

Llanwrtyd Wells: Abergwesyn via Old Drovers Road

Description
From Neuadd Arms Hotel follow the A483 as far as the Woollen Mill (Pic1). Follow the waymarker for the bridlepath behind the car park. The path leads up hill through some fields and along a path edged by some small trees. Keep straight on ignoring all turn offs until you reach a wider track. This track continues up the hill and past a derelict farm house (Pic 2). Go through the gate on your left at the top of the hill and follow the farm track down to a farm. Pass through the farm’s yard and onto a tarmaced lane. Follow this lane for about 1 mile until you reach Bwlch Mawr farm (Pic 3). Turn left through a gate and into the farm yard. Follow the track through another gate and after ¼ mile take the right fork through the ford. The stream can be quite full but there are narrow places to cross. Follow the track through a gate and continue until you see a small cottage (Blaen-Einon). Take the path on your right heading down hill. The path is waymarked with a bridlepath sign and passes just in front of the garden. The path turns a sharp right below the house and heads down to cross the stream at the bottom of the hill. The steam can be quite full after the rain and you may need to take a running jump to cross it without getting your feet wet!! The path now takes a diagonal route up the hill to a gate. Pass through the gate and turn right, heading due east, and follow the track on a steady climb right to the brow of the hill. Here you will again descend diagonally down to another stream, and once across it the path takes you steeply up hill to the top of the ridge. Here you will pass through a gate into a wide flat field with views down either side of the valley. Turn left and follow the old drover’s road through fields and around cairns for the next mile. You will reach forestry after a while, go through a gate at the corner of the forestry and turn right up hill keeping the trees on your left. The path then snakes to the right and left leading you between trees for about 1 mile. Beware this path can be very boggy indeed! Upon reaching a forestry road, you can either turn left for the shorter 10 mile route back to Llanwrtyd Wells, or carry straight on for the longer 14 mile route back. For the shorter route turn left and follow the forestry track to the junction (½ mile), turn left into the trees just before the stream. A small path leads through the forestry fire-breaks. Turn right after about ¾ mile, through the trees, down to a small stream. Walk the short up hill where you join a forestry track at the top. Follow the forestry track back to Llanwrtyd Wells (3 miles). For the longer more scenic route cross the forestry road and follow the path, which continues on the old drover’s road, through a small gate into open moorland. Continue due west over the hill and straight on through a rather boggy patch. As the path slopes down ignore the first stile you see and continue to a small gate which leads onto a path which descends down into Abergwesyn. At the lane turn left and continue for about 1 ½ miles to the turn off for Penybont Farm. Turn left for Pen-y-bont Farm and cross the bridge. Bear right through the farm yard passing through two gates. As you enter the field turn immediately left and follow a faint track up hill to a stile and a gate into the woods. Turn immediately right along a small path through the trees for about 1km. Cross the stile and continue to cross two small streams, following a sheep path to the corner of the field. Keeping the fence on your right follow the path as it drops gently down hill. At the track at the bottom of the hill bare left and follow the farm track for the next 3km through farms and past cottages with the River Irfon running on your right (Pic 4). Eventually you will reach a lane, to your right is the old village and St David’s Church. Bear left and carry straight on for about ½km, then follow the path that leads off the lane to your right and takes you down towards the river. Pass the bridge, keeping the river to your right and go through a small kissing gate. As you enter Dol-y-Coed Park you will see a dome shaped building at the rear of the pump house to your left. Here the sulphur spring was hermetically sealed in a massive marble and mosaic circular pedestal covered with a disc of plate glass. The springs were first discovered by Theophilus Evans who claimed to have discovered, the healing properties “Ffynon Droellwyd” (the Stinking Well), when suffering from scurvy. Continue on past the Doel-y-Coed Hotel, which was once the centre of leisure boasting an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts and bowling greens. At the lane bear right and follow the road back to Llanwrtyd Wells.