Glyndwr's Way

Below is a description of the trail, broken down into detailed sections, which make up the day by day itineraries detailed on the right.

Arriving in Knighton

Knighton is easily accessible by road and rail with the Heart of Wales line running through the town linking Shrewsbury with Swansea. The town’s Welsh name of Tref-y-Clawdd means ‘Town of the Dyke’ referring to it’s position right on Offa’s Dyke, the 8th century built border between Wales and England. The town, today a quaint settlement with a central clock tower, was attacked by Glyndwr in the early years of his campaign.

Knighton to Felindre—17 miles

The official start of Glyndwr’s Way is the clock tower. Moving out of town the walking on the first day is relatively easy going through farmland with an initial steady ascent up Garth Hill (346m). The views from the top are a lovely introduction to what is to come. Moving along you come down into Llangunllo situated in a sheltered valley with a 13th century church. The trail continues across open moorland eventually merging into farmland as you near Felindre. Careful scanning of the skies may be  rewarded with views of buzzard.

Felindre to Abbeycwmhir—17 miles

The trail rises out of Felindre passing an ancient a mound of earth with a keep known as a ‘motte’ and continues through farmland to join a short section of road. The trail then passes Castell –y-Blaidd or ‘Wolf’s Castle’, a Norman earth ringwork that stands high on the hills. The trail moves on to Llanbadarn Fynydd and up to moorland with a ridge walk affording spectacular views into the surrounding valleys.  The walk continues down to the valley of Bachell Brook and into Abbeycwmhir. This hamlet is famed for the ruins of it’s 12th century Cistercian Abbey

Abbeycwmhir to Llanidloes—16 miles

Coming out of Abbeycwmhir the trail climbs through forestry land bringing you out on a route toward the ridge of Upper Esgair Hill. From here the undulating walk takes you to Blaentrinant which affords awe inspiring views of the mountain peak of Cader Idris (893m) in neighbouring Snowdonia. Some of the most beautiful countryside of the Glyndwr’s Way follows, the trail meandering down to the town of Llanidloes, the heart of the medieval kingdom of Arwystli. The first town on the River Severn, it boasts a 14th century church.

Llanidloes to Dylife—13 miles

If you can force yourself to leave beautiful Llanidloes you will cross the River Severn and follow the trail as it joins the Severn Way Path through mixed forest. In season you may note many local bird species including redstart. The trail descends into the Clywedog Valley following a dam wall  down to the shores of Clywedog reservoir. In the forests that follow many local bird species abound and in the skies above you will have the chance to view red kites from the relict native Welsh population. Moving on through Hafren forest the trail climbs to moorland following a Roman track along to the small settlement of Dylife.

Dylife to Machynlleth—14 miles

Leaving the old mining village the trail continues across windswept moorland passing Afon Clywedog, a valley carved by glaciers in the last Ice age. Buzzards may be see circling above. Moving through woodland the trail passes the azure waters of Glaslyn, which translates as ‘blue lake’, and you are provided with the wonderful spectacle of Foel Fadian Hill (564m). A demanding ascent brings you to the highest point of the trail which has views all the way to Cardigan Bay in the west. The trail continues down through woodland to the town of Machynlleth which you enter via the ‘Roman Steps’, a fitting way to finish the section. Machynlleth is a vibrant town steeped in history and it was here that Owain Glyndwr was crowned Prince of Wales and established parliament in 1404. Today it is the home of the ‘Centre for Alternative Technology’ dedicated to sustainable development in the modern world.

Machynlleth to Llanbrynmair —13.5 miles

Starting at the Owain Glyndwr centre in the town, the trail commences with a 3 mile minor road section to Abercegir. From here the route enters moorland once again affording further views of Cader Idris. The trail reaches Cemmaes road and following a relatively steep climb the trail makes it’s way through forest and beautiful  valleys toward Llanbrynmair.

Llanbrynmair to Llanwddyn—15.5 miles

The trail travels north along a new section which climbs up a steep valley to provide lovely views at the summit. Continuing through a forest the trail climbs the edge of Pen Coed (360m) and leads on across open moorland. You then enter the Dynant forestry plantation to eventually emerge to views of impressive Lake Vyrynwy  and it’s 33 ached dam ahead. An evening on the shores of the lake is an experience few forget.

Llanwddyn to Pontrobert—12.5 miles

Leaving the shores of the lake the trail winds along through the forest tracks and gentle farmland shadowing the course of the River Vyrnwy into the pleasant and tranquil village of Pontrobert.  The wildlife viewing potential on this section is very good with the chance to see pied flycatcher in season and kingfishers feeding in the river.

