Wonderful panoramic views spoilt by low cloud and a fine drizzle
ON January 13, Medi Hughes led the Carmarthen Ramblers on a nine-mile walk in the Cilcennin area, about six miles from Lampeter towards Aberaeron.
The walk included a series of country lanes, footpaths, forestry, farm tracks and a walled garden. There was a moderate northwesterly wind blowing and the sky was dark with heavy rain clouds overhead. The temperature was a mild 10 degrees C.
There was low cloud and a fine drizzle in the air when they started the walk from Cilcennin Church from where they followed the road out of the village up hill for about half a mile until they reached a road junction at Mount Hope where they met a lane that led to Plas Farm.
They passed through the farmyard and into the lane beyond as they started a hill climb and soon reached a large sloping field where they stopped to view the scenery behind them.
On a clear day you can see the Lleyn peninsular and Bardsey Island in the distance from this point but on this occasion they could just make out Cardigan Bay due to the low clouds.
They continued the climb with the wind fortunately behind them now picking up and soon reached a path that they followed through the forestry plantation on Trychrug to meet the B4337 road that they followed a hundred metres then back into the forestry up a forestry track to the trig point at a height of 343 metres – the highest point of the walk – for the most wonderful panoramic views that were opening up as the visibility started to improve with an almost biblical shaft of light shining down through the clouds highlighting the village of Felinfach in the valley below.
Heading in a southwesterly direction they left the forestry as their route descended gently through a series of fields for just over half a mile towards the Aeron Valley to meet a country road where they met a lane that they followed for about threequarters of a mile past Pen-Graig Fach down to Blaen Berllan Farm.
At this point the lane turned southward still heading downhill following a perimeter wall of Berllan-deg into the Aeron Valley to reach a footpath that follows the Lampeter to Aberaeron Trail on the opposite side of the valley to the creamery.
Following the trail northwards towards Aberaeron for about quarter of a mile they found a sheltered spot below Allt Tymawr – a field’s width from the River Aeron and they stopped for lunch.
In the afternoon they followed the footpath for about a mile towards Aberaeron down the Aeron valley skirted the edge of Allt Ty Mawr to Newbridge then circled around Allt Pont-newydd to reach a road at Ty Glyn Aeron. Just a couple of hundred metres along the road, they reached Ty Glyn where they had a pleasant surprise as they reached the gardens of Ty Glyn Davis.
Here they stopped to explore the secluded walled garden – not at its best in the middle of winter – but nevertheless a very pleasant area with hydrangea lined paths and a stream with ornamental ponds.
Leaving the Aeron valley they now followed a track that crossed Nant Camel to reach a road junction just passed Ty Glyn Lodge, then diverted through an organic farm before picking up a footpath that led passed Llwyn-celyn and Henfaes back into Cilcennin.
On January 27, Carolyn and Dennis Hills will lead an eight-mile walk using mainly footpaths through farms and woodland west of Narberth.
■ Further details are available on 01267 211819.