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.
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