Walk along riverside paths and quiet country lanes
ON Sunday, November 25, Carolyn and Dennis Hills led the Carmarthen ramblers on an eight-mile circular walk in the area south of Llangadog – a good part of which is now marked as the Heart of Wales Line Trail.
The walk included riverside paths, a long ascent, a short section of the Beacons Way and good views. The weather was fine with temperatures down to five degrees with a cold easterly breeze blowing down the Towy Valley.
The walk started from the new bridge over the Afon Sawdde on the Carreg Sawdde common from where they took a footpath on the western side of the Sawdde in a southerly direction towards the Black Mountain along side the river for about a quarter of a mile, passing some weirs before they left the common at Penybont.
Here they met a quiet country road for some easy road walking for about half-a-mile then started a gentle ascent as they passed Wernellyn and located a “new footpath” that was well marked as it passed around the farmyard, but through the fields of Wernellyn and Pen-y-Banc to reach a sunny rocky convenient spot for a coffee break with views over looking Dyffryn Ceidrych.
They continued southwards into the valley and crossed a country road passing the site of a Roman villa at Llysbrychan then through the fields of Dan y Garn and over a ladder style into woodland to the start of a two-mile ascent.
It started with a steep path that led up to Carregfoelgam farm and then a linking lane that brought them onto a narrow road that ended after few hundred metres and became a rugged track.
The track ran diagonally across Careg-foel-gam and as they ascended the hillside, the magnificent sight of Carn Goch came into view to the west.
When they reached the highest point of the day – at 260 metres – they stopped for lunch on a bank overlooking Carn Goch with its two hill forts – Y Gaer Fawr and Y Gaer Fach – standing out quite clearly and the Towy Valley just beyond.
In the afternoon they continued westward briefly and met the route of the Beacons way which started the return journey and the descent off the hillside down a bridleway to reach a country road at Garn-wen on the edge of the Carn Goch common.
There was about a mile of easy downhill walking until they crossed Nant Gydrych and reached the valley road at Pant-Meredith. Here they turned left along the road for about half a mile towards Bethlehem before reaching a stile that gave access to a field with a gentle climb up to the Bethlehem to Llangadog road.
Once on the road, it was easy to spot the next footpath link that led them in a north easterly direction for about a mile and a quarter as they descended the hillside through Long Wood then passed Dolau Farm and Bryngwyn Farm to emerge from the countryside into the hamlet of Felindre where they followed the road for the last quarter of a mile back to the start on Carreg Sawdde common.
The next walk will be on Sunday, December 9, when Richard Leggett will lead an 8.5-mile walk in the Caio area. Further details are available on 01267 237126.