The mill assisted in the production of wool, which was then turned into the distinctive Welsh flannel and Pandy’s English interpretation is a ‘fulling-mill – relating to the fact that the wool is cleaned, thickened and felted using water-driven hammers.
They set off in dry weather and crossed the bridge over the River Honddu for the gradual steep climb up to the ridgeway that carries part of Offa’s Dyke Path. This National Trail runs for 177 miles and connects Chepstow in the south to Prestatyn in the north, following the route upon which King Offa created earthworks to separate his kingdom of Mercia from the marauding Welsh.
Pausing to catch their breath on the way up, they had a magnificent view of Ysgyryd Fawr, which is also known as Skirrid or more locally as the Holy Mountain or Sacred Hill. On its northern side is a landslide which folklore stated was caused by an earthquake striking when Christ was crucified, but actually, its jagged split is a result of the Ice Age. On top of the mountain stood the Church of St Michael, which many Catholics used in secret following King Henry VIII’s break from Rome when their religion was banned.
After the heat of their climb, a cool breeze refreshed them, and they made a stop for morning refreshments whilst gazing towards the Malvern and Shropshire hills away in the distance. Having resumed their walk, they met up with an additional walker who had taken a different and shorter route to the ridgeway, so their number swelled to eight. Walking westwards along the ridge with views across the Black Mountain ridges, they deviated onto Hatterrall Hill.
Deriving from the Welsh at yr haul – meaning ‘to the sun’, the hill actually has a number of different spellings and overlooks the Cwmyoy valley. On one side of the hill, you are standing in England and on the other in Wales, as it forms a boundary line between Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. A great place to stop for lunch and despite it being overcast and cloudy to the west they viewed the familiar outline of Sugar Loaf Mountain, along with Pen y Gadair and the Blorenge opposite Abergavenny and even a misty Bristol Channel away to the south.
Refreshed and with energy replenished, the steep descent from Hatterrall Hill, which rises to 531m at its northern end, led them to a wooded valley below the ancient hillfort on its southern tip that broke off during the last Ice Age, just like Skirrid.
Then a treat, in the form of what is known as the ‘wonky church’ relating to the Church of St Martin at Cwmyoy, a medieval building which has suffered from constant subsidence that first began with the landslip at Hatterrall Hill, as it is sited on its lowest slopes. So beams were inserted to reinforce its crookedness, and Victorian stone buttresses shore up the outer walls to prevent it from collapsing or leaning any further.
Its oldest features are thought to relate to the 12th century, along with a 13th century stone crucifix with Christ on the cross and, rather unusually, wearing a mitre. It has a ring of six bells and during the 1880’s was restored by the Reverend Lewis who was the vicar for Cwmyoy and nearby Llanthony for nearly 40 years.
After viewing the interior of this delightful church, they exited and made their return by means of quiet lanes and fields to recross the River Honddu and make their way back to their start after a great day’s walking.
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