Walk 3 Fachwen Pool

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This walk starts under the Town Clock at the junction of Broad St, High St and Severn St, the area known locally as ‘The Cross’. The building now housing Barclays Bank was erected by Sarah Brisco, a descendent of the Pryce family of Newtown Hall, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1897.   Opposite the clock on Severn Street is the Robert Owen Museum and the Robert Owen Memorial Rooms are over the HSBC on the other corner.  Robert Owen, the founder of the Co-operative Movement, is one of Newtown’s most famous sons.

Walk along Broad St towards Longbridge and cross to the north side of the river.  On the left you will see an attractive old building, Pont Hafren, now operating as a registered mental health charity, www.ponthafren.org.uk/newtown/home . At the roundabout turn left along Milford Road and walk past Plas Dolerw, (the former home of Pryce Pryce-Jones, the man who brought the world mail-order shopping) on your left at the entrance to Dolerw Park.  Just past Plas Dolerw you will see a turning on your right, Llwynon Lane, and immediately after this there is a small flight of steps on your right (SO 104918).  

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There is a fingerpost there pointing out the Severn Way but it is set back and difficult to see.  Climb the steps and follow the footpath upwards between fences.  Just after this cross the road and go up steps to continue to follow the path.  Pass through the broad kissing gate and follow the path through the beech wood to another gate at the end of the wood and follow the hedge on your right. Go through another gate and bear left (WNW) aiming for a tall tree on the skyline.  Go through another gate, uphill to the tree and through the gate next to it (SO 094922).  Go through and follow the hedge on your left, carry on through 4 more gates to come out on to the road (Beehive Lane) at a fingerpost. 

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Cross the road and go through a gate with a fingerpost that tells you that Caersws is 6¾ miles.  Bear right (NW) go through a gate in the fence (SO090924) then across to a gate in the hedge in front of you, then bear right (N) following the hedge on your right.  Go through 3 gates, crossing a track and bear left (NW) to a stile.  Go straight ahead across the open field and head for the roofs you will soon see below you.  As you approach you will see a field gate and a short hedge to the right of it.  At the right-hand edge of the hedge is a fingerpost (SO 086929) indicating the path.  Follow the narrow path with the hedge on your left, scrubby trees on your right, and through the gate that brings you to a drive alongside the Rhydfelin Baptist Church and cemetery.  Follow the drive ahead, past the Rhyd-y-Felin cottage to the road.

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Turn right, past the entrance to Upper Rhyd-y-Felin and Rhyd-y-Felin on your right then go through the way-marked farm gate (SO 085932) on your left.  Follow the hedge on your right through this often boggy field to the coarse fishing lake, Fachwen Pool. This is stocked with coarse fish and run by Severnside and Newtown Angling Club.  Turn left along the lake and go through the gate ahead.  At the end of the lake go through a gate on your right leading to a bridge over the exit stream.  Go through the gate on your left (SO 082934) to continue along the Severn Way.  Follow the path to go through another gate into the field and follow the hedge on your right, through a gate into the wood.  Follow the path through the wood to another gate.  The footpath now goes straight up from this gate across the field to a track and fence ahead and then immediately back down again in a V shape following the hedge on your left to a field gate about 100 m on your right from the gate leaving the wood.  Go through the field gate, follow the hedge on your left then bear right up the hill towards the telephone pole.  Go over the hill following the line to the next telephone pole and on down to the field gate and cattle grid on the concrete track. Continue up the paved road to the crossroads.  The road ahead is Bryn Lane which leads to Newtown in 1¾ miles but we turn left here. 

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At the next crossroads turn right. Just before a sharp left hand bend in the road go through the gate (SO 092940) on your right and straight ahead to another gate in the hedge.  Continue ahead following the hedge on your left passing a way marker post at the top of the bank.  The path then drops down to a stream bed, which can be rather muddy to cross, and on to another gate.   Go through this and follow the hedge on your right to reach a gate (SO 094937) on your right leading into the wood.  Follow the path in the wood to come out at another gate.  Bear sharp right along a track, through 2 gates to cross a bridge over a small stream.  Turn left and follow the hedge on your left, through a field gate then another gate to the road, Penshwa Lane.

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Turn left on Penshwa Lane until you reach a bungalow, Ashdale, on your left. Just past this bungalow there are gates and a fingerpost on the right (SO 102937).

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Go through the gate and head downhill, through a gate and follow the hedge on your right.  Continue to follow hedge on your right through a gate and over a stile adjacent to a field gate. The hedge then turns away but you continue ahead (S) across the field.  Go through a field gate and ahead to a pedestrian gate.  Go through the gate and then through the 2 farm gates to cross the yard of Ffrydd Farm.  Go down the field, hedge on your left, through a gap in the hedge (next to a redundant stile) and bear right around the contour of the hill to go through a gate by the stream.  Follow the path through the trees, taking care since the path overlays slippery rock slabs.  At the farm track, turn right over the bridge and up the hill to the road, Bryn Lane.  Turn left, past the housing development and when you pass a drive leading to cottages on your right leave the road (SO106923) to take the tarmac track ahead.  This leads to a footpath between hedges that end at some drives.  Follow the drives down to the road, Bryn Gardens, which is the imposing Victorian terrace off to your right. You go straight across this road and follow Bryn Street downhill ahead of you to Commercial Street.  Turn right passing the Textile Museum on your right.  Turn left at the roundabout, over the Longbridge, along Broad Street and back to the clock.