Twitchy ODP Day 11 - Hay-on-Wye to Llanthony

What an God-awfully day .........

It was without doubt the WORST day of walking in my life. Absolutely horrendous, beyond belief horrendous. 

It started off in the drizzle, through numerous cow paddocks and fields. Lots and lots of fields, before the challenging climb to the top of the Ridge.  All with some dubious signage, but you get that. Once we got onto the Ridge the world changed. Massive high winds, gale force winds - the like I have never seen, let alone walked in. 

We guess around 40 knots?

Unbelievable, in that at times we were pushed backwards and sideways. There was no trees for shelter, and we had to jump puddles, big puddles. The flagstones were of limited help on the Ridge, where no one could hear you scream. 

Then the big rain started, heavy hard rain that felt like hail coming in sideways.  We got absolutely saturated, and as the rain set in and the wind howled I started to get hypothermia. 

Bendy had gloves, but sadly mine were in the car - big mistake. So I have cold wet feet and numb hands. NHJ.  

By now the cameras were wrapped in plastic and taken out of action. 

Conditions were really bad, low visibility and we were unable to drink or eat. In hindsight we could have managed that a tad better, but at the time our main focus was getting off the ridge and down to the Hotel in Llanthony in the valley. 

Both Bendy and I had a fall - two all.

Not bad considering the conditions. I fell in the Heath on the Ridge, whereas Bendy slipped on sheep do do's 500 metres from the Hotel, covering himself in lamb chop shit. 

We arrived at the Priory Hotel at the same time as the support crew. I dropped the obligatory Aussie "Coo-ees" through the ruins.  

With the worst behind us ( or so I thought ), I headed for the showers. That did not go well, in any shape or form. I blacked out twice, head butting the wall in the bathroom, then head butting the flagstones outside the bathroom. Clearly, I am not as tough as I thought I was. So I had to have a lie down for an hour or two, missing the opportunity to walk through the ruins of the old Priory.

Sigh 😝. 

All up 22.2 kilometres.....

Chalk today up as an interesting experience, preferably not one we would wish to experience again. 

Tomorrow is another day. 

We are hoping for once, for it to be a short one. 

Twitchy 

Bendy ODP Day 11 - Hay-on-Wye to Llanthony

22.17 Km in

Are we having fun yet? Today was probably the most unpleasant day of walking I have ever had.

Back to normal walking routines with early breakfast, pack the car and leaving at about 0910 for the walk. The weather was as forecast, wet. We had about 2 Km of fairly easy walking until we came to the first hill of the day. It was really slippery and in some places it was a matter of taking 2 steps forward then sliding back one step. Tracks in some places were flooded and they became creek crossings.

The path eventually came out onto open moorland which was eady to walk; it was still raining and the path was not well marked so we had some sleuth work to do.

We got to the bottom of the climb up onto Hattetall Ridge and started the laborious trek up the side of the hill; it climbs for what seems like forever but it does cut across the hill and not straight up it. The wind had picked up and was blowing a real gale, it was also raining fairly heavily by now. We saw wild ponies in the valley below (they knew better than to be up here today). One couple who were out for a couple of hours walk passed us as they were going back down the hill and they were really glad to off the top of the ridge.

We managed to get to the top of the ridge at around 1130. It was really blowing a gale by then at the top (I estimate at +30 knots with gusts way higher) and rain coming in horizontally. The path for most of the way was fairly good with large flat stones but the relentless wind made walking really difficult. Some areas the track were flooded so we had to walk on the carpet of heather. The wind driven rain stung like hail and we couldn't hear each other unless we were within a few meters of each other. We only encounter one other walker today; he was going the opppsite way to us and we all just nodded and kept walking. Twitchy took a fall in the heather when he leant into the wind, the wind momentarily eased and he lost his balance.

The views from the ridge are meant to be magnificent and today we did get some lovely views but we couldn't use our phone cameras due to the weather; we were also too busy trying to stay upright to appreciate the view.

Just over 19Km into the walk we left the ridge and walked down a sodden goat track into Llanthony (thankfully it was pout of the wings and rain). This was slippery but we coped ok. About 500 metres from the Priory Hotel (our accommodation for tonight) I had a slide and fall. We were in a sheep paddock and I was about to warn Twitchy that the sheep s**t was slippery and I slipped and fell into some 🤮. I sat on my left knee, which had been playing up for a number of days, and it hurt heaps. Once I figured out there was no severe damage to my knee I was more concerned about being covered in sheep s**t.

