Glyndŵr's Way () is a
long-distance footpath in
mid-Wales. It runs for in an extended loop through
Powys
Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
between
Knighton and
Welshpool
Welshpool ( ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, historically in the Historic counties of Wales, county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The c ...
, and anchored on
Machynlleth
Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a po ...
to the west.
History
Its name derives from the early-15th-century
Welsh prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
and folk hero
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
, whose
parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
sat in Machynlleth in 1404.
Glyndŵr's Way was granted
National Trail
National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, an agency of the Government of the United Kingdom, UK government, and Natural Resources Wales, a Welsh Government, Welsh ...
status in 2000 to mark the beginning of the
third millennium and the 600th anniversary of an ill-fated but long-running and culturally significant rebellion in 1400.
Route
The footpath officially begins in Knighton, on the English border, where it links with
Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path () is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by John Hunt, Baron Hunt, Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws hillwalking, walkers from th ...
. Running in roughly a horseshoe shape, it passes small market towns such as
Llanidloes and quiet villages including
Abbeycwmhir and
Llanbadarn Fynydd, traversing central
mid-Wales to Machynlleth near the
Dyfi estuary and returning across Wales via
Llanbrynmair,
Llangadfan and
Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy (, or ') is a reservoir in Powys, Wales, built in the 1880s for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks to supply Liverpool with fresh water. It flooded the head of the River Vyrnwy, Vyrnwy () valley and submerged the village of Llanwddyn ...
and the valley of the
River Vyrnwy
The River Vyrnwy (, ) flows through northern Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England. The name derives from Severn, the river of which it is a tributary.
Course
The river used to be sourced from the many rivers and streams running off the mount ...
to
Welshpool
Welshpool ( ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, historically in the Historic counties of Wales, county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The c ...
from the
Wales–England border.
The route passes nationally important Welsh natural habitats such as
sessile oak woodlands, upland mire and
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...
, and ancient hedgerows. The area from
Staylittle to
Aberhosan is noted for its heather moorlands.
See also
*
Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
There are hundreds of long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom designated in publications from public authorities, guidebooks and OS maps. They are mainly used for hiking and walking, but some may also be used, in whole or in part, for mou ...
*
National Trails
*
Wales Coast Path
The Wales Coast Path () is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales.
Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire len ...
References
External links
*
The Long Distance Walkers AssociationThe RamblersBBC Radio 4 Iconic Walk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glyndwr's Way
Footpaths in Powys
Recreational walks in Wales
Long-distance footpaths in Wales