Walking Around Pumlumon

A collection of 20 varied walks in the beautiful and rugged Plinlimon hills comprising clear maps and directions together with valuable notes on points of local historical and natural interest. New and revised edition. First published in 2002 (ISBN 9781902302225).

Review :
For those who are unfamiliar with this quiet area of Wales, it is centred on the old village of Talybont, about 8 miles north of Aberystwyth. The village, which has two fine pubs facing the green, lies in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains, some 3 miles from Cardigan Bay and 8 miles from the summit of Pumlumon. Walking in this area is a peaceful occupation there are none of the crowds of Snowdonia. The walks described are to the west of the Pumlumon ridge, bounded on the north by the Afon Dyfi and to the south by the Afon Rheidol. The terrain in this part of Wales is formed from a semi-circular plateau spreading out from the base of the Pumlumon ridge at about 1600 feet. The edges of the plateau have been eroded by ice and water into deep and often isolated valleys, which form the dominant features of the walks. As well as farming, the other occupations of industrial Talybont were mining and weaving. The common feature of both was the need for power. Both industries employed the same source of energy waterpower. The water wheels drove the winding gear and crushers at the mines and powered the weaving frames and spinning jennies of the mills. Although streams and rivers abound in the locality, they were not always in the right place and could run dry in summer, so reservoirs were constructed most of the lakes boast a dam, showing them to be either an enlarged natural pond or to have been created from scratch. To conduct the water to the right place, channels called leats were built, running at a very shallow gradient from the source to the wheel. The largest, Taylor's Leat, was built about 1850, ran for 19 miles and supplied up to 50 wheels. As very few mines were worked in the twentieth century, nature has had over 100 years to soften their impact and most are now far from being an eyesore. Many still have open adits (levels) and shafts, and I must emphasise that all are dangerous and should not be entered. The word forest should not be taken too literally it can mean trees between one and one-hundred feet tall or even clear-cut woodland. Logging operations may temporarily close some of the forest sections of these walks but it is usually possible to find a detour. Each walk has a detailed map and description which enables the route to be followed without difficulty, but be aware that changes in detail can occur at any time. The location of each walk is shown on the back cover and a summary of their key features is also given.