Walk 15 Gregynog

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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 descendant 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; 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 and cross the River Severn over Longbridge to the north side of the river.  On the left is Pont Hafren, an attractive old white building, now operating as a registered mental health charity, www.ponthafren.org.uk/newtown/home    

At the roundabout our walk goes straight ahead up Crescent Street, heading for the imposing Victorian terrace, Bryn Gardens, at the top of the hill.  On the way up you will pass the slate-hung weavers’ cottages and if you look back you will get one of the best views of Newtown.

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At the top, turn right then first left at the footpath sign. Bear right at the beech hedge following the fence on your right.  Follow the tarmac path uphill parallel with the backs of the houses, ignoring the stile and footpath sign on your left.  At the road, Bryn Lane, turn left, and just past the new houses you come to a farm track off to the right to Ffrydd Farm.  Immediately in front of you is a pedestrian gate that you go through. Follow the hedge on your left, go through a gap in the fence, up the hill and through the pedestrian gate at the junction of the hedge and fence. Carry on up the field and through the pedestrian gate in the fence. Carry on straight to the pedestrian gate at the edge of the stream.  Cross the stream on the bridge and bear left, over the stile on to Bryn Lane.  Turn right, follow the lane to the junction (SO 096934) and then turn right into Penshwa Lane.  

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After a short distance, go through the pedestrian gate on your left. Follow the hedge on your right, through a field gate and down to a bridge over a stream and a pedestrian gate. Follow the hedge on your left until you come to another pedestrian gate on your left. Follow the path through the wood to another gate (SO932947) which will bring you back into the field. Turn left and continue down to a gate above a stream. Cross the stream, heading diagonally up the path to the field (it can be quite boggy here) then down, through 2 pedestrian gates on to a road (SO092930). 

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Turn left, then right at a fingerpost, over a bridge and gate (SO091940). Turn left and follow the hedge on your left up to the top of the hill and through the pedestrian gate onto the road. Turn right along the road until you come to a way-marked field gate on the left.

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Go up the track towards the farm, Upper Garth (SO092944). Follow the track past the farm on your left. At the top turn right through the field gate by the conifers.  Follow the track ahead passing around the barn on your left and turn immediately right up a wide track (SO090944). Continue to the ridge (superb views) and down to a copse of conifers at the end. Ahead is a circular concrete trough in the field. Walk past it with the fence on your right, ignoring the stile on the right. Go downhill to a gate in the bottom right-hand corner of the field. Go through then walk up and over the ridge to a field gate. Continue through and walk down across the field to a pedestrian gate in the fence ahead at Bettws Hill farm (SO084952). Turn left and walk up the concrete farm road past a white cottage, Goetre on your left.

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Map Continuation. When the track turns left, go through the pedestrian gate ahead (SO084954). Walk straight on bearing right then sharp left – there’s a way marker off to your left – up between trees and gorse bushes to a ridge. Bear right following the sheep track which leads to the corner of a hedge and fence ahead. Follow the hedge down the field to a pedestrian gate onto the road (SO084957). Turn right and immediately left. At a right-hand bend go through the field gate by the fingerpost and continue up over the hill ahead.  At the next field gate bear right across the field to the right of the small wind turbine and go through the gateway to the left of the fence around the house. Turn right to follow the hedge and then through the gate into the wood. Follow the path through the wood and turn right on to the track; follow it to Gregynog Hall at the sculptured hand. (It is worth spending time at Gregynog Hall as it has lovely gardens and an excellent cafe.)  For the walk, continue ahead, not left to the Hall, go through the double white gates and turn right on to the bigger drive. Just past Middle Lodge on the left, turn right on to the track at a fingerpost. At the fence follow the track to the right and go through a pedestrian gate on the left. Bear right up the hill to the top, The Warren.

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Turn left and follow along an old fence line towards the house, which used to be the Tregynon Hall School, through a pedestrian gate and left up the track to the house. Bear right past the basketball court and left at a way marker in front of a barn. Follow the fence on the left, through 2 pedestrian gates then bear right down the field and through a field gate and then a pedestrian gate, across a bridge onto the road. Turn right then immediately left at a fingerpost, through a field gate. Bear right across the field, across a bridge and through a pedestrian gate and follow to the right of the hedge and through the field gate. Follow a faint track through the field then bear right to a field gate. Follow the fence on your left, through a metal field gate, back out through a new entranceway onto the road.  Turn right down the track to the road opposite a house, Lluest.

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Cross the road. Go through a small wooden gate to the left of the house, follow a hedge around to the back of the house, through a field gate then bear left to a pedestrian gate. Bear left uphill then follow downhill to the right of the hedge and through a field gate. Carry on following to the right of the hedge, through a field gate and on through a pedestrian gate and another field gate. Follow the hedge on your left, through a field gate and straight down the green lane, through a pedestrian gate and on down the track to the road (don’t turn right towards the farmhouse). At the road turn right and immediately go through a pedestrian gate on the left. Bear right down a steep field, through a field gate in the corner of the field, cross a stream and follow the hedge on your right through a wooden pedestrian gate then bear right through another pedestrian gate. Cross the stream and bear right through the pedestrian gate. Follow the fence uphill and through a field gate. Continue uphill ahead, go through another gate to the left of the fence and down through a pedestrian gate. Cross a stream, straight ahead uphill, through another gate and bear right to yet another gate in the hedge. Turn left along the hedge, through a field gate, bear slightly right and through a field gate onto Penshwa Lane. Turn right then immediately left through a pedestrian gate.    

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Head downhill, through a gate and follow the hedge on your right.  Continue to follow the 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. 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. Turn right then left down Crescent Street to a roundabout. The Newtown Textile Museum is along Commercial Street to your left.  Go straight across the roundabout, over the Longbridge, along Broad Street and back to the clock.