Guilsfield Hill Walkers

The 7th April walk was supposed to be on The Esclusham Mountain above Wrexham but when I went to check on things the Thursday before it was a very white world I was trying to enter. The access roads had been cleared a bit – just like driving through a white square tube – but higher up they were still blocked.  So it was plan B.  I went and had a look at the access and parking situation at Myndtown at the south end of the Long Mynd and that was OK as was the walking on the tops.  It was still very white in places but the snow conditions were good.  So it was to be a repeat of the March 2012 walk. Have a look at the sunny pics from 2012 in the gallery.

Five of us left The Oak, picked up Graham in Forden and set off walking at around 9.45. We didn’t go through a very sloppy bit of damp in Myndmill Woods but walked straight up the lane to the foot of the big climb. This is over 800 ft of grassy track in less than a mile that forms a ramp onto the ridge of the Long Mynd.  After numerous stops to ‘admire the view’ we made the ridge and met the lying snow. Then it was east on good forest tracks down to the bottom of Minton Batch, we hurried past the very scruffy farm out onto the gently rising track up the Batch. As we went high the remaining snow drifts on the side of the batch increased, but the path was fine.  We took a quick lunch at the foot of Rams Batch before heading out onto the top of the Long Mynd by the Gliding Station.  The road across the top was still very thick in snow and had not been cleared but work was going on at the Gliding Station in preparation for some action.  Impressive drifts around the buildings. We then set off south down the long path that is The Shrophire Way and The Jack Mytton Way but primarily The Portway. Lots of snow underfoot and a bit of a pain in places as some would take your weight and other bits would swallow your leg above the knee.  The air was not as clear as last year but still some fine views, so  we headed back down the last gravelly track back to the cars and home to a  pint at The Oak.

Thanks to all who came and all who drove.  Pictures in the gallery. 

The Source of the Severn deserves at least a rustic grotto with spouts of crystal water gushing and Naiads sporting in the limpid pools: but what did we get – a windblasted frozen upland bog!

The Roman name for the Severn (the Hafren in Welsh) was Sabrina, and ancient myth tells Sabrina was one of three sisters, all water nymphs, who met on Pen Pumlumon to discuss how they might wend their way to the sea. Each sister took a different route, Ystwyth to the west and Varga (the Wye) away to the south, while Sabrina, who loved the land, set out on a slow meandering course that led her far into the east. The spirit of Sabrina still resides in the sparkling waters of the river and nowhere is her benevolent presence more apparent than here, where she first set forth upon her long journey to the sea.

http://www.llanidloes.com/sarn_sabrina/index.html

A sharp and frosty morning saw 12 of us tiptoe up the snowy/icy  road from Llanidloes through Old Hall to the Hafren Forest Rhydybenwch picnic site ready to find the Source of the Severn.  After an alternative start we got onto the track and set off to follow the diminishing River Severn through the forest and out onto the open hillside. It was a good job the we had a light wind as the wind-chill on the open top would have made things a bit parky.  The ground was frozen with lots of icicles on the banks of the river and the side of the path with many photo opportunities.  (See the pics in the gallery – all by Jude and Paul as I forgot my camera again.) We eventually found the source without any difficulties but some the first time visitors were a bit underwhelmed as I think they were expecting something a bit more spectacular.

We turned our backs on the source and headed off  the blasted heath down to the Rhaeadr Blaenhafren picnic tables for a bit of shelter for lunch.  The afternoon got a little warmer as we descended and headed back for our third visit to the carpark.

Thanks to Annie for leading a very good walk – this is one for any time of the year: no navigation problems, very good tracks and signs and always good stuff to look at.  The Forestry Commission produce a useful leaflet here in PDF format.

Thanks to Annie for leading and all who came and all who drove.  

Glaslyn is the Montgomery Wildlife Trust’s largest Nature Reserve: it’s in the hills beyond Dylife and looks down towards Machynlleth.  (Link to MWT reserve guide) That great broadcaster, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, said that the view from Foel Fadian (pictured above) was the best in Wales: I am not going to disagree, but on Sunday we coud not see all the way to Snowdon. If you do get a chance, go up there on a clear day and see if Wynford Vaughan-Thomas was right.

A wonderful morning – very cold with hill fog that soon lifted leaving us in a frozen, still and silent landscape.  The route starts from the Wynford Vaughan-Thomas memorial and soon leaps up the side of Foel Fadian at 564 M (1850 ft in old money) to the trig point.  Just spend time here on the view: down into the deep Creigiau Esgairfochnant, across to Glaslyn itself, and beyond to the real empty quarter of the Cambrian Mountains. (Link to pic.)  We plunged down the other side and picked up the very frozen Glyndwr’s Way and followed this round to the reserve car park next to the lake.  We followed the northen shore of the lake and up to the view point. Here we gazed out across the other side of Creigiau Esgairfochnant and had a well earned coffee break.  Back to the lakeside where we saw the only bird life of the day – six Goldeneye (Link to pic)on the far side, (well spotted Len!) On  to the western end then struck out up across the meadow to the fences at the top, through the gate by the stile and a bit of a wet trog along the fence and down towards Llyn Cwm-byr.  Here we turned south east on a good track and up to Bugeilyn Farm for lunch in the sheep wash.

By now the cloud was coming up from the west and the best of the day had gone.  But from here on the walk is all on good tracks with frozen puddles back past the lake and up to the mountain road – it just started snowing as we reached the road. A few hundred metres back to the cars and a good journey home.

Thanks to all who came and all who drove. Pictures in the gallery. 

Despite the continued bad weather, 9 walkers braved the 2012 Detox and as it is on our doorstep it made it all the more enjoyable. Leaving The Oak car park, we walked through the village turning left up the lane towards Derwen caravan/chalet park, which Len referred to as ‘dirty lane’, it was extremely wet and muddy, today it also sported a fast flowing stream which wasn’t there earlier in the year!!

Thanks Annie for the walk, the pictures and the above report.  I will get back to it in the new year! 

A very different day led by Graham that started right in the middle of  Bridgnorth Low Town and then headed down the banks of the Severn for a mile or two and then up into Quatford.  A bit of uphill lane led along the back of the Stanmore Industrial estate.  It was here that we came across the most magnificent Sweet Chestnut tree, enormous and wonderfully barked,  (pics in the gallery).  Following this we now entered the land of million pound properties, Hoccum and Roughton, drives bursting with Mercs and Lexii and lanes very recently flooded.

We crossed the A454 and headed north west across the fields towards the River Worfe, passing a wonderful old barn just holding on to its wide arched doorways (pic in the gallery). We crossed the river and followed a path under Soudley Rock to Rindleford Mill where we headed up the delightful Batch valley coming out onto a lane. We crossed straight over and out onto the wooded and steep sided escarpment of the Severn Valley.  From here followed a bit of bushwhacking through the trees to High Rock and lunch. The views from here are great and the soft sandstone makes an excellent medium for the love-struck youth of Bridgnorth to carve messages of their undying love.

After lunch we dived into the woods again heading back to Bridgnorth making a detour to have a look and the Hermitage Caves (pics in the gallery) then out into Hermitage Hill Coppice and though the housing estate, down alleys and steps back to the cars in Severn Street Car Park.

Thanks to Graham for leading – and supplying some of the pics as I forgot my camera (other pics from the WWW) – and to all who came and all who drove.