Day 58 - Montgomery/Brompton Crossroads to Pool Quay

......The guy behind the bar has delegated the cab finding to the lady behind the desk this morning but, by 7:30, she has been unable to complete the task having received no reply from the numbers she's called. News is that Robin Williams is dead - or perhaps not "news" for John who doesn't know who Robin Williams is. But over a good breakfast we are given the more immediately important news that, in the absence of cabs, our breakfast chef Hayley will drive us back to Brompton Crossroads. The forecast is for showers throughout the day and the first one - both brief and light - arrives during the first half hour as we cross farmland to the east of Montgomery. With no sign of the Australian couple coming the other way, we continue along flat stretches, and a first is "achieved" when Gary manages to fall through a cattle grid (thankfully not deep), thus somewhat belatedly fulfilling the predictions 45 years earlier of less than encouraging school "friends" before cross country runs. A heavy shower arrives but, once again, it's reasonably brief and proves to be the final one we encounter. Once through Lynmore Park and over the River Camlad (another well known waterway after the Unk of yesterday), we encounter a few climbs through the Leighton Estate - where there's a further minor cross-track error - and up to the Beacon Ring hill fort. However, although longer ascents than yesterday's, they're not as steep and are generally along estate roads and broad tracks, so not too problematic. Indeed, the consequent 1,000 feet descent through fields into Buttington is, if anything, more testing. We've decided to continue beyond Buttington to Pool Quay, first because we have the time to get another couple of miles ticked off and secondly because the Powis Arms at Pool Quay seems to be an appropriate stopping point. A cab is booked to take us from there to Welshpool at 2:30 and an ETA of 2:00 will afford the time for a relaxed cider or two plus a bite to eat. At least that's the theory. After crossing Buttington Bridge and some fields, and walking for a mile or so alongside the Montgomery Canal, we arrive at the Powis Arms on schedule - only to find it closed. However, a quick phone call gets the cab to us in 5 minutes and we're in Welshpool by 2:15 after a journey which, whilst of the same distance as the one yesterday evening, costs £10 less. We're dropped at the "Old Station" which, conveniently, is adjacent to the current/new station and, just as conveniently, purveys bottles of cider and sandwiches. Rather inconveniently, Gary realises that he's left the Trail Guide somewhere - probably in the garden of the Powis Arms - but, a couple of bottles of cider and a sandwich later, it's time to walk over the bridge (Ben armed with the remnants of his second bottle) to catch the train(s) home.                                    

Day 57 - Knighton to Brompton Crossroads/Montgomery

Ben and Gary travel via Newport and John joins them at Hereford for the rest of the journey to Ludlow and then, courtesy of Colin/Carwyn (actually Owen) to the George and Dragon in Knighton. Subject to an earlier heavy shower in Newport, there's no evidence of the tail end of ex-hurricane Bertha - a breezy day, but dry and generally bright. We set off from the George and Dragon just before opening time, so no temptation to delay what could be a testing 15+ miles to Brompton Crossroads (see Guide's description - day 56 above). Things start with a longish climb to the top of Panpunton Hill and, soon afterwards, a "cross-track error" when we don't take heed of the Guide's warning that the "path is easy to miss" and duly miss a downward track through some gorse towards a white cottage. When realisation dawns, we decide not to retrace our steps and, instead, reach the cottage by ploughing downhill through some of the waist high local flora. We pass Garbett Hall - our originally proposed end point on day 56 - after 90 minutes or so walking, and continue around Llanfair Hill to Springhill. Not long afterwards, we see the Offa's Dyke midpoint signpost showing that we are 88.5 miles from both Sedbury Cliffs and Prestatyn. This is also around the start of the series of short but steep climbs and descents which will make our progress to Brompton Crossroads - and the Blue Bell Inn - a tad slower than would otherwise be the case. We eventually emerge through the arched gateway of Mellington Hall and the short road to the Blue Bell at about 5:50 - conveniently close to opening time. However, even after phoning the Dragon Hotel in Montgomery where we're staying to ask them to arrange for a cab to collect us by 6:30, we still need to alert the landlady to our presence before the doors of the pub are opened. It transpires that she has been in charge of the establishment since 1966 but, despite her taking a little bit of time to get our drinks, and the cab arriving closer to 6:20 than 6:30, there's time and inclination to get through a couple of ciders before we leave. The cab has, in fact, come from Welshpool - the Hotel's usual local cabbie (Colin Montgomery??!!) being unavailable due to a recent stroke. As a result, although it's a mere 3 miles from the pub to Montgomery, we're charged the princely sum of £15 for the journey. Our earlier swift two ciders dissuade us from having another immediately after check-in. Instead, after freshening up and changing, we move straight to glasses of wine before supper - in the company of an Australian couple who now live in Gloucestershire and who are walking the Dyke from north to south. We exchange a few experiences of our respective routes and overnight stops and, given that the couple finished their day to the north of Montgomery, we half anticipate that our paths will cross early tomorrow. We restrict supper to just a very substantial main course - plus a bottle of red - after which Ben retires leaving John and Gary to have a double and single sticky respectively whilst trying to arrange a cab for tomorrow morning. The guy behind the bar says he'll see what he can do....... 

