Back After a While

When we first moved to Herefordshire and when the kids were small, Ewyas Harold Common was a popular outing. Near to home it made a great spot for a short winter walk or a in warmer months for a laze and a picnic. Its been a number of years since we’ve been up there to the extent I don’t think it’s ever featured on the blog. Another short walk between the heavy showers gives me a chance to put that right.

To make a decent walk of it we parked up in Pontrilas and walked along the Herefordshire Way into Ewyas Harold village following the Dulas Brook. In truth that part wasn’t great with very muddy fields and a Sewage plant to cope with.

Ewyas Harold Village is very nice though as is its church.

On the way to the common we passed a field of Alpacas – not the inflatable variety (private joke between me and the DBs)

Garway Hill from the common.

And Craig Syfyrddin.

Despite the threatening weather all around it was warm and sunny as we walked across the common.

A distant view back to one of the many stunning stone cottages up there, this one I’ve always had down as one of my dream homes.

Wouldn’t be a bad place to live with views like this.

What I had forgotten was how astonishingly wet it can be up here. There was standing water and extensive patches of deep cloying mud everywhere. After a while it became somewhat tiresome trying to circumnavigate them all.

A glimpse to a stormy looking Black Mountains.

Ysgyryd Fawr poking out above the trees.

Things improved (from a mud perspective) once we left the common.

The walk over the fields and down to Ewyas Harold was much nicer and drier.

Back onto the Herefordshire Way and return to the car. Perhaps next time I’ll pay a visit in a dry spell!