We arrived at the hotel at the same time as Libby and Gail, it was great to see them. Lib's first words were something like "you've fallen in s**t"

The hotel is built on and part of the priory ruins. It is a quaint set up of rooms with a dining room, bar and guest lounge. There are no ensuit rooms (shared showers and toilets onlu), no mobile network coverage and No WiFi. We had a good meal for dinner and then early to bed.

Note to self from today - dry bags do not stay dry in continual rain (my backpack was soaked so I had to explode everything out of it and let stuff dry)

There is some debate tonight as too whether or not we will walk the rest of the ridge tomorrow if the weather is the same. 

Twitchy ODP Day 10 - Hay-on-Wye ( rest day )

Today was a walk free day.....

It was a welcome relief not to get up early, pack, gobble down breakfast and hit the trail. 

Even had a bit of a sleep in - all of 45 minutes. 

Bonus!

Key objectives for the day, was to sort out our suitcases, get some washing done and check out the sights of Hay-on-Wye, the bookshop capital of the UK ( or so I'm told ). And it was "Market Day", how good was that??????

Still there was all sorts of eclectic shops and galleries to check-out.  

One interesting little shop, reminded both of us of the old house of Merivale and Mr John, with a pinch of spookiness. The change room had three super scary child manikins, who's eyes drew you into their domain. 

We walked down to the river Wye, which was swollen and turbulent with all the recent rain, and did a small River walk before a serious search for a grog shop. 

Mission accomplished!

We caught up with the Bendables for dinner in a pop-up Pizza restaurant in an art gallery, across the road from our B&B. 🍕 🍕 

Washed the Pizzas down with a few Budvars and Proseccos. After dinner we had a games night - and ended up playing a couple of games of Cluedo, which the Gailee won. Winner Winner

All in all a nice relaxing day......

Tomorrow and the Black Mountains await, along with the rain. 

Twitchy

Bendy ODP Day 10 - Rest day in Hay-on-Wye

Slept in and late breakfast 😁. Today is market day so naturally we had to have a look around there. It also gave us a chance to do some post office stuff. As usual I was not overly enthralled by markets so I did the washing in a nearby laundromat (we had quite a bit to do and I wanted to start the next phase of the walk with well washed socks etc).

Clock tower Hay-on-Wye

Later we did a bit of wandering around the town buying new waterproof over pants (my current ones are too difficult to remove over my boots) and a new and more robust 'Clancy' (overflow bag).

We filled in a bit of time late afternoon with a short walk along the River Wye through an area known as 'The Warren'. Lovely walk. 

River Wye

Near 'The Warren'

Otter wood sculpture

The four of us had dinner at a pop-up pizza place in an art gallery; good pizza and great idea even if they do only open on Thursday nights. 

We finished the night off with a couple of games of Cluedo which was fun. (Gail won both games but it was a close competition. 

The weather for tomorrow ours rain and more rain so Twitchy and I will get soaked on the next leg of the walk😤☔

Twitchy ODP Day 9 - Kington to Hay-on-Wye

After our delightful stay at Castle House B&B, complete with the best breakfast in Wales, all four team Kangi Members, set off together. 

The support team, decided they would walk part, or all of today's walk with us. And why not, it looked like a beautiful day.....

We merrily set off together to Hergest Ridge, a small but constant climb of 3 kilometres out of town. Definitely the best part of today's walk, which included some sedate wild ponies, unlike the manic Melrods we encountered on the Pembrokeshire Coast Trail. At the peak of the ridge, completely out of nowhere was a circle of Chile Pines ( Monkey Puzzle trees ). Very spooky, as we were way above the tree line.

Gailee had planned to walk 7 and bit kilometres to the tiny hamlet of Gladestry and catch a Taxi back to the car in Kington. After we overcame the lack of a phone signal, we discovered there were no taxis available out in the sticks!!!! 

What the...

So Gailee had to walk back, as the weather changed, and after some deliberation Libbee decided to join her. 

After yesterday's super sodden affair a few light showers here and there was no big deal. To be honest, I was not expecting any rain today, and was not very prepared for it. I should have known better - this is Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 

So Bendy and I continued along on our own, bumping into an assortment of randoms as per usual. Today was pretty bland after the girls left us, up and down the odd hill and through many many many paddocks. 

We had lunch in a cute little church, as you do from time to time on these long distance hikes in the UK. From there we plodded on, for a fairly dull afternoon before arriving at the pretty village of Hay-on-Wye. 

