The week of walking in the Elan Valley was organised, planned and directed by Helen Menhinick and Alan Ward. This account is by Helen with comments from Wendy Cottis, a participant, and Alan Ward who both kindly contributed. I would welcome and encourage more comments on this blog from participants and other readers. This blog has been re-instated after a problem with the website builder Weebly. Monday Once all briefed and suited and booted we set off from the Elan Valley Visitor Centre for the Nant y Gro walk. The winds were forecast gusting at nearly 40mph so Alan and Helen had reviewed the route for direction, protection and risks. A great introduction and icebreaker for all the participants, some of whom had not met before. We had great views and a taster of what the Elan Valley landscape was going to offer. Wendy - 'Being in the Alpine landscape of the Elan Valley was really something special to behold. Our first walk on the Monday afternoon started off on a great walk up Nant y Gro for a couple of hours to introduce us to the contrasts this week's walking would offer - lakes, forests and wilderness.' The traditional Bryn Walking Steak BBQ with wine took place that evening, with Alan Ward as the reliable master chef! A very enjoyable evening with lots of laughter and chatter. Ruth Rees, a member of Bryn Walking for Women, joined us from a neighbouring farm and invited us over for the following evening to see her garden that was created by Charlie Dimmock. Ruth brought with her a fabulous homemade fresh berry pavlova - delicious! Alan - 'Beili Neauadd Bunkhouse was the perfect place to stay for Bryn Walking's second Elan Valley event. The bunkhouse is located just outside Rhayader and is an imaginative conversion of an 18th Century stone barn which can accommodate up to sixteen people in three separate bunk rooms, each with its own bathroom.Bed linen and towels are provided and the self-catering facilities are self-catering.' Tuesday This walk is what Alan and Helen think is the best part of The Monks Trod, starting in remote and rugged terrain, the path crosses a stream where there is evidence of an ancient clapper bridge and further on remains of an old farmstead enclosure. After crossing the Wye we pass through Glifach Nature Reserve in the glorious Marteg valley – so much to see and take in, it has to be done slowly. Then gaining height again, with fantastic views of our progress, we enter into more civilised territory, stopping at Cal’s cake and egg shed for purchases and sheltering from a localised down-pour. This was a linear walk that brought us back to Beili Neaudd accommodation. Wendy - 'Tuesday took in aspects of the Monks Trod and Gilfach Nature Reserve up to the long house which is always a great visit. The nature reserve is a special place full of rare birds whose numbers are now increasing , hundreds of species of lichen as well as funghi. It is an important place for Wales’ wildlife. As Charlie Dimmock had redesigned Ruth’s garden in 2019 we accepted an invite to go and view her garden - what a special visit. It was so lovely and very inspiring. Garden envy was experienced.' After our dinner we all set off in the minibus to visit Ruth and were blown away by her cottage style garden. Absolutely beautiful, so full of character and a huge variety of flowers and fruits that all complimented each other. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mvdf Alan - 'Helen's use of her VW Transporter minibus ensures that participants don't have to use their own vehicles during the week and is a sustainable method of transportation for the group, getting to and from the starting points for each walk. Wednesday A picturesque drive past all the reservoirs to start from the very top dam. We climbed slowly getting really good views of Craig Goch Reservoir until we were on some quite remote ground, passing over a Roman Camp but barely visible on the ground. A lunch stop at the top of the waterfalls (the original Elan river valley) and then ascending again and hopping across to the trig point at the top of Crugyn Ci (533m). Views on the way down of Penygarreg and Garreg-ddu Reservoirs and the lower dam. Even though we had some rain the clouds remained high giving us some great views on this walk. We had time for a coffee at the Visitor Centre and then