Day 56 - Old Radnor/Lower Harpton to Knighton

Just 1-0 to Argentina after extra time, and good sleep. Gary (in socks....very silly) slips down wooden stairs on his way to breakfast, but this in no way affects our view of The Harp as the best place we've stayed so far. And an opinion which is not expressed because John has promised to send to Angela a link to this blog! Come on - great views, comfortable rooms, excellent food - including breakfast - wonderful hospitality, free safety pins, and our own private taxi service from Lower Harpton last night and back there this morning. What's not to like? Having said farewell to Angela, we set off for Knighton, and possibly beyond. It soon becomes apparent why the Official Trail Guide rates the Kington to Knighton stretch as "the most enjoyable day's walk of the whole path". Some spectacular scenery alongside the Dyke, over the Lugg Valley and back towards Hergest Ridge. Although the terrain is quite undulating, the climbs aren't particularly steep and therefore, and with no places to "detain" us en route, we make pretty good time to Knighton golf course and down a pretty steep hill into the town. We had thought of continuing to Garbett Hall - about 3 miles further on at the beginning of a section which the Guide describes as "the toughest part of the whole route". The prospect of ticking off those miles now is attractive, but careful consideration in the George and Dragon leads to the conclusion that, given the location of available stopping points next time, an extra 3 miles today isn't going to increase our future progress. Besides, it's pretty hot and we need also to test the hospitality of the Horse and Jockey. Before doing so, we check the availability of public transport to Ludlow station, but establish that a cab between us isn't going to be much more expensive. We have an hour to while away, but the Horse and Jockey proves to be somewhat dilatory with a not particularly complex food order - i.e. baguettes, which we only just manage to finish before being picked up by Owen the cab. Owen informs us that the Ludlow Brewing Company is conveniently close to the station....it has to be done. There are six types of beer but, helpfully, they can be served in third of a pint measures for sampling purposes. We sample all six before deciding rather prosaically to have a pint of best to wash down a healthy afternoon snack of pork pie and scotch egg. A slightly earlier train than originally planned from Ludlow avoids delay on the later service and ensures that we all get home smoothly.                                  

Day 55 - Hay-on-Wye to Lower Harpton/Old Radnor

We meet up again at Evesham. As a result of his late departure time from home, John has had more than sufficient time for a bacon sandwich. Ben and Gary need to slum it and take on board a sausage roll whilst waiting at Worcester for the connecting train to Hereford. Quite a long cab ride to Hay - and in a break with tradition, John has an in-car kip on the outbound journey. We arrive around 11:15 and, after resolving the important question of our official start point (the car park or the Blue Boar) we wend our way down to the Wye and over the fields to Clyro. The woods through Bettws Dingle provide welcome shade from the sun before the more open fields leading to Newchurch. A couple of climbs between Newchurch and Gladestry are eased by some comfortable turf underfoot and, to afford yet more comfort, there's the temptation (not resisted) of the Royal Oak at Gladestry. Our arrival at afternoon closing time doesn't mean that our ciders have to be rushed, and we leave with springs in our steps (relatively speaking) which help the climb up to the moorland of Hergest Ridge. Past the site of the former Kington racecourse, and by this stage Gary is having to make disturbingly frequent adjustments to his below waistline attire due to the detachment of the button at the top of his shorts. In Kington itself - which isn't as much of a toilet as Gary has previously banged on about - there's a short debate about whether we should indulge in a further reviver. The decision not to means that we'll almost certainly get a lift from Lower Harpton to Old Radnor which has been kindly offered by our hosts at The Harp, but conversely, the hill out of Kington is now distinctly more challenging than the post-cider hill out of Gladestry. It leads to Kington golf course which is, apparently, the highest in England at almost 1,300 feet. The next couple of inclines, Rushock and Herrock hills, are walked round rather than over, so the final mile or so of the day is pretty easy going. However, it's still something of a relief shortly after getting to Lower Harpton, to see a car driven by Angela from The Harp arriving to pick us up - even more of a relief when we realise, from the comfort of the car, the distance to The Harp. And what a location when we get there. Having walked around the south west coast it seems strange to say that the views (over the Radnor Valley) are probably the best we've experienced at any of the places where we've stayed. To take full advantage, we have a drink outside in the early evening sunshine before showers/baths and supper. And, even after the views, we're not disappointed by the rooms, the food and the hospitality - Gary even obtains a safety pin for his mobile shorts. Just the one sticky this evening, although it is preceded by a port with our cheese. Unlikely that tonight's Argentina v Holland World Cup semi-final will match the entertainment of last night's Brazil v Germany game, so no need for sleep to be delayed by the footie.

