Kington to Knighton

22 May 2010 - Kington to Knighton

Distance - 15.1 miles
Weather - Sunny
We stayed at - The Horse & Jockey Inn, Wylcwm Place, Knighton, Powys, LD7 1AE  Cost - £75.00

Today was our last walking day. After crossing the busy A44, we climbed up a steep lane to Kington Golf Club, which is alleged to be the highest golf club in England at 1,284 feet (390 metres). It was very pretty in any case. It seemed odd that it was in England because only a few minutes before we had been in Wales! Just after we arrived at Bradnor Green we got lost. I started following a national trail, but  didn't pay enough attention and unfortunately it was the Mortimer Trail and not the Offa's Dyke Path. Of course the mistake had been all uphill and we had to lose that height to find the correct path! Anyway we rejoined the Dyke itself and headed round Rushock Hill to Herrock Hill. The scenery at this point was beautiful, with interesting little rounded hills surrounded by unspoiled countryside.



The day carried on in much the same vein. It was good to have the Offa's Dyke actually with us for most of the day, as for much of the last three days we hadn't seen it at all! On reaching Hengwm Hill we came across an obelisk, surrounded by sheep, which commemorated Sir Richard Green Price who brought the railways to Radnorshire. We paused in this beautiful green field for a rest and a sunbathe before continuing along more of Offa's Dyke. Pretty soon we reached a woodland, which came out on a tarmac path high above Knighton. We then gradually descended into the town.

Our room at the Horse & Jockey was really gorgeous, a huge contemporary room in an annexe to the pub. It had a huge bedroom & bathroom and we felt the price was a bit of a bargain. The pub served some lovely food and we sat outside at a table with a group of walkers we encountered each of the last few days. They were all going on to finish the Offa's Dyke Path, whilst we were off home. It was a great evening and we didn't go to bed very early.

The next day we had to hang about until 14:20 to catch the train to Shrewsbury, but we were able to reflect on all the different landscapes we had travelled through on this leg - Exmoor, Somerset Levels, the Quantocks, the Black Mountains of Wales & Offa's Dyke. The owners of the pub were great and let us stay in our room for longer than we should have. From Shrewsbury we caught the train to Crewe and at Crewe caught the train to Carlisle. From Carlisle we made our way to Glasgow Central, then walked over to Glasgow Queen Street for our final train home to Stirling, arriving at 21.54. A standard single from Knighton to Stirling had been astronomical, costing about £234.00. Curiously by buying a single from Knighton to Shrewsbury and from Shrewsbury to Stirling, we managed to virtually halve the cost and travel first class! I'll never understand National Rail's pricing structure!

Cost of train travel for two adults: -
Knighton to Shrewsbury - £31.40
Shrewsbury to Stirling - £99.00 (first class)