a browse of the shops in Rhayader before returning to the bunkhouse. Wendy - 'Wednesday took in views of Penygarreg Reservoir up to Crugyn Ci. A great walk again across remote terrain offering views of everything the Elan Valley has to offer. Alan - 'Health and Safety and compliance with good practice for outdoor activities is a key feature of all of Helen's activities with generic and dynamic risk assessments completed for each walk. Thursday Two walks were on offer - Abbey Cwm Hir or Drygarn Fawr. Alan took two of our participants to Abbey Cwm Hir and then to the Visitors Centre and Helen took the remaining crowd on a very straightforward route to the top of Drygarn Fawr (645m). We were so happy on reaching the top, and elated with the achievement. We were amazed by the far reaching views and being somewhere so wild and remote. Going the same way back down was the best option, avoiding any ankle breaking territory so that the special moment wasn’t spoilt on the last leg of the week. A meal out at The Triangle in Rhayader finished the week off nicely and we all enjoyed our meals. Wendy - 'Thursday was the highlight with a brilliant and straightforward walk up Drygarn Fawr to see two Bronze Age burial chambers with Victorian cairns erected on the summit. The trig point being totally eclipsed by these. My response to the views is that they are totally magnificent with nothing but wilderness to see. We could see the whole of the Brecon Beacons from Hay Bluff and Pen Y Fan over to the Carmarthen Fans. The opposite view presented the Pumlumon Massif range as well as the faint outline of the Arrans. The walk back offered a spectacular show from the sunlight and clouds which constantly changed the shades of green across the moorland and surrounding mountains. The walk was a typical Bryn Walking day but one of the best! We then spent a lovely late afternoon in the bunkhouse garden chatting over tea and cake about our walks. A meal in the Triangle pub in Rhayader rounded off a great week walking.' Alan - 'I accompanied Mel and Paul on the Option 2 activity for the day which was to visit Abbeycwmhir which is one of the top historic sites in mid-Wales and where a small interpretive centre raises awareness of the site spanning some 850 years. The Cistercian Monastery of Abbeycwmhir was built in 1143 and is also the burial place of the last native Prince of Wales "Llewellyn the Last". Following on from this visit we drove into the top end of the Elan Valley for a final look at this impressive area with an enjoyable lunch at the Penbont House Hotel where, just below on the roadside, impressive wildlife carvings can be seen. The End 'til next time 9 Comments
WENDY COTTIS ( [email protected] ) 9/7/2023 12:47:22 Love the mirror pictures when we were in the garden. A truly great trip. HELEN ( NO EMAIL ) 9/7/2023 14:06:57 Yes aren’t they great. Alan has the credit for those beautiful photos and others on the blog. BETHAN ( NO EMAIL ) 11/7/2023 20:17:16 I’ve really enjoyed reading the blog & seeing the lovely pictures of what looks like a fabulous week of walking you all had! One day, ( when I retire) I’ll have more time to join in these residential weeks…or otherwise wait for one that includes a weekend?! RUTH REES ( [email protected] ) 9/7/2023 15:58:41 Such wonderful photos everyone, you obviously had an amazing week, so lovely to catch up with you all and thank you for popping over to see the garden :-) I'll be walking with you all very soon! HELEN ( NO EMAIL ) 9/7/2023 16:13:34 It was a gem in our week and an unexpected activity - those are the best. A beautiful garden and the environment too, being on your farm with the chickens, dogs and your son working hard with the sheep. Thank you. See you soon. ALAN WARDLINK( [email protected] ) 9/7/2023 21:01:57 An enjoyable event for me, working with Helen and a group of six participants who were a pleasure to be with. HELEN ( NO EMAIL ) 10/7/2023 07:00:01 Roll on the next! LOUISE EYNON ( [email protected] ) 10/7/2023 21:23:02 Looks like you all had a great week! Fab photos and extra treats visiting Ruth in her garden. Lovely 😋 🌼 HELEN ( NO EMAIL ) 3/8/2023 10:02:45 It was brill. You'd have liked the Drygarn Fawr walk for sure so I'm glad you have signed up for this in October.
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