Day 8 & 9 - Dolanog to Welshpool and Knighton to Felindre
Updated: Mar 24, 2024
A weekend full of ups and downs, meeting great people and drinking a few too many pints of Guinness.
Day 8: Dolanog to Welshpool (30km / 631m elevation gain / 5hrs 20mins walking / Temperature feels like 0°C).
Day 8 felt like a huge milestone. It was the last day of Section 2 of 3, meaning just as I was starting to get into the routine of spending my days following the famous National Trail acorn, it would soon be over.
Day 8 was due to be a long day, and was made even longer because of my goal to make it to Welshpool by 13:50 to catch a train and make it in time to watch the end of the Cardiff City game, and to be in Knighton in time for the England vs Ireland Six Nations match.
I did have an option of walking between the two market towns on the boarder of England via the Offa's Dyke Path. I decided when I left that these extra two days could ruin my goal to get a record to walk the Glyndŵr's Way... plus with minimum annual leave, I had to be back home in time as soon as possible!
Dolanog quickly became a distant memory while I powered through woodland paths with rain occasionally forcing its way out of the clouds. Going past farm houses and meandering across country lanes, the first 10km was my fastest since I left - the thought of the Cardiff game kicking off looming over like the dark clouds above.
I reached the unassuming town of Meifod and, taking my bag off to stretch and have a breather. I called Base Camp for them to work out the maths of how quickly I had walked until this point, and what pace I had to go at to reach Welshpool in time for the train. I was on track and could theoretically slow down ever so slightly. Unfortunately I knew I would slow down with the elevation growing over the next couple of hours.
The last section was convoluted and featured a succession of small hills, with the final hill 'Y Golfa' offering a splendid view over mid Wales, and, had I not committed to getting to the train station as early as possible, I would've been able to enjoy the views more than I did.
Arriving at 13:10, I made great time and was 45mins early - I even managed to watch Cardiff win 2-1 in dramatic fashion! It seemed the rush wasn't worth the effort, because a delayed train meant I missed the connecting bus from Shrewsbury to Knighton, and didn't end up arriving until 17:45 and for the second half of the rugby.
Spending the evening in Knighton with my wonderful Air BnB owner, Tom, and all of his friends, I drank a fair too many Guinnesses before getting a Chinese takeaway.
A brief History of Knighton
In 1402 Owain Glyndŵr divided his small force of Welshman and successfully engaged in a larger English force led by Edmund Mortimer. During the Battle of Pilleth / Bryn Glas, it is said that a nuymber of Welsh archers serving under Mortimer suddenly switched sides as they saw Owain Glyndŵr as the true Prince of Wales. The field was strewn with bodies that lay unburied until they reeked until eventually the remains were piled into a mass grave which is now marked by a stand of tall Wellingtonias besides St Mary's Church at Pilleth.
Mortimer was eventually captured and held in Machynlleth, where Glyndŵr eventually set up his Welsh Parliament, and where he was also crowned Prince of Wales.
Day 9: Knighton to Felindre (26km / 722m elevation gain / 4hrs 57mins walking / 3,139kcal burnt).
I started late on day 9, partly due to the Guinness from the day before, but mainly as I was charging up all my electronics while I had plugs and was finishing drying off equipment. I went to the shop for 7:15 in the morning, topped up on some food and once everything was charged and dried, I began the final section of the walk. Knighton to Felindre tends to be the starting point for most people walking the Glyndŵr's Way, and so I was now following the point in which most people are at their most awake and excited at what the trail would hold.
I found day 9 to be one of the toughest of the walk, mainly down to the humidity which BBC Weather estimated at '98%'. Any time there was elevation gain, I was awash with perspiration, especially under the weight of my 20kg bag.
I continued to push through sprawling moorlands, high fields and low valleys, with the sight of habitation only coming when dropping briefly into Llangunllo, before climbing uphill to more farmland. Llangunllo is said to have been the home of St Cunllo, who was known for "the sanctity of his life and the austerity of his manners."
Eventually climbing to the shoulder of Black Mountain to around 470m, the views across the grassy moorland crest was incredible. Realising the time, and that Wales were playing France in the Six Nations, I picked up the pace briskly walking past a herd of wild horses, so I could make it to the pub in Felindre on time.
Staying at the popular Brandy House Farm, I dropped my bag off in the off-gird pod, and almost jogged into the pub where the game was 15minutes in.
I spent much of the evening chatting to the locals who spoke about setting up the local football team and farming, before heading back to cook noodles and rice.
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