Friday 28 July. Cwmbiga to Llangurig.

We bade a sad farewell to our b&b at Cwmbiga in light rain and headed back the way we returned on Wednesday but this time we climbed up into the watershed of the Wye valley. Had it not been raining heavily I think the views would have been much better than they were.

We followed the river down the valley, as it gradually picked up tributaries, passing lots of partridge feeding stations on the way. Large patches of ground in the valley appeared to have been excavated to make some kind of vehicle arena for off road driving (Sweet Lamb Complex). A sad sight for the headwaters of the Wye, if you are a walker at least. We joined the road, A44, near where most of the 'Sweet Lamb' infrastructure seems to be located.

After crossing the A44 you can take an upper route through forest or a lower route beside the Wye. We chose the latter. We followed the river route to near Glangwy. It was heavy rain now and the way was quote muddy and boggy. A small stream bridge was almost overgrown with vegetation and another bridge requires a bit of vegetation clipping back. Futher along a tree had fallen across the path but it was possible to get around it. On a fine sunny day it would be a beautiful walk.

The Wye path climbs again after Glangwy so one can get good views presumably but with the poor visibility, and as we were drenched, we took the road into Llangurich. I think this was my wettest walk ever. Even with pack covers and waterproof bag liners many things got wet.