Journal:
Old friends
from our days living in England in the late 1980s,
Jo and Richard, came across to see me for a chat at
the pub last night, which was a delight. They
live nearby, but I hadn't given them much notice,
and they squeezed in a visit between a number of
other commitments, which I really appreciated.
I had a sleep
in and chatted with the genial inn-keeper, Alan, as
I had my breakfast. He got out his large scale
map to show me the quickest route back to Offa's
Dyke Path and a critical turn near the end that
would save me an unnecessary steep and difficult
descent. He also had the cook put together
some cheese sandwiches for my lunch. It's
encounters like this one with Alan, that will make
the trip memorable.
The weather was perfect
for a hike along a mountain-top ridge, warm and
sunny, and I have ended up with a bit of sunburn.
The initial climb was solid, but the trail was good
underfoot, starting out in the lowland farms,
passing through hill farms, and then reaching the
heath and grass covered crest of the ridge which was
level at about 650m, rising to a high point of 700m.
Once the summit of the ridge was reached, the
walking was relatively flat, with a nice light
breeze taking the edge off the heat, and expansive
views in every direction. A number of other
walkers were also out, but it wasn't crowded, and I
enjoyed the quiet solitude. There were also a
number of ponies grazing freely along the way and I
encountered one group of horse-riders. The
crest of the ridge (Hatteral Ridge) also marked the
border between England and Wales for a large part of
the way. The ridge is part of the Black
Mountains, which are part of the Brecon Beacons
National Park. I did travel for a short
distance with another hiker travelling in the same
direction, who told me about the guest house he was
planning to stay at in Hay-on-Wye, and volunteered
the details. Several people have told me I'm
lucky I'm not a week later because there is a huge
book and literature festival there next weekend.
The good walking
conditions meant I made good time and I began my
descent towards Hay-on-Wye around 4pm and reached
the town at 5pm. As I neared the picturesque
and historic town centre, I spotted the guesthouse
recommended by my hiker friend and they had a room
for two nights, as I plan to have tomorrow off.
Although I won't be walking far around town
tomorrow, it's definitely worth a browse.
There are second-hand bookshops and curio shops
everywhere.
I went out for dinner at a
nearby recommended pub but, although the food was
good, it was a bit overpriced. I'll have to
find somewhere cheaper tomorrow. As I left the
pub, I encountered the hiker I had met earlier in
the day who had recommended the guest house where I
was staying. He had had a very long hard day,
including doing the steep and difficult descent I
had bypassed, and was very pleased he was on his way
home tomorrow.
