed the service but I felt blessed to have finished at this very special place.
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.
Delightful pics, thank you
Glad you enjoyed them!
Well, you live and learn! I’ve never heard of the place being called “Partristow” before. Usually “Patricio” or “Patrishow”. Of course, it’s something else in Welsh (Merthyr Isiw).
Clearly a lovely day and a lovely walk through lovely scenery which equals lovely photographs (well, you’ve copyrighted “stunning” and that other word is reserved for steep climbs). There’s something about the church’s atmosphere, too, which you clearly felt.
I’ve missed your posts but at least we can now look forward to your impending impression of London buses (you wait for ages and then 3 or 4 turn up together).
Hey John, great to hear from you! You are so right about the name. I changed the spellings of the place several times. The OS map is Partrishow, but then wikipedia confused me and doing searches you get all sorts of spellings – as well as the Welsh. Well that’s Wales for you. Thnaks for the nice comments about the pics. Yes, I am hoping to be regular again (well, aren’t we all). Back to Offa’s Dyke here in two weeks time.
Excellent to be able to ‘walk and look’ with you early on this dark, wet morning.
Beautifully written and observed. Great walking weather, with a Charles short cut special included, what more could we want ? I felt like I was there with you.
Thanks Paul. You were with me in spirit. Yes, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t deviate from a route – even one that I have set myself.
Always a pleasure to brighten up your day!
Soul food! Words and pictures.
Recent news items on the therapeutic value of a walk in the woods, and we got a little bit of that from you this morning, although I think we all enjoy a little bit of your injected drama from time to time.
Worth the wait, as always.
Rob
That’s such a nice thing to say, Rob, Thanks. Back on Offa’s Dyke soon here and there will be drama!
Your digressions and ruminations all add to the entertainment. I was amused by your father dropping you off at church and proceeding to the pub: mine, on his rare forays, left when it got to the communion bit.
My boarding experience involved compulsory church every Sunday, but at alternating 12/13th century village parish churches. Like you I love the buildings, full of rich voicefulness, as John Ruskin wrote, and the fine music: less certain about the religion!
Rob
I do try to go a bit off piste as you know. But something really strange happened to this post today. That comment about my dad and going to church was a late addition . I believe I saved it but now it’s not there! And to my knowledge the version that’s up is the only one I published. So how did you see it? Anyway your additional story is great. I wonder if the next generation or two will see this culture disappear. I’ve a friend whose grandchildren are not being christened and neither children were married in church. Perhaps it all means nothing to them.
I feel blessed too to be able to have this virtual walk with you through possibly one of the most lovely part of Wales. Now, I would be even more interested to visit Wales if ever possible.
Thanks Wendy. And I do hope that you will be able to come to Wales – its it so beautiful.
Hi. I didn’t know that you had been wavering about continuing with your always excellent walking blog. Am glad that you are still taking time to share your pics and prose.
Really? I thought my absence itself would have been a clue. ? I hope my editing of your comment was what you intended to say!
I’m a recent subscriber and very pleased to have found you. This walk took me back to my life in Wales and that mesmerizing landscape. And, just as importantly, I enjoyed your experience through the words. Thank you.
Thanks for subscribing, Sally. If you look around my site you’ll see that walking in Wales makes the core of my posts. I’m so fortunate to live within easy access to the Brecon Beacons but the whole of the country has great walking opportunities. I hope you enjoy my future posts.
What a breath of fresh air – soul food indeed. Thank you Charles
Thanks Deb. Nice of you to drop by. Hope all’s well with you and “the Boy”
This is a really helpful post, thank you. I visited my elderly uncle today – he’s 95 – and was a great walker in his time. He mentioned Crug Mawr and Patrishow church as being one of his favourite walks, so I plan to walk it with my son in the new year. Your photos and descriptions are lovely.
That’s really heart warming.Thsnk you! I am really aware that I’ve not added anything for ages but I will return with more from The Monmouthshire Way. Sometime.
Hi Charles,
Nice to know you will be returning again with more from your walks!
I am helping my 82 year old mom plan a walking route for her marathon group. She is the oldest member of the group and this will be the 25th year of walking a marathon length route together at different locations around the globe. It used to be a hiking group but now they look for relatively flat terrain. Which portion of the wales coastal path would you recommend that fits that bill, either a loop or point to point. Thank you!
When you say walking a marathon length route, I assume you mean 26 miles. If so then I guess how many days her and her friends wants to give to this is going to largely dictate how tough it would be. I’d look at the Pembrokeshire section, and base myself in St Davids. Then you can pick and choose and make circular walks and make use of the bus servcies. Dont miss the Amazing path opposite Ramsey Sound and also St davids Head.
Thank you! And, yes, they will spend one day doing 26.2 miles. St Davids looks like a great base. I will check out the Pembrokeshire section and appreciate the tips!