This was a charity walk for Help for Heroes, organised by Al, the landlord at the Old Pandy Inn at Pandy, near Abergavenny. The route was from the bottom of Hay Bluff, up onto the ridge, following Offa's Dyke Path all the way back to Pandy and the pub where sausage and mash, plus Wye Valley beers would be waiting - try HPA if you can find it. The walk was 'sold' as a 14 miler, but Al confided that he had clocked it at 12.4 miles and we would walk for about 5 hours.
Offa's Dyke Path
 |
| Robin, Lorraine & Paul |
We (Robin, Paul, Lorraine and myself) left Cheltenham at around 0800 and arrived after a manic 'Robinesque' drive (the boy knows nothing of speed limits) just after 0900 to be greeted by Al, the landlord at the Pandy Inn.
The Old Pandy Inn, Pandy nr Abergavenny
Wye Valley Brewery
 |
| Setting off - Hay Bluff |
At the pub we had lovely fresh brewed offee, used the facilities and boarded the minibus with other walkers for the shortish drive to Hay Bluff. We finally got out of the bus and onto the trail at about 1015 to be greeted by high winds and bright sunshine. Robin was off like a flash on the harder of the two possible ascents, with a few clueless souls chasing behind him - including me. Those better informed took the path to the right which is a little more approachable. Our party was off and running and I thought to myself that this was more of a race than a charity walk.
 |
| Up Hay Bluff... |
We started the ascent to Hay Bluff with Robin in the lead, setting the pace. I must say I found the pace and the gradient a bit of a challenge but kept at it until we all reached the first area where it flattened out. All the time the wind was howling and it promised to be a very challenging time on the top of the ridge. We eventually met the other ascent path but saw nothing of our fellow walkers. We climbed the final section aided by a strong tail wind and reached the cairn at the top. The ridge path lay before us and so Robin responded by setting an electric pace along the ridge. We responded and all kept up along the long, windy track towards Pandy.
 |
| Wild Horses |
The track is really well maintained and large slabs have been laid where the terrain might be boggy in winter. We saw several other groups of walkers heading in both directions with some, dropping left and right into the valleys below. We stopped briefly for liquid intakes and snacks but didn't linger as there was absolutely no shelter from the wind on the ridge. There were many cairns and piles of stones along the way as the track moved from slabs to rough track to almost gravelled sections of the path. The views to either side are wonderful and my photos don't really do the views justice - which is normally the case - you have to be there! We saw two herd of wild horses on the top of the ridge - fantastic really, considering the terrain and the weather.
 |
| A modest portion! |
Eventually, we started to drop down into the valley with knees creaking with the sharp downward gradient. We passed Robin's take off area for hang gliding at Pentwyn and quickly passed farms and cottages as we aimed for the Pandy Inn. We got to the Inn at 1445 and when I checked the GPS we had done 12.6 miles and been actually walking at just under 4 hours with the rest of the time spent on breaks - quite a pace & thank you Robin! We ordered pints and waited for other walkers to arrive. As soon as the sausage & mash was ready we piled in and then set off, still waiting for others to arrive - we must have been so quick! We checked out, got into the car for another 'Whacky Races' blast by Robin to Cheltenham where we rounded off the day with a quick pint in the Somerset.
The walk is actually in 8 sections of OS maps. I've included the first and last below - if anyone wants the full set, let me know.
An OS view of the walk is below, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS:
This was the now very familiar Miserden, Duntisbourne Abbots, Winstone walk of some 6 miles, starting and ending in the village of Miserden. It took me and Mike P 2 hours and 20 minutes which is not bad bearing in mind that Mike's knee was giving him some trouble!
I will not repeat the detail of the walk as it can be found in posts of the 8th March, 17th April and 5th May 2011. The one main point about this particular walk was the Mike spotted a large number (>12) of deer running through the woods at Parson's Hill. This is very unusual on a walk i.e. to see so may and of course to photograph them is very difficult. However, my poor attempt is included here - if you look very carefully, you can just make out one deer in the centre of the photo (if you magnify!).
On this occasion we stopped at the Carpenters Arms afterwards and enjoyed a ham baguette & chips with a pint of Hereford Pale Ale!
An OS view of the walk is below, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS:
This was a solo walk of some 6 miles done in 2 hours and 15 minutes on a blustery spring morning.
