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Walk 3707 - printer friendly version

Fachwen Pool from Newtown (Y Drenewydd) Walk

Author - Walking Newtown

Length - 6.0 miles / 9.8 km

Ascent - 900 feet / 273 metres

Grade - easy/mod

Start - OS grid reference SO109916
Lat 52.5149760 + Long -3.3144184
Postcode SY16 2AE (approx. location only)

This Powys circular walk starts from Newtown (Y Drenewydd) and explores the area to the north of the town. The main objective is Fachwen Pool which occupies a beautiful location. The route follows a section of the Severn Way to reach Fachwen Pool from where quiet country lanes, paths and tracks lead back to the start. Despite its length, this walk crosses an undulating landscape and is quite energetic!

1 - This walk starts under the Town Clock at the junction of Broad St, High St and Severn St, the area known as 'The Cross'. The building, now Barclays Bank was erected by Sarah Brisco, a descendent of the Pryce family of Newtown Hall, to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897. Robert Owen was the father of the Co-operative Movement, and Newtown's most famous son. The Museum is in the Council offices facing you and the memorial rooms are in the HSBC opposite.

Walk down Broad St and cross the river via Longbridge passing an old building, Pont Hafren. At the roundabout turn left along Milford Road, passing Plas Dolerw on your left at the entrance to Dolerw Park. Llwynon Lane is on your right. Plas Dolerw was the former home of Pryce Pryce-Jones, who brought the world mail-order shopping.

2 - After Llwynon Lane, climb the steps on your right where an obscured fingerpost signposts the Severn Way. Follow the footpath upwards between fences. Towards the top of this section is an Arts and Crafts style property, The Bungalow, on your right. Cross the road at the top and continue up steps to the path. Go through the kissing gate and through the beech wood to go through another gate at the end of the wood. Follow the hedge on your right. Continue up through a series of gates bearing left (WNW) aiming for a tall tree on the skyline. Go through the gate next to the tree and follow the hedge on your left. Carry on through 4 more gates to come out on to Beehive Lane at a fingerpost.

3 - Cross the road and go through a gate marked by a fingerpost. Bear right (NW) through a gate in the fence to another gate in the hedge in front of you. Bear right again (N) following the hedge on your right. Go through 3 more gates, cross a track, and bear left (NW) to a gate. Go straight ahead down the field heading for the roofs soon visible below. You will come to a field gate with a short hedge to the right. At the right-hand edge of the hedge a fingerpost shows the path. Follow the path with the hedge on your left, scrubby trees on your right, down through the gate to a car park alongside the Rhydfelin Baptist Church and cemetery. Walk up the drive to the road.

4 - Turn right, pass the entrance to Upper Rhyd y Felin and Rhyd y Felin on your right then go through the way-marked farm gate on your left. Follow the hedge on your right through this, often boggy field to the coarse fishing lake, Fachwen Pool. 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 1.75 miles, but we turn left here.

5 - At the next crossroads, turn right into the lane. Before a sharp left bend take the gate on your right and continue ahead to another gate in the hedge. With the hedge on your left pass a fingerpost at the top of the bank. The path drops down to a stream bed, and on to another gate. Through this, follow the hedge on your right to a gate on the right leading into the wood. Follow the path to come out at another gate at the top. Bear sharp right along a track, through 2 gates to cross a bridge over a small stream near a farm with a large pond. Turn left and follow the hedge on your left, through a field gate then another gate onto Penshwa Lane.

6 - Turn left here and continue up the lane until you reach a bungalow, Ashdale, on your left, just past which is a pedestrian gate next to a field gate and a fingerpost on the right.

7 - Through the gate, head down, to another gate and follow the hedge on your right. Another gate and a stile lead to the next field gate. The hedge turns away, but you continue ahead (S) across the field, to a field gate and on to a pedestrian gate. Go through this and then two farm gates to cross the yard of Ffrydd Farm. Walk down the field, hedge on your left, then through a gap in the hedge (next to a redundant stile) bearing right around the contour of the hill and through a gate by the stream. Be careful on this path as it overlays slippery rocks. At the farm drive, turn right over the bridge and up to Bryn Lane. Turn left, past new housing. When you pass a drive leading to cottages on your right, take the tarmac track ahead. This leads to a path between hedges leading down to the road, Bryn Gardens, where there is a Victorian terrace to the right.

Cross the road and follow Bryn Street downhill past weavers' cottages to Commercial Street. Turn right passing the Textile Museum on your right and left at the roundabout, over Longbridge, along Broad Street and back to the clock.

A detailed hand-drawn route map showing details of the route - Newtown to Fachwen Route Map

Walk 3707 Route Map

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