Route Map: forestinngwaunceste.pdf

Route Description: forestinngwauncesteword.doc

GWAUNCESTE HILL & GLASCWM 15 Mile Circular Trail (ANTI-CLOCKWISE)

Ordnance Survey Maps: Landranger 148 Explorer 992

Parking and Starting Point:

From the A44 take the A481 at Fforest Inn. Parking is available in a private lay-by beside Lake Llynheilyn (SO 166582). Permission to park here should be sought from Mr Williams who can be contacted by telephoning 01982 570259.

Of Interest:

This 15 mile ride makes use of country lanes, bridleways and green lanes across the Radnorshire hillside with just over ⅓ of a mile on a road which is wide and not very busy.

There are several gates but the variety and far reaching views across the hills in all directions make this a particularly enjoyable ride, especially on a clear day. You will ride over open heather moorland, grassland and through bracken as well as over farmland and along old drover’s trails.

Route Description

1. Leave your parking place by crossing the small ford leaving the lake to your left and going through a gate. Turn immediately right and through another gate. You will find yourself on a well-defined track with a fence on your left leading upwards along the hillside and with views of the Radnorshire Hills and Llandegley Rocks to your right.
2. Ride through a gate and the fence is now on your right with the hill rising to your left. The track then opens out on the hill and you continue in the same direction passing a sheepfold on your right before reaching another gate, which you go through. Continue straight on passing a waymark post on your route to Four Stones and you will see a meeting of several paths ahead and another waymarker post. Head straight on passing the four stones (SO 157568) on your left, heading towards a gate and a track upwards through the heather moorland. It eventually bends to the left round Gwaunceste Hill and you meet a fence on your right with a gate in it, just after passing a small pool on your right (SO 155557).
3. Go through this gate into the field. Head towards the fingerpost about 20 yards into the field then turn back on yourself and go to, and through, the metal gate in the fence corner. The fence will now be on your right, and follow this down on a vague track, which becomes clearer, until you see another metal field gate. To your right, and on the other side of the fence, are some old quarry mounds and beautiful views of the Welsh hill unfold as you descend. Go through the gate and keep heading down, on open ground, to a fence corner where you go through a bridle gate. Descend into the field and head for the far corner to a field gate, near trees and a barn to the left.  As you descend you can see on the skyline the gate across Cefn-dre-wern that you need to aim for. Bear slightly to your left and head across the grass following a very poorly defined track which, continuing in the same direction, takes you straight towards another gate (this being the gate seen on your descent). Go through this and along the edge of a field keeping the fence to your left. On reaching the next gate a track becomes more apparent and you continue on down until you reach a sharp right hand bend (SO138568). Go through the gate straight ahead of you continuing in the same direction. Ride down this tree lined track.
4. Go through the gate at the bottom and straight across the main road and up the lane, signed for Bettws. At the right hand bend, turn left (SO 135572), where you will see a sign for Werndansey Farm and a sigh saying ‘No Through Road’. Approximately ¼ mile along the road, at a sharp right hand bend, take the waymarked route riding through a hunting gate on your left, adjacent to the gate marked ‘Private Road’. Ride along the track through the gates keeping straight on through the trees/ hedge either side to reach a bridle gate at the edge of a stone track (SO 126563). Turn right onto this track and head downwards to cross the stream at the bottom and continue straight past the waymarker post going through a gate and onto a stone track, along the lower edge of a wood. Ride through the next gate and immediately go through the waymarked gate on your left turning right onto a tree lined and sometimes boggy track. At the end of this go through the hunting gate and turn left onto the metalled lane, through a gateway and onto the road.
5. Ride past the school on your right and turn left. At the T-junction turn right and continue along this lane for 1½ miles, going round the sharp left-hand bend just outside Franksbridge all the way to Hundred House. At Hundred House turn left onto the main road (SO 114545) and ride for ⅓ mile. Take the third turning on the right (SO 118547) heading towards some caravans at Rhiw Villa.
6. Ride to the end of the lane and continue along the grassy track past the bungalow, Fronheulog. Soon you will notice gates on either side of the track. Take the waymarked one on the right (SO 124553). Ride through the field over a small hillock, keeping the fence to your right. At the bottom go through the gate on your left over a small stream and continue along the grassy hedge lined track. On reaching the T-junction with Llanhailo turn left (SO 126553). Ride along this stony track winding gradually uphill through several gates and fields. You will find some felled woods on your left and very shortly after going through another gate, turn up the hill. Leaving the area of felled conifer woodland to your left follow a vague raised bank (the remnant of a hedge / fence), initially going parallel to the fence on your left until it bends away further left. Keep straight on upwards and you will reach a double fence line and gateway; ride into the fenced corridor and follow to a set of gates. Go straight through the gate ahead. Keep the fence on your right and when you reach the corner of the field strike out across the field keeping the same line of direction until you see a gate ahead of you, which you go through and onto an open hill, just after crossing a gravelled forestry track.
