Walk 20 – Blaenavon & Blorenge

 

2 July 2010 (part of the WWA e-book revision)

A part of my route, barely walked before I wrote WWA in 2003 has become the official ‘Iron Mountain Trail’, so you may come across the ‘IMT’ trail waymarks and you’ll certainly see improvements in the footpaths. The length of the walk has been recalculated to be 9.8 miles / 15.8km.

There is a new starting point: Due to the winter closure of the Ironworks car park, use the new free car park opposite the Rifleman’s Arms (SO 252095). Start the walk at point A. However, this will give you a stiff climb to end the walk. If you want to end on a ‘downhill’, take the B4242 Garn road left (before point A) and continue to Whistle Road, parking at the cp by the lake. Here, start the walk at point I.

 

P 107 para. 3 line 6 ‘the stile’ is now a metal kissing gate.

P 107 para 5 line 3 ‘walk ahead over a muddle of tracks’ can now read “walk ahead following the direction of the signpost marked IMT and look ahead to see another signpost a short distance ahead on an obvious cross-track. When you reach it go right etc…”

P108 para 2 line 1 ‘the masts soon appearing dead ahead’. Before them is now a signpost which directs you to Blorenge 2kms”.

P108 para 5.After leaving the summit of Blorenge (point D) to reach the narrow path, there is now a more recognisable path forking left that descends to the tramway.

P108 para 7 last line ‘cross to a footpath sign’ that now directs you Garnddrys 1.2 kms.

P108 para 8 line 3 ‘watch for a fork in the path’. There is now a signpost at this spot directing you right to Cwm Llanwenarth.

P110 para 2 line 1 ‘Take the tramroad climbing to the left’. There is now a signpost pointing you in this direction to Garn Lakes 3.4 kms.

P110 para 2 line 2 Ignore a sign to the left directing you to the Iron Mountain Trail and continue on to climb the stile at the quarry.

P110 para 5 line 2 ‘iron gate’ is now a wooden gate.

P110 para 7 line 1 ‘Cross the road, bear left’. There is now a signpost directing you to Garn Lakes following the broad track up the hill”.

P111. Between points H and I, there is now a safer, car-free route. When you reach the road beyond the incline, cross and go a few yards to the right to cross a footbridge. Go straight ahead down a grass track to reach a good gravel path. Turn right and with the lake on your left follow it round the lake until you can see the Whistle Inn ahead of you. Leave the path at this point to follow a path up to a gap in the wall and on to a road. Turn left and go over the railway bridge to the Whistle Inn.

P112 Last para line 1. There is a second field gate after the first and in line 2 the colliery mentioned on the right has been cleared and the ground landscaped. Only the rusting iron gatepost remains.

P112 line 3. The railway is in the process of being rebuilt, so the cycle track and the new line run side by side.

Thanks To Don Ford for this information