I managed another 10 hour sleep in a comfortable bed, though the pub had a sad air with a sale board outside, some serious damp problems and owners who obviously wished they could be somewhere else.
I changed today’s route slightly to avoid walking up and down an unnecessary hill, which turned out to be a wise move as the field at the end of the original route was occupied by a fearsome bull with cows and young calves in attendance. We stuck to the high roads again, through Glasfynydd Forest with the Black Mountain to our south and the Usk Reservoir north. I’d hoped we would have good views of the latter but we saw only one brief glimpse of water through the trees. It was a hot day, a little hazy, but with a bit of freshness in the light breeze from the west.
We descended again into farm land, with red kites wheeling overhead, though not as many as in Didcot. We decided not to wait for feeding time at the Red Kite Feeding Centre but pressed on, up a lane which turned into a track, one of the most beautiful I have ever walked. It led uphill, with views back over the Beacons, as far as Pen y Fan, behind us. Near the top we paused for a brief siesta in the shade, then as we crested the hill, the rolling hills, woods and fields of Carmarthenshire opened up below us. Just a few surprised sheep to keep us company.
We could see our destination, Llangadog, but as usual it took longer to reach than anticipated, partly because it was hot but also because the locals are now friendly, in a West Wales way, so we fell into conversation with a couple of people we encountered. Llangadog is a surprisingly busy little village where every other house seems to be a pub, there used to be a livestock market here. Our Airbnb accommodation is comfortable in an interesting way – the shared bathroom with a door that is reluctant to close, let alone lock, is almost a step too far but it’s only one night.
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