The Cambrian Mountains are criss-crossed by countless old tracks and routes. The oldest of these is the Kerry Ridgeway, near Newtown, an ancient route whose origins are lost in the mists of time.
Last used regularly by cattle and sheep drovers some 150 years ago, the route predates the Iron Age and Dark Ages earthworks that sit alongside it.
Now a long distance footpath, the Kerry Ridgeway never dips below 1,000 feet above sea level, resulting in remarkable views in all directions.
This ancient highway passes through Ceri Forest where, thanks to the removal of a number of conifer trees planted during the 1970s, visitors can once again enjoy the views that the drovers would have seen over 100 years ago.
Forestry Commission Wales manages Ceri Forest on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and the clearance of the conifer trees was a key part of its ten year design plan for this woodland.
Forestry Commission Wales’s Area Manager Nick Whythe said, “Our work to reinstate parts of the Kerry Ridgeway has helped to preserve the special character of this part of Wales’s landscape.
“We hope the views that have been opened up here will improve the experience of visitors to this beautiful part of the country and give them an insight into how the surrounding area would have looked to the drovers all those years ago.”
Other restoration work included the clearance of shrubs from Lower Short Ditch, one of the earthworks adjacent to the Kerry Ridgeway and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This work was carried out by volunteers from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust who worked with Forestry Commission Wales.
