Although this walk did not finish at the source of the river Wye this was the final leg of our walk. We began by meeting up at the layby in Newbridge on a damp morning with dark clouds in the sky. The forecast was for cloud but no rain on the Saturday and sunshine for the Sunday. An initial climb to Pen-y-Bont took us up a side road before turning right onto the footpath and crossing some fields before taking the bridge across a brook and continuing to Ty'n-y-coed. After crossing more open countryside we came to a small stream with a wooden bridge.
The river was in good flow after the recent rains and was making quite a noise as it flowed over the rocks. As can be seen from the photo the river has now narrowed considerably. Continuing across the fields we came to a road which took us down to the river once more. We then passed through Ty'n-y-lon Wood and followed the track alongside the wooded plantations before eventually stopping for lunch. No sooner had we started to eat when the flies and midges came out of nowhere to bite us. Swarms of tiny little things whose bite seemed out of all proportion to their size.
Gradually the path led down to the village of Llanwrthwl and the long haul up and over Carngafallt and its RSPB nature reserve, with impressive views over the surrounding hills and valleys. A steep path down the other side was covered in rocks and flowing water making the descent a little difficult. As we approached the footbridge at Glyn we came across a local with a gun who seemed to want to shoot every wild animal in sight, from badgers to kites to rabbits and crows. Well it takes all sorts!
The suspension footbridge itself was just a rope and wood affair, very scary for some, especially when swung and bounced by others without fear. The route here crosses the old railway line as the road took us to Glan Elan and into Rhayader itself. It is here that we stopped for the night but not without enjoying a meal of local food at the Crown Inn and winning the Quiz that took place there in the late evening.
In the morning after breakfast we met up again for a photo at the War Memorial. We then split into two groups with one group walking the nature reserve and river walk before going on the the Elan Valley reservoirs Meanwhile the other group went to Elan to take one of the walks around one of the reservoirs. A great weekend and the Wye Valley Walk conquered