For something different we had a Tapas meal tonight, which was unbelievably good, before going to the movies in the eclectic village cinema. The support crew decided we should see "Yesterday". Despite my reservations, it was a lot better than I expected. 

Tomorrow is a planned rest day, before the final five days. Heaven. 

Twitchy 

Bendy ODP Day 9 - Kington to Hay-on- Wye

24.7 Km in 7:08

Started the day with a great breakfast and clear skies. Enthusiasm at a high as socks dry and boots dry enough to be comfortable (thanks to a lot of newspaper stuffed into them).

We left just after 0915 and Libby and Gail joined us (good to have them back on the walk). The first 1.5Km was up hill onto Hergest Ridge. This is a large open space with wide grassy tracks (good under foot). The views from here are great. The area has a herd of wild ponies on it; these were not phased by dogs or humans (a lot of people walking dogs here). Towards the top of the ridge there is a stand of Monkey Puzzle Trees which are not native to the UK; they were planted by a local but I needed to do more research as to when and why. 

Wild pony stallion watching over his 

We walked down the back of the ridge to The Royal Oak Hotel in Gladestry (just about every town seems to have a Royal Oak Hotel). Libby and Gail planned to leave us here and we tried to call a taxi. Mobile phone reception was not good and the taxi companies did not have any cars available until the afternoon. Libby and Gail walked back to Kington (they completed a round trip of just over 14Km) while Twitchy and I continued the walk to Hay-on-Wye. Just our luck it started to rain here and did so for about 45 minutes ( thankfully the rest of the day wasn't too wet).

Close to the half way mark for today we stopped at St Mary's church in the small village of Newchurch. The local parishioners provide refreshments for walkers (tea, coffee, water, biscuits and chocolate); it is free but they do ask for donations which we were happy to support. 

St Mary's church

After the church the path starts to head up hill around the side of Little Mountain. This was a bit off a tough climb but not too bad. After reaching the top of the climb we entered a farm track that was really boggy and slippery; not a pleasant bit of walking.

The rest of the walk was mainly through fields (some with livestock in them) with some road walking (including about 300m along a narrow grass verge beside the busy A438) and woodland corridors. It was slippery going after the rain.

The final part of the walk into Hay-on-Wye was alongside the River Wye. This was flowering really quickly after the rain over the past few days. 

River Wye

We arrived at the B&B (Radnor House) earlier than we had anticipated to be met by Libby and Gail. The B&B host gave us a coffee and was very helpful. Tonight we had dinner at a nearby Tapas resturant and saw the movie 'Yesterday'.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Hay-on-Wye (Yeah).

Twitchy ODP Day 8 - Knighton to Kington

Today was a very very rainy day .......

A bloody lot of RAIN - complete precipitation overkill!

We lefty our quirky ( well spooky) 15th century old Pub as the Heavens broke. Never before have I started a walk in such heavy rain - not an ideal start.  

As we left Knighton, we encountered our first of three Hills for the day, only in this case the trail had become a river. Within one kilometre my boots were wet and within two kilometres, my shoes were full of water. For the next 21 kilometres I trudged with water logged boots and squishy socks.  Not fun. 😠

My poor little tootsies were white wrinkled prunes when I finally got my sockies off. 

To be fair it probably only rained for half of todays adventure, just starting out wet from the get go is crappola. Bendy and I did actually get a a few segments of sunshine, so it was not all bad. 

Not a lot of highlights, though the country side was beautiful, of what we could see through the constant changing weather conditions. 

All up it was shortish day at 22.7 kilometres.

We don't get many short days, happy to get a few of those every now and then. 

We met a few chatty Poms ( or Taffy's - they all look the same to me ) on our rain drenched stroll - one even followed us with his black dog for a couple of kilometres. 

Stalker Stalker Stalker 👀

Some of the sign posts are really showing their age, and badly need replacing. Try and find the Acorn on this weathered bastard!

With all the rain, the support crew, were at a bit of a loss with what to see and do today. After much deliberation, they decided to go to the movies, and chose to see the Downton Abbey movie. Not my cup of tea, but they loved it. 

Under the pump to sort out our gear and dry stuff for our next leg tomorrow. 

All up a rewarding day, albeit a wet one. 

Twitchy

Bendy ODP Day 8 - Knighton to Kington

22.7 Km in 6:36

My boots and socks were still wet from yesterday but they were ok to wear.  We left at about 0920 and it was bucketing down with rain - another wet day for us. Not a lot of photos today due to the rain. 

