Capel-y-ffin
Capel-y-ffin
Getting to Capel-y-ffin (the Chapel at the end) is not easy. We drove to Llanthony and then along the valley following a narrow windy lane for over 2 miles; parking is restricted. A red kite swooped over us as we travelled. This and the sight of a cyclist (male) in day glow pink leggings and baby pink shoes assured us of an interesting day. Indeed we were following in the footsteps of William and Dorothy Wordsworth; this was one of their favourite areas to walk. Bruce Chatwin used to cycle here as a child, he later called it one of the emotional centres of his life.
Setting out along the road we crossed Nant Bwch to follow Afon Honddu and could see a large building, to the west, in the distance. This was the Grange, a monastery and ruined chapel built by Joseph Leycester Lyne, known as Father Ignatius, in 1870. He tried to reintroduce the monastic tradition to the Anglican Church. His builders took advantage of his unsuspecting nature and skimped on foundations, damp proofing etc. The monastic idyll disintegrated along with the buildings and the chapel is fenced off with a ‘Dangerous structure’ sign. The monastery is now a trekking centre.
Soon we were climbing a fairly steep hill to the south eastern end of the ridge. As we rested to look back at the glorious view of the valley towards Llanthony we met a group of 4 young men coming down. They had come from Birmingham and were walking to Hay-On-Wye (10miles). One of them, an Italian, was blown away by the beauty of the place – he didn’t know this country held such treasures.
The path along the ridge was easy though slightly uphill. Dark clouds gathered in the sky creating a dramatic atmosphere. The boggiest section was paved and the surrounding area covered in lines of fleeces. Apparently they help the land to recover. At the end of the ridge, Lord Hereford’s Knob, the spectacular view opened up to the northwest across relatively flat land and you could see for miles. It was lunchtime and we were ready to eat but a fierce wind had got up and we continued to an outcrop of rocks a little to the southwest. Even the rocks couldn’t protect us so we turned our backs on the view and started down the valley. In no time we were on the banks of a small stream in the sunshine – lovely.
The descent through the valley was gorgeous. A herd of ponies and their foals tossed their manes in the wind. In the protected valley, Nant Bwch shimmered in the sun and heather clad banks glowed. The sheep were the whitest I had ever seen and stones beside tributaries also glowed white in places (presumably limestone). And it was so quiet it was heavenly. We had heard no cars, aeroplanes or other manmade noise (apart from voices) all day and only met a handful of people.
Crossing Nant Bwch we walked along a lane passing Talsarn Farm and the Grange to come back into Capel-y-ffin. Walk 7miles 1500ft ascent. Map OL13