I parked the car at the Clock Tower pub and crossed over to Timbercombe Lane, passing a few houses before joining the track up Wistley Hill. There is a gentle incline up the hill with woods to the right and occasional views of Cheltenham to the left as you climb. Once at the main farm gate, you continue upwards through a field usually occupied by cows and sheep. Towards the top of the hill I joined a track through gorse and with bushes either side, until I emerged at the top with a great view of the Cotswold Way towards Cleeve to my left and woodlands straight ahead. At this point I crossed the Cotswold Way (and the conveniently located bench), through a gate into a short stretch of woodlands known as Wistley Plantation, before crossing a field and then crossing the busy Andoversford/Oxford road (A436).
Opposite the field there is the entrance to the Ian Coley shooting centre. I followed the track, hearing the repeated bangs of clay pigeon shooting. I passed the centre, following the track through Chatcombe Woods with woods to my right and fields to the left. I continued for some time until the woods gave way to open fields where I crossed, following a well worn path which joined the Gloucestershire Way for a while before coming out at a rough track which could even be called a road. I followed the road passing farmland, until I arrived at the busy Seven Springs road where I crossed and took the road parallel with the main Cirencester Road (A435) and which heads towards Hartley Farm. At the turn for the farm, I kept straight and followed the track which merges once again with the Cotswold Way for a short stretch. I followed the track with the escarpment to my left and eventually dropped down into the Lilley Brook golf course, before joining the A435 again (not nice walking by the road!) for a short time, passing the golf club house and Cheltenham Park hotel on the left), quickly arriving once again at the Clock Tower.
An OS view of the walk is below, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS
This was a charity even for three charities (including Ryan's school - Milestone) with a 25 mile bike ride, 10 mile walk and a 3 mile jaunt for trikes, buggies etc. Ryan did the 3 miler...
The walk was billed as a 10 mile walk by the charity event, 3CC but in fact I measured it at just under 6 miles with my GPS so unless we short-cutted or missed something on the map, then we under did it! In any case the walk took just over two hours through wonderful forest undergrowth, following trails with more bluebells than I have ever seen.
3 Children's Charity Event, Forest of Dean
I got a lift at 08:30 from Leckhampton with Robin and Martin who were doing the 25 mile bike ride. We loaded up Robin's van with bikes and bags and got to Beechenhurst Lodge at about 09:15 ready for the start. We registered and set of, map in hand fully expecting a four hour walk. Once I found my bearings from the map (and following other walkers!), we left the main track and started through the trees with the drizzle just starting.
We crossed the main Speech House Road and entered the forest again, with bluebells all around. The rain stopped and the sun came out - happy days! I teamed up with a couple who were keen to chat and who were making a very good pace and so together we progressed 'through the field' heading south along well defined paths towards Parkend.
Before reaching Parkend, we took a right and entered the Nagshead RSPB reserve and made use of the visitor facilities, removing wet weather gear and taking on fluids.
Nagshead RSPB Reserve
We went through the reserve which was very well organised, passing binocular carrying 'twitchers' on the way. Leaving the reserve, we passed the stone works and followed the left bank of a fishing lake and we moved north back to the starting point. Again the lake was very well organised, picturesque with fishing 'slots' clearly marked and small jetties provided. We passed several serious looking anglers, stopping to 'ooh and ahh' at the baby duck chicks along the way before we crossed the lake at the northern end by a short wooden footbridge. We quickly found our previous outgoing track and retraced our steps back to the Speech House Road, passing Ryan and Sarah on the way, before finding our starting point and checking in with the organisers.
Coffee and hot dogs were waiting and I spent a very pleasant hour or so while I waited for the others (including Ryan) to finish - but got burnt in the process!
An OS view of the walk is below in three sections, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS:
This was a 6 mile walk done with Lynda over the Easter weekend while I was in Ireland. The walk took us 3 hours and says more about the rough terrain than our fitness or ability to cover ground quickly.
We drove from Foxrock, a suburb of Dublin and headed south on the N11 before making for Roundwood and Gendalough itself, passing lots of walkers and other tourists as we got closer to the lakes. Remarkably we were in the car park between the two loughs by 10:30 and started walking soon afterwards. While Lynda bought coffee and scone, I got my boots on and prepared for the rigours ahead. For more info on Glendalough, please see:
Glendalough, Wicklow
We left the car park and followed the upper lake path on the north shore, quickly leaving the road and continuing on the stony track with few other walkers at this time of day. The weather was beautiful, clear skies and bright sunshine. We continued on the track with the lake on our left, eventually reaching what is known as the Miners' Village, a collection of ruined cottages. The abandoned Miners' Village at the western end of the Upper Lake sits on a geological divide between granite and mica schist bedrock. Veins of metals formed between the two rock types, principally lead. The mines were in operation on and off for over 150 years before the last one eventually closed in 1965. The remains of many buildings still stand and the spoil heaps descending from the disused mines are clearly visible.
