Newtown - Gregynog 11mile circular

What a beautiful walk I have done this week. Straight from the door of my house, onto the Severn Way doing an 11mile circular to Gregynog and back to town. I did it in 4 hours exactly so that was good going and a good workout because the terrain between here and Gregynog is very undulating, in fact someone said to me recently that that particular part of mid wales is like the whole of wales squashed into just a tiny area. I had done all of the footpaths before, it was just a matter of joining them up. There were a few cow encounters on the way but with one diversion and just being bold, everything was fine.
So, starting on the Severn Way I walked up through Hendidley wood, where the blue bells still look magnificent and up over the Bryn to the Fachwen pool, always a beautiful spot for a snack break. Didn’t see the turtle today but shortly afterwards I did see a hare – that made my day. The Severn Way, after the pool takes you up on to some high ground with fantastic views of the Severn valley, over to Devil’s elbow and the hills above Llandinam. The scenery is stunning all the way, little old roads, gorse, marshland, then blue bells, pretty gullies – it really changes every half a mile.
Leaving the Severn way near Bwlch-y-ffridd I took a mixture of footpaths and bridleways to Blackhouse common. On the way up I stumbled upon a lone wild Orchid. What a find! Blackhouse common has, I think, become one of my favourite places so I had a very quick lunch stop here before making my way to Ty Du, a very tidy little farm, and onto the lane. There is a footpath from here that goes into the wood on the south side of Gregynog which I’ve used before and Gregynog would be a great lunch stop if you wanted to make a whole day of this beautiful walk. Today, though, I continued clockwise and found the footpath which has a nice new bridge over Ieithon Brook.
Then there were cows! So turning round at the nice new bridge I found another footpath that took me to Coedtrefe Farm. The farmer and his dogs here are always very friendly. From here south, there are a couple of lovely old green lanes and again the terrain and scenery changing and something new to see and take in all the way.
At Black Well I turned left to take a foot path that goes steeply up the back of the Bryn, through a willow plantation and out on to Pen-Shwa lane and then a foot path that takes you down across the fields to the hospital road.
A walk I’d highly recommend.