Day 54 - Pandy to Hay-on-Wye

Good breakfast and provision of chocolate and apples for the day ahead confirm that the Rising Sun would probably feature in the top five establishments at which we've stayed. Today's walk is not as taxing as we thought it was going to be. After the need to cross (very carefully) the Newport to Hereford railway line, it starts with a long ascent into the Black Mountains, ultimately to 2,300 feet - the highest point on the Path - but the weather is dry, and also cooler than yesterday, and the climb isn't particularly steep or testing under foot. So we manage it without undue difficulty and with the help of plenty of water and snacks. The path itself up to Hatterrall Hill and the ridge beyond is pretty featureless, but some of the views are spectacular. (These do not include Ben taking the first "dump au naturel" of the walk - there isn't a more delicate way of phrasing it - in the disturbingly close proximity of some sheep.) With perfect timing, the sun only appears when we've completed the climb and are approaching Hay Bluff. We therefore work up a bit of a sweat on the long descent into Hay-on-Wye where the Blue Boar is conveniently located for reviving purposes, and a relaxed lunch and postcard/admin session, before catching a bus to Hereford station. Train to Worcester, where we change for John to get to Evesham and Ben and Gary to continue to London.                                   

Day 53 - Monmouth to Pandy

Ben and Gary travel to Monmouth by train (to Newport) and cab, and John travels purely by cab. Remarkably, we arrive outside the Robin Hood within a few minutes of each other, around 10:15. The entertainment from John during the early part of today's walk is a series of 12 questions about the 1970's which, when posed in yesterday's edition of "Pointless", apparently secured a record high score of 600 (i.e. all wrong answers) from the 6 participating contestants. The author's modesty precludes him from recording the outcome of the questions being asked this morning, although the person who secured 12 correct answers didn't participate to any noticeable extent in the subsequent discussion about a tax issue. Anyway, back to the walk itself which is along a very picturesque and not too testing route. A few inclines and some short sections along roads, but essentially through fields close to or alongside the River Trothy, and with a couple of villages (Llantilio Crosseny and Llangattock-Lingoed) to pass through. Good progress is made, but a warm day combined with a desire not to reach our overnight stop too early, renders it advisable - if not necessary - to pause a while in the late afternoon sunshine at the Hunter's Moon Inn at Llangattock-Lingoed where we meet a couple of other people who are walking the same stretch of the Trail as us today and tomorrow - and staying at the same place overnight. They leave the Hunter's Moon before we do because our "pause" is one of about an hour which translates into a couple of ciders. Strangely, on the succeeding short stretch of the walk to Pandy, Gary falls off a plank into a shallow ditch, Ben doesn't spot a rather large hole in a field and almost trips over, and John nearly comes a cropper at a stile. These incidents do not prevent us from having a further cider when we get to the Rising Sun at Pandy, and yet another after we've freshened up and are ordering supper. Initial impressions of the Rising Sun are very favourable - comfortable rooms with copious free-flowing hot water in individual en suite facilities. Supper, with bottle of wine and followed by sticky, does nothing to change these impressions but, as always, then having a second sticky is probably a mistake!      

Day 52 - Tintern to Monmouth

News of the morning is that Nigel Davies has left Gloucester - shock horror. Good breakfast, a bright morning, and beautiful scenery as we leave Tintern - once again eschewing Offa's Dyke and following the Wye Valley route as far as Bigsweir. However, on leaving Bigsweir, we take an uphill road and paths which eventually lead to the Dyke trail. Through woods and a small plantation, we emerge into a field, and a steep descent into Redbrook. It's late morning, but a conveniently located pub (definitely The Boat) is open, and discussion is brief before we decide to take advantage of its hospitality. Ben and John sample a cider taken from a barrel "round the back" of the bar, the strength of which is such as to render the possibility of a second being deemed a potential impediment to our onward journey. This proves to be fully justified, first in terms of steadiness (the journey once more follows the banks of the Wye along a narrow and occasionally slippy path), and secondly in terms of timing (our arrival at the shelter of a bridge coincides with a short, but very heavy, rain shower). Typically efficient advance admin by John has established that a bus from Monmouth shortly after 3:00 p.m. should get us to Newport in time for our trains home, and enable us to repeat our Carwyn-free achievements of days 49 and 50. We arrive in Monmouth in time for a leisurely lunch opposite the bus station at The Robin Hood pub, the bus arrives on schedule, and there are no delays in getting to Newport. However, our train is delayed by 15 minutes and, just prior to its arrival, Ben announces that he can't find his ticket. His unsuccessful attempts to find it (by retracing his steps back to the barriers) mean that he almost misses the train but, having boarded, he then finds the ticket in some "folds" in his pocket. The train delay also means that John misses his intended connection at Bristol, but at least he can share a half bottle of red in the buffet and has only half an hour to wait for a later train at Parkway. Otherwise, incident free returns home.