Martin's Mag.

We spent a day wandering around Ellesmere and its nearby lakes (meres). I had assumed that a canal connects the town to the more famous Ellesmere Port, in Cheshire on the Mersey (a bit like Bruge and Zeebrugge in Belgium), but I am wrong. Apparently there was an Ellesmere canal which started from the Mersea but was never completed and never came anywhere near Shropshire.

This is a transitional stage between the hills and almost flat throughout. The Trail follows stretches of the Montgomeryshire Canal and the River Severn before reaching the town of Llanymynech where the Wales – England border is the main street!

The main landmark viewed over the River Severn from the Trail is that of the Breidden Hills, with Rodney’s Pillar on its summit. The monument was built by the gentlemen of Montgomeryshire who supplied the oak wood from the area and shipped them down the River Severn to Bristol where Admiral Rodney’s naval fleet was built. Parts of this section are prone to flooding during very wet periods so checking for Environment Agency flood warnings is advisable.

The Trail joins the Montgomery Canal for a number of stretches. The canal was originally used to transport lime to improve the farmland of the Severn Valley. [© http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ ]

Due to bus availability/logistics we had to start this bit from Welshpool and slightly by-pass Buttington Bridge (where we ended up last time). Welshpool seems nice and we walked along the Montgomery canal for a while. Also, we didn’t quite get to Llanymynech this time, as we were camped by some fishing lakes at Three Crosses where we were met by Wendy and Graham and, later, Emma and Darren and their three dogs.

There is ample opportunity to see the Dyke itself as it is followed across fairly flat but very pleasant terrain for most of this section. The Dyke and Trail here are also still on the true national boundary – as you cross to and fro over the border there are a number of occasions where you can have one foot in England and one in Wales.

Towards the end of the section the route climbs up to the earthworks of Beacon Hill fort, the site now owned by Clywd Powys Archaeological Trust. A picnic table has been installed by the Trust on the southern boundary which gives fabulous views to the east, south and west. The section finishes on a descent to Buttington Bridge where you meet the River Severn. [© http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ ]

The first part of this stretch has Montgomery and then Welshpool to the west. The Beacon Hill fort, mentioned above, had several active archeological digs.

A grey heron hitching a ride on the Kennet and Avon canal near Bradford-on-Avon.

This ‘switchback’ section is generally reckoned to be the toughest on the Trail as it rises and falls through the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. However the views and sense of tranquillity make the effort well worthwhile. This section also has some of the best preserved sections of Offa’s Dyke that can be found on Llanfair Hill at the point where the Jack Mytton Way crosses the Trail.

Just above Newcastle on Clun you are at the true midpoint of the Trail, with its midway marker, a good photo opportunity for all walkers. At Hergan where there is what seems a natural break in the Dyke, the Shropshire Way joins the Trail. This route will be meet on a number of occasions over the coming days as you head north. Another trail to cross paths with Offa’s Dyke Path on this section is Wild Edric’s Way, named after a Saxon nobleman who led a number of guerrilla wars against the Normans in the middle marches.

There are very few villages on this section but a number of hidden gems await the walker, one of these is Churchtown – at the foot of a narrow valley you find the church but there’s definitely no sign of a town.

The Kerry Ridgeway is the next trail to cross paths with the route and from this point on it’s level or downhill all the way to Montgomery, very welcome after all the ups and downs of this section of the Trail. [©http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/]

This section really was quite hard work and we broke the journey at Churchstoke. We stayed on two campsites, although the first one, Spring Hill Farm near Newcastle, hardly deserved the title and we stayed there solely because it was actually on Offa’s Dyke path. To be fair, we had a big wildflower meadow to ourselves and spectacular views. I won’t dwell on the “customer services”. The second site was more conventional, just outside Welshpool, where we camped next to the River Severn.

We were in the Devon South Hams for Sal’s birthday, an area we knew well ten or so years ago. Crab for lunch in Dartmouth, a walk on Slapton Ley and curry on the quay, later in Kingsbridge.

We had a day in North Somerset near Porlock on what was, so far, the hottest day of the year. Some walking, some sun-bathing and, later, some supper at the beach in Porlock Weir.

Wendy and Graham joined us for a couple of nights in Kington (see previous item) and, while we were there, we visited these slightly bizarre gardens. More at http://westonburymillwatergardens.com/.