A lovely warm, hazy Spring day on the very edge of the Cambrians greeted the eight participants.  This was a quiet, understated walk with a little bit of uphill, a short road section, some farm tracks, a brief foray through conifer plantation and a rougher (off-piste) stretch through Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) along “the tops”.  Fortunately, the Molinia had some quad tracks through it and the whole route was hardly muddy, in strong contrast to the initial recce early in 2026. Views were hazy but wide ranging; looking south to Abergwngu farmhouse in the Upper Elan, across to the Elenydd, south-east towards the Wye Valley and Rhayader, and with Pumlumon Arwystli just visible to the north-west.  The Bronze Age cairn on Carn y Groes provided a good lunch spot, but the above-ground stone cairn is clearly much later.

Wildlife seen or heard included Hare’s tail Cotton-grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) just beginning to flower, a couple of Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) basking in the Spring sunshine, and the first Sky lark of the year singing over our heads. Unfortunately, no sign this time of the Hare seen on the previous week’s recce, but we trust he (or she) is still out there somewhere.

The final leg of the walk followed the Wye Valley Walk passing the beautiful, listed Arts & Crafts House of Clochfaen (“Ironbell”) before rejoining the minor road back to Llangurig.