On Saturday at around 12:00pm, I stepped out of our house in Ledbury with my backpack loaded, I kissed my wife Stace goodbye and then headed off to catch a train. With her going on holiday the following weekend for four nights and leaving me solo with our baby daughter Molly, this weekend was my free pass to escape for a bit.
I had roughly 24 hours and a straightforward-ish objective. To walk 23 miles from Hay-on-Wye to Abergavenny along some of the Offa's Dyke Path, with a wild camp somewhere on Hatterrall Ridge along the way. Then get back home on the train from Abergavenny in time to read my daughter some bedtime stories on Sunday evening. I wanted to use public transport to get to Hay, and back home from Abergavenny. Partly because I think we should all try to use our cars less frequently, and partly because it feels like more of an adventure on trains and buses. The first step was a short train journey from Ledbury to Hereford.
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| Ledbury, Junction for Poetry |
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| Ledbury Railway Station |
After arriving at Hereford station I got the T14 bus into Hay-on-Wye which took about an hour. It was a hot day. I'd considered postponing the walk because it was potentially going to be really hard work with a long uphill slog to my intended camping area. The bus had no air-con and was an absolute sweat box. A fellow passenger had bought himself a bag of ice in Hereford, and within about 15 minutes it had all melted and turned the whole aisle into a slip hazard. It wasn't the smartest purchase and I tried not to laugh.
It was good to eventually get to Hay-on-Wye and get off the oven on wheels. I hadn't spent much time there before but it was sunny, quirky, historic and very busy with tourists. As nice as it was, I didn't really have time to hang around for too long. One of my colleagues at work, Rod, is a very accomplished climber and probably the most inspirational person I've ever met. He was the first man to make a mobile telephone call from the summit of Everest and the record holder for reaching the highest points in all European countries in the fastest time. I'd asked for his advice on staying hydrated on a long hike, and he basically said he drinks absolutely loads of water before he sets off. I went to a shop in Hay-on-Wye, bought a few bottles of chilled water, necked them, then started my walk.
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| Hay Castle |
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| The Offa's Dyke Path from Hay-on-Wye |
The climb out of town along the Offa's Dyke Path onto the open hills was long and gradual, with just the one section which was particularly steep and tough on the legs. It's always a strange feeling walking away from civilisation with the full weight of your gear pressing into your back and the day already half gone. The trail led me up towards Hay Bluff, then out across the long spine of Hatterrall Ridge. I had planned to take my time as I knew the first day could be difficult with a constant ascent in hot weather, so I factored in a slow, steady pace of 2 miles an hour. With a nice breeze keeping me cool though, I reached the ridge way earlier than I expected.
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| The view back towards Hay-on-Wye from the steepest section of the trail to Hay Bluff |
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| Heading towards Hay Bluff |
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| The Offa's Dyke Path past Hay Bluff |
Now I was on Hatterrall Ridge, my goal was simple. Find somewhere to camp, then finish the walk into Abergavenny in the morning. It was insanely windy on that ridge though and I was glad I packed a wind breaker. I hoped it would still ease off overnight as forecast or that I could locate a sheltered spot.
I passed over Twyn Llech/Black Mountain, which at 703m is the highest point in England south of the Yorkshire Dales. There was is nothing to mark the location apart from a traffic cone.
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| Prepared for a windy but sunny walk up Hay Bluff |
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| A wild pony near the Offa's Dyke Path on Hatterrall Ridge |
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| Black Mountain, 703m |
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| The Offa's Dyke Path, Hatterrall Ridge |
Further along the ridge I found a cracking spot to pitch around 600m elevation on the Herefordshire side, down one of the grassy paths off the trail near the Black Mountain South trig point. I was then in a bit of a dilemma with plenty of time to walk further before sunset and reduce my walk the following day. The location was perfect though as it wasn't visible to passing walkers. I checked by sticking one of my hiking poles into the ground and heading back up to the path so see if I could see it. I couldn't see it, so I made the decision to set up early and relax a bit longer than expected. I would have more time to recharge for day 2.
There wasn't a lot of wind on this eastern side of Hatterrall Ridge and there was loads of phone signal, so it was a perfect place to rest and still have contact to the outside world in case of emergency. I was surrounded by nothing but open sky and wild ponies. Glorious. One of them spent a solid hour just staring at my tent though which was a bit disconcerting. Didn’t move, didn’t blink. Just watched. I just hoped he wouldn't start sniffing round the tent in the night.
