Presteigne: The Rock Bridge Walk

Distance: 5 Miles
 
Presteigne Post Office
Follow the High Street with its array of useful and intriguing shops. Passing
the Radnorshire Arms and the Service Station turning left up Warden Road,
with caution crossing first the by-pass and Castle Road estate access
pursuing Warden Road for a further 60 yards to enter The Warden at a handgate on the right, signed 'Picnic Area'.
 
A made-path curves gently leftwards around the base of the Norman bailey
and ringwork. Watch to keep ahead, as the popular perambulation continues
In a circuit, passing down a green path by the bungalow Welsh Gate to a
hand-gate rejoining Warden Road.
 
Go right, as the road begins to dip find a stile in the hedge on fight.
Entering a pasture, with a pond on left, wend down beside the stream to a
stile beyond, then after some 60 yards clamber over a stile beneath a
mature oak, cross the subsequent plank and stile into path fenced off from
the pasture. This leads down to the road (1).
 
Go Immediately left entering the adjacent field via the gate. Walk up the
middle of the field to a gateway, entering the next pasture, where hedges
converge, follow the fence then hedge on the fight to a stile. Traverse the
ensuing open pasture maintaining direction to a metal gate and continue with
the fence right beneath a pasture bank, passing a remnant hedge where the
path dips to slightly lower alignment of hedge on St Mary's Hill. Cross a
fence stile contouring, where the hedge line falls right, to a metal gate,
continue to a sweeping corner (2). Cross the stile passing below the solitary
oak and follow a green way which becomes a track descending to the stile
beside the cattle-grid entrance to Gumma Farm.
 
Turn fight, along the road passing Rock House. Turn left over Rock Bridge
spanning the Lugg and follow the 84356 Whitton road, turning right onto the
minor road, bearing into the bridle-lane at Lower Ackhill (brick house). In
due course, pass through a lane gate, the track, briefly leads to a second
gate into pasture, continue with the hedge right to metal gate. Cross an
often dry ditch, the old hedge-line guides on, where a hedge resumes keep it
to the right (3), passing a willow marsh to a metal gate. Rising to a bridlegate
into woodland, advance with the fence left to a metal gate. Thereafter
proceeding to a metal gate, the track is prone to mud, advance to a further
gate onto the 84356 Norton road.
 
Go right downhill remember to face oncoming traffic with such a narrow
verge. Draw into the lay-by and subsequent old road to Boultibrooke Bridge,
notice the road width and the carriage-stones protecting the parapet (4).
After a bungalow with a formal garden, cross the main road and walk
through the car park to the kissing-gate, entrance to the Radnorshire Wildlife
Trust's Wentes Meadow and Withybeds Nature Reserve.
 
Interpretative boards and well-graded paths make this site accessible to all.
You may like to bear left from the Initial pond to accompany the River Lugg,
though that is short lived, the path curves right crossing a plank footbridge
over the frequently dry mill-race and subsequent steps
The prime route keeps right, above the meadow, to a kissing-gate, here
uniting with the reserve path, leading on to pass the Old Mill House and blue
town fingerpost, directing to the 'Town Centre' and 'Judge's Lodging'
Advance along Mill Lane ignoring the first road right passing under West
Wall bearing right up St David’s Street passing the Old Manor House and
Bull Hotel and turning left to complete the walk down the High Street.