Pontrobert to Welshpool—14.5 miles

Once again the trail makes it’s way through farmland and woodland passing the pleasant village of Melford to climb sedately up Broniarth Hill. The trail then skirts Llyn Du or ‘’black lake’ before farmland walking takes you down to the end of the Glyndwr’s Way at Welshpool, a market town nestling into the upper reaches of the picturesque Severn Valley.  Evolving from the historical name ‘Pool’ the Welsh princes kept Pool as their stronghold and is a fitting end point to the Glyndwr’s Way. The 13th century Powis Castle is a magnificent and impressive reminder to the border exploits of both the Welsh and English forces as they each  fought for control.

Accommodation

The hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s we use are hand-picked to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. All offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. We do recommend that you book this trip early as the area is always popular and the hotels and inns do fill up early, especially in high season. You will find descriptions, photos and weblinks to a selection of the accommodation below.

Single Rooms

This independent walking holiday is available to solo walkers but as all our holidays are priced per person based on two sharing there is a single supplement payable to cover the additional costs we incur. If you require single rooms within your party we will of course try to accommodate your request subject to availability.

Hotel Upgrade

The option is available for you to upgrade your accommodation so that your stay is exclusively in Hotel accommodation. If you are booking for a special occasion or just want that extra bit of luxury at the end of your day's walk, then you can upgrade to stay in our great selection of walker friendly hotels. Prices vary per itinerary.

Meals

Breakfast is included each morning while lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Your accommodation will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival, alternatively your guidebook also includes details of local shops and convenient lunch stops on the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants and your info pack will of course have recommendations.

Baggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 15kg per person.

Getting to Knighton

By Train– Knighton is on the Shrewsbury to Swansea train line and connections from major towns and cities to these points are well served. The journey time from Shrewsbury ranges from just over an hour to 3 hours depending on changes. From Swansea the journey time ranges from just over 3 hours to about 5 hours depending on changes.

 By Car—The most direct route from Shrewsbury is the A488 with an estimated driving time of 1 hour. There are no designated car parks but we would endeavour to accommodate you in properties with secure parking should it be required.

Getting from Welshpool

 By Train/bus—There is a train station in Welshpool for onward travel and buses also regularly serve Shrewsbury to allow train travel back to Knighton or to further destinations.

Getting to and from Machynlleth

By Train— There is a direct train service from Shrewsbury to and from Machynlleth. The journey time is approximately 1.5 hours. By Car— The A458 goes directly from Shrewsbury to Machynlleth with a journey time of about 1.5 hours. A good source of reference for travel details is the travel line website: http://www.traveline.org.uk

How fit do I need to be?

At 133 Miles the Glyndwr's Way is a fair distance and the higher your level of fitness the more you will enjoy the experience. Most of our itineraries involve between 5 and 10 hours walking daily so you should be comfortable walking on good tracks and paths over undulating terrain for at least 6 to 7 hours. If you currently don’t enjoy that level of fitness regular walking in hilly terrain supplemented by cardio vascular exercise for at least 6 months prior to your walk is recommended. A good gym or personal trainer will be able to draw up a personalised training programme.

How far in advance do I need to book?

We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the Glyndwr's Way is extremely popular especially over April/May and July/August. You will find up to date availability on our website and we will always try and accommodate your plans.

What personal equipment do I need?

You will need good walking shoes/boots (ideally waterproof), comfortable walking clothes, waterproof jacket and trousers, a daypack and hats/gloves etc. Our info packs have a list of all equipement to bring on your walk.

When is the best time of year?

Traditionally April/May has always been the most popular time of year because the theory goes that the weather is better. Although having walked the way in every summer month I believe any time between late March and October offers a wonderful experience.

Am I able to take my dog?

Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate walkers with dogs as many of the accommodation providers we use do not accept pets and several sections of the way are closed to dogs as they are permissive paths through farm land.

What happens if I can’t walk a stage?

You can use public transport, local taxis or our baggage van may be able to move you to the next overnight stop. Full details are included in your info pack.

AVAILABILITY

The Glyndwr's Way is available from March to October. You can start your holiday on any date in the season. To make a provisional reservation select "Book" for the itinerary you are interested in.

Option prices will be displayed as part of the booking process.

Because every Glyndwr's Way holiday we book is unique, availability changes from day to day and our booking process works as follows:

• You provisionally book the tour you are interested in for your preferred dates and pay a 20% deposit online or by phone.
• We confirm availability and book all your accommodation and options and send final confirmation as soon as everything is confirmed (max 5 working days).
• If we are unable to accommodate you on your confirmed dates/tour or an alternative of your choice your deposit is fully refunded. 

Knighton is very busy the weekend of the 17th August 2013.