Abbey Cum Hir to Llanidloes on Glyndŵr's Way: Day 3

In addition to hills and valleys of green fields today included some woods and steep sided glens.

The weather forecast was for heavy rain but fortunately it was only drizzle as I visited the ruins of the Abbey that gives the village where I spent the night its name (Abbey Cwm Hir). Little is left, much of the stone was taken to re-use in more modern buildings, but the remaining stones outline a very large church. Sheep looked at me suspiciously as I walked around the 13th century site.

Remains of Abbey Cwm Hir

Leaving Abbey Cwm Hir, the route was on a good path through woodland, and there was more forestry later on. Fir trees, a dull resolute green and silver birch, white trunks and thin red branches bare of leaves. Later there was pine, larch and oak. The older deciduous trees were coated with green moss, thriving in the moist atmosphere. 

Final autumn colours in a tree filled valley.

Moss growing a tree branch.

I has hoping the Glyndŵr's Way Cafe in the village of Bwlch-y-sarnau would be open, but no, another victim of the Coronavirus pandemic. So I just kept walking, not wanting to stop in the rain. There was as usual much ascent and descent although today some of it was into steep sided wooded valleys. At one point I missed a turning, a farmer directed me to the correct gate for the Glyndŵr's Way. Despite being a lesser known National Trail, the local people are familiar with it, although it seems few people walk it in November! The amount of mud I encountered certainly suggests it would be a more pleasant walk in the summer. Overhead I had saw crows and buzzards but also birds of prey with a forked tail silhouetted against the sky, which I took to be red kites. Apparently there is a feeding station nearby to help preserve this species.

For the last hour of my walk I was rewarded with periods of sunshine. Low in the sky, the yellowing sun gave the landscape a honey coloured glow. I was glad to reach the final road section, the previous zig-zag path across fields was a little frustrating. Llanidloes is an old market town with a number of pubs to eat in. After I checked into the Trewythen hotel (scene of a riot by people wanting the vote in 1839), I walked to the Whistling Badger for dinner where a Wales - Finland match was just beginning...