7. Ride straight on in the same direction passing the tumulus of Giant’s Grave (SO 141544), and a waymarker post, to join the green lane which leads down to Glascwm. Ride down this green lane with the valley to your left and Little Hill rising to your right. There will soon be a fence on your left, which you follow all the way down into Glascwm. The green lane takes you over a stream and left through a gate with three Larch trees on the corner of the field. Continue down the sunken green lane and you will see the farm buildings of Blaen Bedw in the valley on your left. Go through the gate and continue, crossing the stream where you could stop for water if necessary. The green lane now begins to rise again as you continue going through another gate. You will be able to see the roofs of Cwm Shenkin Farm and Glascwm Church in the distance. Almost straight away go through another gate and continue to the next gate keeping the farm to your right. The sunken green lane soon becomes metalled and you descend steeply into the village of Glascwm.
8. Ride through Glascwm turning left at the main road and continue for 1½ miles. Go straight over the crossroads (SO 185529) and in 100 yards turn left through a field gate, at a fingerpost (SO 187528),  before the driveway leading to Neuadd. Head towards the left side of the fenced garden corner and then go through the wooden bridle gate you will see in the field boundary fence ahead, to the right of a field gate. Once through the gate head right towards the fenceline and sunken track which you then follow up the hill and through the gate at the top. Head diagonally right across the field and through a gate (SO 188534). Keep the hedgeline on your right and follow it round, passing through two gates, to the track (SO 189536). Turn left, and then left again in about 50 yards to go through a wooden field gate before the track bend and ride past Middle Fynnonau on your left keeping in the sunken lane and through a bridle gate after Middle Fynnonau. The track then becomes grassy continuing in the same direction across a field towards trees on the horizon and a gate onto the open hill.
9. It is recommended that you use your compass here as the following track is often obscured, however waymarker posts at the two track junctions have now been placed to help navigation. Follow on in the same direction passing the two waymarker posts and start to drop down the bank to reach a point just above a large sycamore tree near the hill fence below. From here drop down to a wooden gate in the lower corner of a fenceline (SO 183541). Follow the contour line through the next gate. Keep the fenceline on your left and go through the gate halfway along the fenceline. Head slightly downhill through the next gate, then diagonally left, over a small ford to join a track (SO 178544). Turn right and follow the track until you reach the next gate. Go through the gate and instead of following the track left to Cwm Kesty at a fingerpost, continue straight on through the gate (SO 177548). Keep the hedgeline to your left and go through another gate leading onto the common land.
10. Shortly you will come to a crossroads of tracks, at a waymarker post (SO 178554) where you bear left on a very vague track through bracken, do not continue up the hill*. You will soon see a gate in the fence, which you go through. Continue along keeping the fence on your right. The track becomes more defined and is slightly sunken with a bank on your right with scattered hawthorns and a dilapidated fence along it.
11. Go through a gateway, comprising two old gateposts with waymarks and continue in the same direction although the path is not clearly defined. Head towards a hawthorn tree in the middle of the open land ahead of you and pass it leaving it to your right; continue to keep below the fence on your left above you and to the right of the old bank. As you reach the crest of the hill you will see a group of trees and a track ahead of you. Head towards them as the land drops away. On joining the track (SO 173561), and at a waymarker post, turn left and the track crosses a stream.
12. Almost immediately turn right (another waymarker post) following the fence line on your right at the corner of a field marked by a large tree. Keep the fence close to your right and a track forms which takes you down to a ford where you can water your horses. Cross the ford, and pass the waymarker post to your right, and bear right up the hill. DO NOT take the lower path along the side of the stream.
13. As the track opens out, keep the old dilapidated fence to your right and head upwards. Ride through a gap in the line of old fenceposts / gateposts and continue in the same direction heading upwards. Keep bearing slightly left on a very faint track, going through a gap in an old bank. Keep the hilltop always to your left as you contour around it, heading almost north.
14. As you approach the top of the hill head for the fence line on the horizon. To your right you have views of Herefordshire and across to Clee Hill and Shropshire. As you approach the fence posts you will see a gate in the corner of the field, which you go through. Head diagonally to the left across this field following the ditch line and you will notice an old cart far to your right. Straight ahead of you looking out towards mid-Wales you can see wind farms on the horizon. Go through the gate ahead of you and turn immediately right and through another gate into the next field. Ride diagonally to your left across this field. The land begins to drop away and you will once again see the Llandegley Rocks ahead of you and shortly you will see your transport beyond the lake and some barns. Ride towards these along the track going through four gates past the barns and lake and finally through the gate you started at and across the ford where you can water your horse at the end of your ride.

*If you continue straight ahead here (GR.178554) instead of turning left, you will join Route 18 of this book at (GR.180561). You could then ride the whole of this route, or shorten it by turning left (GR.189576) and returning to your parking place as described in section 8 of Route 18.

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