CARDIFF • RADYR • CASTELL COCH • TAFF’S WELL • PONTYPRIDD • TREHARRIS • CEFN COED Y CYMMER • LLWYN-ON • NANT DDU • TALYBONT-ON-USK • BRECON • LLYSWEN • GLASBURY • HAY-ON-WYE
Launched in 1988, the Taff Trail is a walking route and cycle path that starts in Cardiff, capital of Wales, and follows the Taff river valley north for 88kms, ending at the market town of Brecon, Powys.
The route was interrupted several times as the second lockdown advanced from County to County, including Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Counties, necessitating a hop, skip and jump via public transport to the next County.
From the spa hotel of Nant Ddu onward, we were uninterrupted as Powys did not enter lockdown until several days after we finished the route.
Having arrived in Brecon, we took a taxi to the beautiful hotel Llangoed Hall – alleged site of the first Welsh Parliament – from where we joined the Wye Valley walk for 20kms to the Wales/England border town of Hay-on-Wye, following which we took a bus to Hereford and then a train home to London.
Music: Selections from John Metcalf’s (Swansea 1946) exquisite ‘Mapping Wales’, taking inspiration from the landscape of Wales and the spirit of travel.