A moderate route in Radnor Forest. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Street parking on main road in New Radnor (SO 212 608) - plenty available
Terrain: Roads, Mutton Dingle, footpaths, good paths/tracks through woods, open hillside, fairly steep climbs, gates, wild walking sections, firing range boundary paths, disused quarries, Dingl
This is a circular walk requiring good navigation skills in places especially in bad weather, taking in three Hewitts around the New Radnor firing range. I took this on in challenging weather conditions so missed out on views. The route begins on Mutton Dingle (love the name!) before climbing steadily through woodland with a suggested continuation around the bend at SO 212 625 rather than the marked footpaths. Bache Hill Hewitt's summit looks almost man-made, possibly an ancient burial site, with 2 wild campers huddled in their tent enduring the same low cloud, wind, and driving rain that prevented views. A route choice offers either retracing for a better path or wild walking to SO 213 638, both meeting at SO 205 638. The disused quarry track showed only big puddles, so the footpath along the wood proved better. Black Mixen Hewitt past the radio mast offered no views again. The firing range requires careful attention to plenty of warning signs about obvious dangers - no firing occurred during this walk but all warnings must be heeded. The path hugs the range boundary extensively, with wild walking required to reach Great Rhos Hewitt, the highest at 660m, where views would surely exist on better days. Davy Morgan's Dingle and Harley Dingle provide interesting features on the descent, where some views finally appeared. A challenging but rewarding walk combining three Hewitt summits with complex navigation through varied terrain and proximity to an active firing range.