Location : Starts at Knighton, Powys.
Ends at Welshpool, Powys.
Distance : 213km (132 miles)
Notes : One of Wales' three National Trails, well-signposted.
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Opened in 2002, Glyndwr's Way is one of Wales' three designated National Trails. It starts on the border in Knighton, meanders through Abbeycwmhir, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Llanbrynmair and Meifod before ending at Welshpool in north Powys.
The trail takes you past a number of sites where Welsh Prince Owain Glyndwr fought many of his battles against the English in the fifteenth century. It also goes through the town of Machynlleth where Glyndwr held Wales' first Parliament in 1404.
Along the route, you'll come across various information boards, like this one shown here, giving historical and other details. There are 16 different leaflets setting out the route of Glyndwr's Way and you can pick these up, free of charge, at any Powys Tourist Information Centre.
Note that the long-distance route is aimed mainly at walkers and only parts of the trail are suitable for cyclists or horse riders.
Long sections of the route cross agricultural land and walkers are asked to take care and in particular to make sure ensure that all gates are left as they are found. Dogs must be on a lead when crossing farm land.
If you want to read more about Owain Glyndwr, take a look at our Glyndwr Mini-Site
Read about how Glyndŵr's Way is managed....
your comments
Hilary Matthews, just outside Machynlleth
You may like to stop at my guest house which is on the path.
Mon Aug 18 09:39:26 2008
Carol Handcock Machynlleth
For excellent half-way stop accommodation on the Glyndwr`s way try the an excellent B&B called Dyfiguest just above the railway station in Machynlleth.
Sun Sep 2 12:37:07 2007
Tony Carey, Brislington, Bristol
I walked, with five friends, from Knighton to Machynlleth from Sunday 13 to Friday 18 May. The final day was a 16 miler, which is quite long enough, thank you very much; but by then we were as fit as butcher's dogs and for the first year ever I completed the walk with no blisters, muscle strains or health problems of any sort. I must say that I found the route to be very well signed and way marked and I really don't think we had any problems at all with navigation. With one exception, we found the accommodation very good and wonderfully hospitable.Unfortunately we had very 'iffy' ! weather, the last day being as severe walking as I have experienced in many a year. However, every cloud has a silver lining and just as we were entering serious survival mode; walking with heads down, hoods tightly fastened and an element of fear infusing the soul; I accidentally walked off route and found myself in an area of bog. Not normally a good thing but this day I found myself walking though a whole area of Sundew plants, (Drosera). This find caused me to look up to tell my colleagues, which was when I realised I had become somewhat separated from them. So, they didn't get to see what I had found and I couldn't take any photographs because of the atrocious weather.
Mon Jul 2 12:46:23 2007
Alan Naylor from Whitehaven
What's that about The Way opening in 2002? With a friend I walked it all in the mid eighties. It was a splendid outing with only one problem stretch; between Llanidloes and Machynlleth with no refreshments. The accommodation was excellent at all stops.
Tue Jun 19 15:17:09 2007
Richard & Catriona Smith, Cheltenham
We did the whole walk in May 07 (and met 6 guys from Bristol - were they Tom Carey & pals?). We thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, the path is clearly little used, but the waymarking is good and we never got seriously lost. (The diversions problem seems to have been sorted - those in place seem to be minor and not a serious issue). There is a lot of mid-height walking with superb views; the leg down into Machynlleth is superb. The stretch past Lake Vyrnwy from Llanbrynmair to Pontllogel is a bit dull, apart from Lake Vyrnwy itself, which is a must-see. Be warned that accommodation can be a bit basic.But we never want to see another sheep!
Tue Jun 5 09:46:22 2007
Tony Carey from Brislington, Bristol
My pals and I are are planing to walk the majority of Glyndwr's Way in May 07. Today 2 Mar 07 we are off on our first serious training weekend. Having now read about this walk it certainly seems more of a challenge than one might first believe.
Anyway, we will write up our report when we get back - watch this space.
Fri Mar 2 10:26:00 2007
Sylvi Greenfield, Shrewsbury
I walked all sections of Glyndwr's Way with Network Singles Social Events Club from February 2004 to June 2005 and loved every minute and inch of it. I used the section leaflets and OS 1:25000 maps and also consulted the Head Warden of Powys County Council who was extremely helpful. I was very impressed with the leaflets and the signposting and only came unstuck when we all started chatting too much and none of us were concentrating on the map! The scenery is spectacular and we were highly impressed with the friendliness and exceptional service we experienced at most of the pubs along the way. In fact we're going to start the route again in 2007!
Sun Jan 7 20:19:38 2007
Margaret Brett from Rugby
We had the impression that this path is little used. We met only three other walkers in a week, and many parts are difficult to follow and have obviously not been recently walked. There is a major problem with diversions, particularly in the second half of the walk, which are mostly not waymarked at all, and take you well away from the path marked in the trail book. Someone in authority needs to do the full walk, and see the difficulties of actually trying to follow the trail, at the very least the diversions should be clearly waymarked - some of them have been in place since 2002! Having done many other long disance walks, and despite the beautiful scenery, we could not recommend this walk until the trail is properly open as marked on the official maps, and some parts of the route have been properly cleared. A great opportunity wasted by Powys county council.
Sat Aug 27 14:25:35 2005
Helen Govier, London
If you want peace and quite then the route is worth undertaking. However, it is not for the "novice" or faint hearted. There are numerous hill climbs, stretchs across rough moorland and rough ground. Beware of the directions given in the National Trail Guide! Parts of the route are disputed - even blocked in one place - resulting in long diversions. Improvements to the condition path are needed - there is no trail officer at present.
Accommodation is sparse and needs to be booked well in advance. The best section is the southern section between Knighton and Machynlleth. The area around Llyn Clywed reservoir is "idyllic". The northern half, apart from Welshpool for scenery tend to be a bit bland and boring.
Walk undertaken by myself, my 70 yr old mother and 7 year old springer spainel Myles) in June 2005.
Wed Aug 3 13:17:30 2005
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