Cold and cloudy in the Welsh border hills - February 2008

Walks with a Camera © Geoff’s Pages 2011

The road from Clun winds its way up onto the Kerry Ridgeway before its short descent to Kerry. There's small car park beside the ancient track, just inside the forest. A dog walker, getting back into his car, commented "rather you than me". We knew what he meant. It was cold, with a biting wind, but the forecast promised a dry day, and the sun should come out later on. We'd left beautiful warm sunshine in Shropshire. We should have stayed there! Well, maybe not. This was new ground, and once we'd warmed up, we had a very pleasant stroll in this high, bleak and empty country. Our route would take in the highest part of the Kerry Ridgeway, which follows the high ground from Bishop's Castle, and ends just a little way beyond, at the temptingly-named Cider House. Significant country geographically too - the sources of the rivers Teme, Ithon and Mule are within a mile or so of the top, and the Clun rises only a couple of miles away. An interesting recently-built stone edifice marks the highest point at around 1660' (hardly a summit in the true sense). Resembling a cross between a pulpit and a stone dodgem car, it bears coloured marker boards describing the views. We needed the descriptions - otherwise, the views would have had to be in our imaginations in the murk. Nearby are "Two Tumps", ancient burial mounds. A track heads south-east toward two low hills, the second, heather-clad Cilfaesty Hill, would mark the highest point of our

walk at 1723' (but wouldn't require any "collar work"), before the slow descent into the gentle grassy valley and Medwaledd farm, and some respite from the wind. Time for a quick lunchtime snack, before heading northwards back up to the ridgeway and the car. Inevitably, the muddiest stretch of the whole walk (notwithstanding the farmyard muck at Medwaledd) came in the last 100 yards or so. Shame about the boots! - but a very enjoyable little exploration of these quiet hills.