The first few Km of today were up.  Up through woodland paths and tracks that were now rivers after the rain; it was slow going and my enthusiasm took a big hit. 

The rain eased after about an hour and it only drizzled for the next couple of hours. 

The path today was predominately fields, on the dyke and only just a little road walking; this was scarey due to the lack of a footpath/sidewalk on busy roads. We crossed a couple of rivers and they were in full flow after last night's rain.

Near a place called Ditchyeld Bridge we were overflown by a few Royal Air Force training jets which came in fast and low (boys in very noisy and expensive tips). For me, a 'fast jet' fan this was the highlight of my day.  We saw them quite a few times over the next hour as we climbed up Herriock Hill (another hill that just kept giving). As we crossed the Ditchyeld Bridge the rain started again; this made the trek up the hill all the more difficult. 

Ruined shed near Ditchyeld Bridge

Ditchyeld Bridge

The path went up Rushock Hill then made it's way down into Kington (it crosses the local golf course). We arrived at the B&B (Castle Hill B&B) just after 1600; Lib and Gail were about 20 minutes away. Twitchy and I had made really good time in the rain. 

We met quite a few other walkers today all of whom were doing the walk in the opposite direction to us. One told us we were doing it in the wrong direction so I quickly informed him there is no official way to do it and it depends on what guidebook you are using; ours goes from north to south. He went a tad quiet after that. At one stage we were joined by a local bloke who was walking his dog; they walked with us for about 30 minutes until they took a different track to us; it was great walking with a dog for a while. 

Twitchy ODP Day 7 - Mellington to Knighton

After today's slog, and am a tad tired and and emotional,  todays blog is short, very short.

The support crew waved us good bye from the old, quaint and delightful Mellington house a

hall. 

Today was our biggest challenge on Offa's Dyke so far. In terms of hills, it surpassed the bastard day of day two. 

The Bastrad of bastards!!!!

Good Lordy - and then it rained from just past the half way point.  Not a big deal per se' what is a bit of precipitation between friends - a lot!

 All in all a bit of shit day.....

 All the fun of the fair. 

 Total of 24.9 kilometres - thanks Trailblazer for underestimating again!

Highlight, which were few and far between was the halfway point ( if there is such thing ).

Highlights there were a few, but no big' uns, so we plodded on in the rain and the wind. The support crew pretended to meet us at the end of the walk, but that never happened. 

Sigh?!......

And on and on we plodded through the country- side in the rain ☔️ 

Are we having fun yet?

Maybe??

I hate rain..................

Anyway we plodded into Knighton, with the rain slightly easing off. 

Tomorrow will be a challenge, seeing as most of our gear is wet. 

Bugger

Bum

Twitchy 

Bendy ODP Day 7 - Merrington to Knighton

24.9 Km in 7:52

Again just Twitchy and me on the walk.  I left with wet boots and socks from yesterday (not everything dried OK overnight). 

Today has been dubbed 'the bastard of a bastard of a day'. Rollercoaster terrain today, steep  slopes up and down and just to cap it off there was rain for the last half of the walk.

This has been the toughest day so far. Distance was OK but the amount of hills and steep descents made it really hard. 

Merrington Hall

We left Merrington Hall at about 0930; later start than we would have preferred but breakfast took ages to arrive.  The first 1.5 Km was easy and pleasant but after that it just seemed to go up forever.

We followed the Dyke for most off the day and sometimes we walked on it. The path was a good mix of open fields and woodlands. We went through an area called Eaton's Coppice

The scenery was great but we concentrated a lot on where we were putting our feet. We passed small towns and through people's back yards.  One bloke offered us a cup of tea,  coffee, soft drink or water bottle refill (all for charity); I refilled my water bottle as I had left with less water than I would have liked (bad management on my behalf).

We stopped for a quick break at about 1300 while going up a hill that just kept giving.  A short while afterwards the rain started. We hadn't quite finished the really hard parts so the rain was really not a welcome addition. 

We past a sign post that said we were half way.  It gave us a sense of achievement but we also queried the distances (once agakn the guidebook details have been a bit dubious).

We plodded on and eventually made it to Kighton. The weather had been really bad especially at the highest point of the day where we were buffeted by strong winds and driving rain (it sting).

We arrived in Knighton in good time considering the conditions and we checked into the 'Horse and Jockey' pub (Lib, Gail and Jane were already there; they had walked part of the path back from Knighton but we did not meet up with them).

Tomorrow will be interesting as more rain forecas

t and we'll be starting off with wet gear.