Show Me The Wonder

Posted bynickletjogPosted inDiary

LETJOG E2W – Day 18: Wednesday 1 May – KINGTON to BUILTH WELLS (19.7 miles)

(With no road-sign on the hills to announce my passage into Wales, I have resorted to this image from the internet to confirm my arrival into the Principality)

The change in the month has brought with it an important change today in the weather for me – my first day on this LETJOG E2W walk that I have not been buffeted to some extent by a headwind! May has also heralded a wholesale change of scenery – from the very start of today’s walk, after the prolonged climb out of Kington onto the open common of the Hergest Ridge, I reached, again for the first time on this cross-country transect, some high moorland. And just to cement this change, shortly after reaching the peak of the Ridge, I crossed from England into Wales. The next, and potentially the harshest, stage of my exciting challenge, across the hills of mid-Wales, is now underway!

Reading the map, as always on this trek, from right to left, my morning walk took me westwards out of Kington, unerringly upwards onto and along the Hergest Ridge, before dropping down to Gladestry village and following the quiet lanes . . .
. . . for ten miles, past various hamlets and through the small village of Glascwm, ahead of a short road-walk and a final section along farm tracks and water meadows into my overnight destination of Builth Wells

As well as leading my LETJOG E2W route out of the town, the minor lane out of Kington to the west follows the southbound route of the Offa’s Dyke long distance path, and the long climb proves a stern test at the start of the day for any walker laden with backpack, cooked breakfast, and any leg weariness from previous exertions. Halfway up the slope the road terminates and a wide grassy path continues, gently upwards onto the hogs-back of Hergest Ridge. Just breaking the 420-metre contour, the Ridge marks the high point of my trek to date, and with less mist than this morning the hill would doubtless offer some extensive views. Here goes with the day’s photos.

Goodbye to Kington . . .
. . . and hello to the hills!
Some early views from Hergest Ridge . . .
. . . before the mist came down
The apparent top of Hergest Ridge, at 421 metres of elevation is, somewhat oddly, marked by a small plantation of monkey-puzzle trees (though note that the actual summit, a short way off the path and marked by a trig point, is a couple of metres higher)
Sheep on the path . . .
. . . and a distant sighting of three of the Ridge’s well-known wild horses
On the border, just a fallen marker post – my glorious entry into Wales . . .
. . . and then came the descent of the western slopes of the Ridge . . .
. . . past this precarious cabin . . .
. . . to the small village of Gladestry – no coffee shops here!
If Hergest Ridge was the early highlight of the day, then the ten-mile lane walk (one vehicle per hour) through Colva and Glascwm provided many a good view as the cloud base lifted a little . . .
. . . and with much colour and interest by the wayside . . .
. . . and several streams to cross
A graveyard for abandoned farm machinery . . .
. . . and a remote non-consecrated ‘natural burial ground‘
Passing by Glascwm church . . .
. . . and a ‘super-size’ molehill . . .
. . . before descending down into the valley
Another anti-pylon campaign – an issue of our time
Now let me think on this . . .
After the road walk, some final miles on muddy tracks . . .
. . . lined with bluebells . . .
. . . and at last into the Wye Valley
A pleasant cycle path . . .
. . . led me to the meadows, and then into the town
The Builth Wells Bull

Headwinds aside, I have been quite fortunate with the weather on my LETJOG E2W walk over the last week or so; today was a case in point, where earlier forecasts had me down for a soaking, or at least for some afternoon showers. In the event, and apart from some early mist-come-drizzle (more low-cloud than raincloud), I missed the rain entirely – at least until I ventured out for dinner in the town earlier tonight! Tomorrow may be different – I have a lot of ground to cover and a warning of heavy rain to contemplate!

Into May, but still some Welsh daffs to be found

‘Show Me The Wonder’ works for me as an ode to hills. The song of that title, from which I have taken my Blog heading today, is actually a more generic upbeat pop anthem than a tribute to nature or topography. But seeing as I am in Wales now, I think it fitting that I select song title headings by Welsh artists. So today’s choice ‘Show Me The Wonder’ is a composition by South Wales’ alternative rock band The Manic Street Preachers, from their 2013 ‘Rewind The Film’ album, and it is a song well worth the listen if you are not familiar with it. A few years ago, as part of a small live audience at BBC’s ‘The One Show’, Rachel and I were fortunate enough to meet ‘The Manics’ backstage, just briefly, and to stand with the production team whilst they set up and performed several of their numbers; they are a band we have always enjoyed, so you can imagine that it was quite an evening to remember!

Setting up backstage (or rather, getting in the way!) with The Manic Street Preachers, at the BBC on 2 June 2016

One thought on “Show Me The Wonder”

  1. Glad you got lucky with the weather today. Hope you kept your feet dry crossing those streams. 🎼 Manic St Preachers with your entry into Wales – some readers of this blog may remember that Hergest Ridge was an album by the legendary Mike Oldfield. Eastward ho!

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