Owain Glyndwr's way - Richard Sale

Owain Glyndwr's Way passes through a belt of wooded valleys between Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons - some of the most beautiful countryside in Wales. The footpath extends for 125 miles from Knighton westward to Machynlleth, then northeast to Welshpool. As both Knighton and Welshpool lie on Offa's Dyke there is potential for a circular walk, which must always be of interest to the walker.;Owain Glyndwr (c. 1359-1415) was over 40 when his rebellion began in 1400. His fine record as a nobleman in the English court was soured when he offered the Welsh their freedom and independent nationality, their own church and universities. He was thought by his followers to possess supernatural powers over the elements; certainly he used both weather and terrain to assist him in his guerrilla warfare against the English. At the end of his struggle, in 1413, his legacy to the Welsh was, however, scorched earth and slavery. Glyndwr himself remained free and later disappeared.;The walk visits several important sites of the campaign, a battlefield or two and Machynlleth, the site of Owain's parliament. In addition it passes Abbey Cwmhir, the spiritual home of free medieval Wales, burial ground of Llywelyn the Great, Lake Vyrnwy in its beautiful setting, a haven for birds, Llanidloes and Welshpool, a fine pair of market towns and many smaller places of interest. The scenery is excellent all the way. Only Plynlimon could be termed high-level walking, for the rest the views are to the hills from good lowland moor or farmland. Near the Dyfi River the view of Cader Idris is among the best of any peak in Wales.;This evokes a countryside rich in legend, anecdote and history as well as great natural beauty.