Another Pontricket Walk (A and F)

Looking North across the  Ceiriog Valley.

Crossing the bridge at Tregeiriog.

On the path heading towards the Upper Ceiriog Way.

Distant views of the Berwyns as we approached the Upper Ceiriog WAy.

Lunch time on the Upper Ceiriog Way.

Part of the delightful Teirw Valley.

The bracken trail that seemed to gon on and on and on!

The new diverted section of the path from Pont y Melmion to Pontricket, 

missing out the climb past Hendre Farm.

Walk stats: Distance: 8.0 miles. Climb: 1098'.

Time: 5 hours 1 minute. On the move wlking average: 2.1 m.p.h. Overall  walk average: 1.6 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, David S., Wendy Jim and Mal.

This was a good day for walking, perhaps a little on the warm side, but it was dry and much better underfoot than the last time I did the walk earlier in the year.

The main part of the walk explored the North of the valley from Tregeiriog to Pont y Melbion.

 after an easy start to the walk between Pontricket to Tregeiriog on the South side of the river, the climb in earnest started on the road above Ty Uchaf all the way up to the open moorland.

 The views from the open moorland were good, especially towards the Berwyns.

  The Upper Ceiriog Way from Rhyd Caledwynt to Ty-du is an uneven stony track, so stopping half way down for lunch served two purposes. It gave our feet a break from the uneven stones and stopped any further complaints from grumbling stomachs!

  The route after leaving the Upper Ceiriog Way has sections where the path is delightful as it heads down the Teirw valley and other sections where we had to fight through head high bracken hiding nettles waiting to sting. At least at these sections the horse flies couldn't get at us!

 In many ways the section between Ty-du and Pont-y Melbion were more challenging than we were probably expecting, but it also provided us with some superb views along valleys probably never seen by most people that stay in the Cieriog Valley close to the B4500.

 Birds seen or heard today included: Common pheasant, Common swift, Barn swallow, Common buzzard, Sparrowhawk, woodpigeon, Meadow pipit, Skylark, Goldfinch, House sparrow, Dipper and Common redstart (bird of the year so far).

 We arrived back at the car having had a good and varied walk with legs feeling as though they had done more than the eight miles and 1100' registered on the official GPS!

 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Pant-yr-Ochain, but at £3-90 a pint is there anywhere else we can go?