A Very Warm Day in Trellech
Sunday 16 July
On a bright sunny day 8 walkers left the tiny car park next to the Community hall in the village of Trellech to explore the rolling hills to the west of the village. The first historic site of interest on the walk was only 200 yards into the walk, its called the Tump Terret it was a wooden hill fort built by the Normans to keep the Welsh out. It was destroyed by fire and only the earthen mound is left. We then carried on walking to the fine Church in the village to have a look at the Pagan altar amongst the Christian gravestones.
After seeing 2 of the antiquities that Trellech is known for, we got down to the serious business of walking in the fields and lanes of this beautiful area. As we approached our first farm of the day, which the footpath went directly through. In a field with lambs one of the lambs came running towards us and proceeded to lick the hands or legs of each of us while its mother bleated out to it.
Shortly after we were at our highest point of the day (274m) in a recently cleared patch of woodland. We could see our next port of call the church of Cwmcarfan, unfortunately we couldn't see the Black mountains in the far distance as the sun had to yet burn of the of the haze. As we made our way down a steep hill toward the very minor road that would lead us to the church we were stopping occasionally to admire the rolling hills around us.
At the church we stopped for a short break where a dog called Rosie came to investigate strangers in the churchyard. The dog was sitting at my feet imploring me to give it something to eat.
We continued on our way downwards to the valley floor through a field of cattle - a mixture of Holsteins and Herefords. After crossing the stream we started to climb again in a field in which the farmer was turning the hay. The temperature of the day was now beginning to be felt by all of us.
Ahead of us lay 1.5km of road walking - not ideal but sometimes the only way to link up footpaths to make a circular walk. To the south of us lay Gaer Wood on top of a steep hill. That will be a walk for another time.
Around Pentre farm we came to our worst stiles of the day. One with a rotten footstep that wobbled precariously as you tried to step off it carefully. The other was an overgrown stile and footbridge combination, which had nettles and brambles all over it. Only six weeks earlier it was clear of any obstruction. Thankfully one of our party had brought secateurs with them and I cut back the brambles and hacked at the nettles with my walking stick. We were now making tracks to the motte and bailey at Trecastle farm. Disappointing as its camouflaged well by a barn and silage area. We guess it was behind these in a copse, as there is no footpath there we could not go and investigate.
Proceeding to our most westerly point of the walk we were admiring the fields of golden wheat dotted amongst the grass/hay fields. At the turning point we stopped for a welcome drink of water whilst picking out the mountains in the distance. We could see the Blorange, Sugar Loaf, and the eastern most ridge of the Black Mountains all the way up to Hay Bluff.
Lunch was taken in the welcome shade of a copse near Court St Lawrence. When we were refreshed we walked to the church at Llangovan, this church is home in the spring/summer months to a bat colony and its interior is closed to visitors.
The hardest climb of the day was now approaching - unfortunately it was through bracken in which thistles were hiding to catch you out. I can still feel the pinpricks of the thistles 24 hours later. To make matters worse it was also the hottest part of the day. Here I changed from my original planned walk and cut out a section that went through Llyna Wood and on to the remains of a medieval furnace. This meant that once we had reached the top of the hill the rest of the walk was fairly flat and straight. We were in the home straight of our 11 mile walk.
One major antiquity was left to see, Harold's Stones, five minutes from where we left the cars. It comprises 3 standing stones lined-up in a straight line. They were put up about 2500BC. Trellech has been continuously inhabited from this time to the present day making the village the oldest continually inhabited place in Wales if not the UK.
It was a very good walk, with lots of variety in it. Not for the inexperienced walker on a very hot day.
On a bright sunny day 8 walkers left the tiny car park next to the Community hall in the village of Trellech to explore the rolling hills to the west of the village. The first historic site of interest on the walk was only 200 yards into the walk, its called the Tump Terret it was a wooden hill fort built by the Normans to keep the Welsh out. It was destroyed by fire and only the earthen mound is left. We then carried on walking to the fine Church in the village to have a look at the Pagan altar amongst the Christian gravestones.
After seeing 2 of the antiquities that Trellech is known for, we got down to the serious business of walking in the fields and lanes of this beautiful area. As we approached our first farm of the day, which the footpath went directly through. In a field with lambs one of the lambs came running towards us and proceeded to lick the hands or legs of each of us while its mother bleated out to it.
Shortly after we were at our highest point of the day (274m) in a recently cleared patch of woodland. We could see our next port of call the church of Cwmcarfan, unfortunately we couldn't see the Black mountains in the far distance as the sun had to yet burn of the of the haze. As we made our way down a steep hill toward the very minor road that would lead us to the church we were stopping occasionally to admire the rolling hills around us.
At the church we stopped for a short break where a dog called Rosie came to investigate strangers in the churchyard. The dog was sitting at my feet imploring me to give it something to eat.
We continued on our way downwards to the valley floor through a field of cattle - a mixture of Holsteins and Herefords. After crossing the stream we started to climb again in a field in which the farmer was turning the hay. The temperature of the day was now beginning to be felt by all of us.
Ahead of us lay 1.5km of road walking - not ideal but sometimes the only way to link up footpaths to make a circular walk. To the south of us lay Gaer Wood on top of a steep hill. That will be a walk for another time.
Around Pentre farm we came to our worst stiles of the day. One with a rotten footstep that wobbled precariously as you tried to step off it carefully. The other was an overgrown stile and footbridge combination, which had nettles and brambles all over it. Only six weeks earlier it was clear of any obstruction. Thankfully one of our party had brought secateurs with them and I cut back the brambles and hacked at the nettles with my walking stick. We were now making tracks to the motte and bailey at Trecastle farm. Disappointing as its camouflaged well by a barn and silage area. We guess it was behind these in a copse, as there is no footpath there we could not go and investigate.
Proceeding to our most westerly point of the walk we were admiring the fields of golden wheat dotted amongst the grass/hay fields. At the turning point we stopped for a welcome drink of water whilst picking out the mountains in the distance. We could see the Blorange, Sugar Loaf, and the eastern most ridge of the Black Mountains all the way up to Hay Bluff.Lunch was taken in the welcome shade of a copse near Court St Lawrence. When we were refreshed we walked to the church at Llangovan, this church is home in the spring/summer months to a bat colony and its interior is closed to visitors.
The hardest climb of the day was now approaching - unfortunately it was through bracken in which thistles were hiding to catch you out. I can still feel the pinpricks of the thistles 24 hours later. To make matters worse it was also the hottest part of the day. Here I changed from my original planned walk and cut out a section that went through Llyna Wood and on to the remains of a medieval furnace. This meant that once we had reached the top of the hill the rest of the walk was fairly flat and straight. We were in the home straight of our 11 mile walk.
One major antiquity was left to see, Harold's Stones, five minutes from where we left the cars. It comprises 3 standing stones lined-up in a straight line. They were put up about 2500BC. Trellech has been continuously inhabited from this time to the present day making the village the oldest continually inhabited place in Wales if not the UK.
It was a very good walk, with lots of variety in it. Not for the inexperienced walker on a very hot day.
posted by rwr at
10:02 pm
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