{"id":2746,"date":"2023-08-26T03:26:29","date_gmt":"2023-08-26T02:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2023-08-21T13:36:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T12:36:36","slug":"abbeycwmhir-esgair-hill-radnorshire-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2746","title":{"rendered":"Abbeycwmhir &#038; Esgair Hill, Radnorshire, Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Abbeycwmhir.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106860478_1976cec211_z.jpg\" title= \"looking north from Esgair Hill 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106860478_1976cec211_s.jpg\" alt=\"looking north from Esgair Hill 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106352426_415c6c5659_z.jpg\" title= \"looking back down Cwm Hir from top of Monks Way\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106352426_415c6c5659_s.jpg\" alt=\"looking back down Cwm Hir from top of Monks Way\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106765565_52b05f9ce6_z.jpg\" title= \"dog rose\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106765565_52b05f9ce6_s.jpg\" alt=\"dog rose\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106352396_8959766eb1_z.jpg\" title= \"looking north from Esgair Hill 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106352396_8959766eb1_s.jpg\" alt=\"looking north from Esgair Hill 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106368206_ef1b731f7d_z.jpg\" title= \"looking up the Monks Way in Cwm Hir 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106368206_ef1b731f7d_s.jpg\" alt=\"looking up the Monks Way in Cwm Hir 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106781290_2cae877c36_z.jpg\" title= \"looking up the Monks Way in Cwm Hir\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106781290_2cae877c36_s.jpg\" alt=\"looking up the Monks Way in Cwm Hir\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106368491_6154a2effe_z.jpg\" title= \"descending towards Abbeycwmhir from Esgair Hill\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53106368491_6154a2effe_s.jpg\" alt=\"descending towards Abbeycwmhir from Esgair Hill\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2746','pwin','height=700,width=1200,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nI hadn\u2019t been to Abbeycwmhir since 1979, the year I walked the newly opened Glynd\u0175r\u2019s Way long-distance path with my Dad. The stages were long, the waymarking abysmal, the flies persistent. What a treat it was on that long-ago summer evening to trudge on sore feet up the long steep valley, past the abbey ruins and in at the door of the Happy Union Inn.  <\/p>\n<p>Nowadays Glynd\u0175r\u2019s Way is a lot better waymarked. The Happy Union is open in the evenings only, and the tiny village tucked away in its forested cleft in the Radnorshire hills has a few new builds to add to its tally of old stone cottages. The Abbey Cwmhir Heritage Trust is very active, and has laid out a network of colour-coded walks based on the village. I chose the orange circuit, and set out under a windy sky that tossed grey and silver clouds about a field of china blue.<\/p>\n<p>The Cistercian monks who built the abbey in the 1170s in this remote fastness picked a perfect site for the contemplative life \u2013 secluded, well wooded and watered, with beautiful hills on every hand. Today the valley road was edged with pink and white dog roses in hedges alive with noisy chaffinches.<\/p>\n<p>I turned off the road onto a stony track that rose gradually to the crest of the hills \u2013 the Monks Way, an old highway from Abbeycwmhir to its sister abbey of Strata Florida away to the west. At the top I crossed a broad undulating upland of pastures where the sheep sprinted towards me in vain hopes of a hand-out.<\/p>\n<p>Up in the spruce forest of Cefn-crin the air was hot, dark and heavy among the trees. The wind sighed among a million pine needles, and countless insects hummed their great discordant chorus. Coming out the other side of the trees I found myself on the crest of the hills with miles of rolling and tumbling green country ahead and behind.<\/p>\n<p>Here I hooked up again with Glynd\u0175r\u2019s Way and followed it back down to Abbeycwmhir, marvelling at the improvement in its waymarking and relishing the dip of the path among knee-high grasses and in among the trees again for a last cool mile into the village.<\/p>\n<p>\fHow hard is it? 7\u00bc miles; moderate; well waymarked paths<\/p>\n<p>Start: Phillips Hall (village hall), Abbeycwmhir, Llandrindod Wells LD1 6PH (OS ref SO 054712)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Abbeycwmhir is signed off A483 (Llandrindod Wells \u2013 Newtown) between Crossgates and Llandewi Ystradenni<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 214; downloadable map\/instructions at abbeycwmhir.org): From Phillips Hall, right along road. Left at fork (049708, orange arrow\/OA, \u2018Rhayader\u2019). In \u2154 mile opposite red brick Cwmhir Cottages, fork right (039705, kissing gate\/KG, fingerpost); follow track. By blue container keep ahead through gate (OA, yellow arrow\/YA). At Upper Cwmhir house, track bears left, then through right-hand gate of two (031713, OA). In \u00bd mile at top of Monks Way lane, through gate (025716, OA), along fence; left-hand gate of two (OA); ahead over hill; stile into woodland (022717, OA). Path to forest road; dogleg right\/left across (OA); path to road junction (018719). Fork right uphill for \u00bd mile (tarmac becoming gravel) into Cefn-crin forest (017728). At far edge of trees, on hairpin right bend, ahead (021734, gate, OA) on hillside track. 100m beyond next gate, right (025740, yellow topped post, \u2018Glynd\u0175r\u2019s Way\u2019\/GW) between tree clump (left) and fence (right). Follow well-marked GW for 3 miles back to Abbeycwmhir.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch: Picnic<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation: Ty Morgans, East Street, Rhayader LD6 5BH (01597-811666, <a href=\"http:\/\/croesogrwp.com\">croesogrwp.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: <a href=\"http:\/\/abbeycwmhir.org\">abbeycwmhir.org<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/visitwales.com\">visitwales.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Walking the Bones of Britain \u2013 a 3 Billion Year Journey by Christopher Somerville is published by Doubleday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I hadn\u2019t been to Abbeycwmhir since 1979, the year I walked the newly opened Glynd\u0175r\u2019s Way long-distance path with my Dad. The stages were long, the waymarking abysmal, the flies persistent. What a treat it was on that long-ago summer evening to trudge on sore feet up the long steep valley, past the abbey ruins and in at the door of the Happy Union Inn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}