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| A good camping spot overlooking Cat's Back. |
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A stare out contest with a pony on Hatterrall Ridge
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| Wild camping in the Black Mountains |
The sunset was a bit of a non-event, thanks to thickening cloud cover that hadn’t been on the forecast. I boiled some water on the stove and had a surprisingly tasty, but crunchy pasta Bolognese camping meal from Summit To Eat. I then watched the world quietly disappear into darkness.
I didn't sleep well. I don’t get nervous much when I camp anymore, but with the nights so short this time of year, I kept thinking about how little time I had to rest. Being so determined to get some shut-eye just made it harder to switch off. I also woke up at one point to the sound of loud galloping near my tent and I started to get a little concerned that I might potentially get trampled to death as I slept. It's pretty difficult to relax with that on your mind.
I dozed for a bit and woke at 4:15am. The sunrise was equally as underwhelming as sunset, with just a slow leak of light through clouds, but it was still a joy to be up there waking up in the wild on my own.
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| Sunrise from the tent |
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| Sunrise from Hatterrall Ridge looking over Herefordshire |
By 5am, I'd packed up the tent, made sure I'd left no trace, and had started hiking again. On the previous day I'd walked 9 miles from Hay-on-Wye to where I'd camped and I estimated it would be a further 14 miles to Abergavenny. Day 1 was mostly uphill and day 2 would be mainly flat along the ridge and then downhill.
There was a thick mist which limited visibility and soaked my hair. It was a shame that I couldn't see much of the valleys or the larger summits of the Brecon Beacons. It was due to be hot later in the day though, so the cool morning mist gave me the opportunity to tick off some miles at a reasonable pace.
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| Leave no trace |
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| Wild ponies on Hatterrall Ridge |
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| A misty Llantony Valley |
I'd done 5 miles when I got to the trig point at Hatterrall Hill, which is the southern point of the ridge. I then descended along the Beacons Way to Llanvihangel Crucorney. I stopped at the Skirrid Mountain Garage and had a pack of pork scratchings and a bottle of Lucozade Sport for breakfast. Absolutely not what the doctor would order. I got chatting to a local bloke outside who offered me a lift to Abergavenny, which I was on the cusp of accepting. I thanked him for the offer though and said I wanted to complete the walk I'd planned. It was pretty tempting with around 5 miles still to go to and some really achy legs, but I knew I could finish this walk and would regret it if I gave up.
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| Hatterrall Hill trig point |
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| The view of Skirrid coming from Hatterrall Hill |
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| The Skirrid Inn |
The chap in the garage told me that he would walk to Abergavenny along the Old Hereford Road as it would be a bit dodgy in parts down the A465. I asked if he'd walked it before and he gave me a look that pretty much said "why the f**k would I do that mate?". I could have continued along the Beacons Way and over Skirrid, but that would have been hard work in the hot sun with a really heavy backpack and I just wanted to get the walk finished by this point. I made my way along Old Hereford Road at a decent pace, past the hamlet of Pantygelli and eventually into town.
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| The Old Hereford Road to Abergavenny |
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| Abergavenny |
Abergavenny didn’t disappoint. I limped to the centre, sweaty and proud of myself, then made a beeline for Wetherspoons. Two pints of lager and a large breakfast, while listening to the many characters in there talking humourous nonsense. I got the 11:23 train to Hereford which was busy, then straight on the train to Ledbury, arriving back almost exactly 24 hours since I left.
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| A pint in Abergavenny Wetherspoons |
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| Abergavenny to Hereford. Standing away from the other passengers because I probably stank. |
Despite the lack of a blazing sunset or sunrise, it had been an epic but peaceful little adventure. One ridge. One night. One mad looking pony with serious eye contact. A small reminder that there’s still so much local land to explore.
If you decide to camp on Hatterrall Ridge, be prepared to have to spend a bit of time finding a suitable camping spot. The ridge is long and wide, but is covered with heather and uneven ground. Good locations can be found if you follow some of the little grassy paths off the main trail along the ridge. You'll easily find somewhere though. Check the Black Mountain Herefordshire forecast first because it gets really windy up there and it's largely flat. Please also make sure you leave no trace of your visit. It's a breathtakingly beautiful place that is home to many sheep and ponies. Leave just a flat patch of grass and enjoy your adventure.
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