Llandrindod Wells: Howey Circular Walk, Carregwiber
A 6-mile circular walk on public rights of way and country roads with an optional pub stop. The walk is not suitable for pushchairs. Boots or strong shoes are advisable. All directions off roads are waymarked or signposted.
1) From the Llandrindod Lake Restaurant go left around the lake. After 300m, next to an information sign on your left, pass through a metal kissing gate onto a tarmac track. Follow this track, first tarmac, then dirt and later a grassy slope, up the hill, always bearing to your right. Continue past a green fingerpost, and a large oak tree. Here the path forks. Take the right hand fork up the steep hill. After 100m you come to a field and at the edge of the bracken turn sharp left towards two trees. Pass a pond (which may be dry) for 60m and turn half right up the hill through bracken. At the stile and finger post continue straight ahead. Now catch your breath and admire the view of Llandrindod and the TV mast. Follow the path up the hill over three way-marked stiles to the Trig Point (S5969). Again pause, as you can see the edge of Pen-y-Fan to the south.
2) Go straight ahead down towards the edge of a clump of pine trees. Climb the stile onto the road, turn sharp left for 50m, then sharp right onto a path that goes into a pine plantation. After a few metres the path turns sharply left down the hill to Bank House. At the bottom of the hill turn right over two stiles that will take you around the House. Climb for 50m, then go left over another stile, then right up the steep hill with a stone wall on your right (150 m) onto a large track with a finger post. Carry on up the hill. You can look left down over ‘Happy Valley’. You are now on an old Drovers Road. After 150m turn sharp right and enter the metal gate. Follow this path with a stone wall on your right. After 300m, go through the gate on your right, turn left and proceed through two more gates. Go ahead for 200m, with a large metal barn on your right, and take the gate on your left. Go straight ahead for 200m, through a gate, and then turn right down through the farm yard. At the road turn right up the hill. After 400m there is a T-junction, take the left hand road for 100m. There the road bears to the right, and there is a finger post and a stile on your right. Go diagonally left across the field towards the stile at the end of a hedge. Cross it and again bear left diagonally across the field towards a gate at the end of another hedge. After the gate turn left and follow the dry stone wall on your left to another gate. Then head diagonally right across the field to the far corner. There is a stand of pines in the distance, head for the left of them. Go over the stile and turn sharp left. You are now on the golf course; beware of golf balls from the right. Keep close to the fence and go left to the end of the golf course – around the back of the 14th putting green and behind the 15th driving green. Go through the gate on your left and follow the fence on your left, down the hill to another stile. Cross it and continue down the hill with the fence now on your right. Where you come to a metal gate and a stile at the end of a stone wall (300m) halt and turn sharp left towards a finger post.
3) Go straight ahead to the finger post then another 80m to a metal gate. Go through it and bear left down towards an electricity pole. At a natural cross roads and finger post on the path, turn sharp right. Follow the path up and down a slope always bearing left. The path follows a fence and after a short distance comes to a stile. Cross the stile, turn sharp right and follow the track through a gate onto the road. Walk down this road (Chapel Road), past Brynhir Chapel until you reach a row of houses on your right. (If you continue down the road you come to Howey where there is a public house which will provide refreshments.)
4) Turn right at the signpost and row of houses. After 100m there is a track and a row of houses on your left. Continue to the end of the track, pass through a kissing gate and head diagonally across the field to a clump of Scots Pines. Climb the stile and again head diagonally across the field to the far corner. There cross the stile, turn left and cross two further stiles, keeping the hedge on your left. Go right between two hedges for a few metres and then bear half left to the next stile. Follow the right hand boundary of the next two fields to a gate and pass onto a track. On your way along the track you can see the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust Pentrosfa Mire Nature Reserve on your left, where you are welcome to pass some time. (There is an information sign at the entrance.) You might even see our rare crested grebe. You can obtain a leaflet from the Llandrindod TIC.
5) Pass through two more gates. Turn right at the small fingerpost just before Llandrindod Hall. Bear left at the next fingerpost, cross the stile and descend to the track, heading towards the large hopper. Climb the steps through the gate and retrace your steps back through the churchyard. The church was the original Church of the Trinity which was built in the 1500s on an earlier holy site. A Celtic fertility carving called a Sheela na Gig was found on the site during Victorian renovations and is now in the Radnorshire Museum in Llandrindod. You now have the option of either: following the road down to the Lake; or crossing the road, going through the gate and going back to the wood. There go through the gate but now continue straight ahead down the path, through the wood down to the Lake. There walk back to the Lake Restaurant for tea.