We passed the derelict village and started climbing gradually following the zigzag track, pausing to look behind at the view down the valley over the lakes. This was a steady climb on a very rough stony surface with a fair bit of scrambling over rocks and ledges until we saw the bridge over the stream that feeds into the lake by way of a number of waterfalls. We stopped for a short break, sheltering from the increasing wind and admired the view down the valley. The path up to this point had been very well marked out and despite the very rough terrain, was easy to follow. The path ahead skirted the south side of the lake and railway sleepers had been extensively used to aid the walker. We followed the sleeper track, still climbing and as we got closer to the lake we met lots of walkers and day trippers coming in the opposite direction, may asking how long it would take to do the full circuit! Once we levelled out at the top, again stopping to admire the views, we began to descend very rapidly, passing many (unfit?) folks puffing and panting up the steep ascent - and some clearly very fit ones. I would have liked to try the walk from the opposite direction i.e. starting with a steep ascent of one hour and then leisurely completing the circuit but time was not available. So, we continued down and found our way past the falls and into the car park which by now was packed with visitors out for the day, enjoying the sunshine.
We left the hordes and headed back to Roundwood to the traditional watering hole at the Roundwood Inn where Lynda enjoyed overpriced Chicken & chips in a basket and I had a modest overpriced cheese & ham sandwich - with Guinness of course. Food is not what it was at the Roundwood but the Guinness is wonderful!
Roundwood Inn, Roundwood, Co Wicklow
An OS view of the walk is below in three sections, courtesy of QUO digital mapping/OS of Ireland
Opposite the field there is the entrance to the Ian Coley shooting centre. I followed the track, hearing the repeated bangs of clay pigeon shooting. I passed the centre, following the track through Chatcombe Woods with woods to my right and fields to the left. I continued for some time until the woods gave way to open fields where I crossed, following a well worn path which joined the Gloucestershire Way for a while before coming out at a rough track which could even be called a road. I followed the road passing farmland, until I arrived at the busy Seven Springs road where I crossed and took the road parallel with the main Cirencester Road (A435) and which heads towards Hartley Farm. At the turn for the farm, I kept straight and followed the track which merges once again with the Cotswold Way for a short stretch. I followed the track with the escarpment to my left and eventually dropped down into the Lilley Brook golf course, before joining the A435 again (not nice walking by the road!) for a short time, passing the golf club house and Cheltenham Park hotel on the left), quickly arriving once again at the Clock Tower.
I set off at about 10:30 in hazy warm weather which increasingly looked like rain - which never materialized while I was walking. I will not repeat the detail of the walk as it can be found in posts of the 8th March and 17th April 2011, except on this occasion I stopped at the Carpenters Arms afterwards and enjoyed a ham baguette & salad with a pint of Hereford Pale Ale!
We passed the derelict village and started climbing gradually following the zigzag track, pausing to look behind at the view down the valley over the lakes. This was a steady climb on a very rough stony surface with a fair bit of scrambling over rocks and ledges until we saw the bridge over the stream that feeds into the lake by way of a number of waterfalls. We stopped for a short break, sheltering from the increasing wind and admired the view down the valley. The path up to this point had been very well marked out and despite the very rough terrain, was easy to follow. The path ahead skirted the south side of the lake and railway sleepers had been extensively used to aid the walker. We followed the sleeper track, still climbing and as we got closer to the lake we met lots of walkers and day trippers coming in the opposite direction, may asking how long it would take to do the full circuit! Once we levelled out at the top, again stopping to admire the views, we began to descend very rapidly, passing many (unfit?) folks puffing and panting up the steep ascent - and some clearly very fit ones. I would have liked to try the walk from the opposite direction i.e. starting with a steep ascent of one hour and then leisurely completing the circuit but time was not available. So, we continued down and found our way past the falls and into the car park which by now was packed with visitors out for the day, enjoying the sunshine.
