Sunday 6 August. Hay-on-Wye to Portway Inn

We left Hay at 9:20 am heading N on the B4350. After a couple of 100 yards down hill we saw the blue plaque marking  the path to the old town well. We found out yesterday that this is also where the Wye Valley Way leaves Hay going towards Chepstow. The path is good as far as the well site but then deteriorates quickly.

Today's walk started over farmland with both animals and crops in the fields, hence the need for stiles. At times the path went through the middle of a crop. There were lots of stiles today, more than the rest of the walk put together.

We climbed a small hill to Priory wood and on descending got our first views of the Wye. We also got a view of Merbach hill our nemesis for the day.

Although it  was a good walking day the climb up Merbach hill was arduous. It started with gates tied with string which we had to stride over after removing our packs to make it possible. You need an inside leg > 32"!

The path was at times very muddy and deeply rutted and difficult to navigate due to thick bracken. Shiel disappeared at times. There weren'many good views going up but there were great views going down the far side.

We walked down a steep road to the Red Lion, a quiet pub where we had a bitter shandy each before crossing the Wye and making our way through fields and woodland to the Portway Inn. It was a long day, almost 8 hours and we were somewhat knackered.