After almost 14 hours in the saddle, two weary riders completed their ride of the 25 mile medieval Monk’s Trod in Mid Wales.
Dr Sam Hurn and Alexander Badman-King, from the University of Wales Lampeter, left Strata Florida Abbey at 6.30am on their journey along the medieval routeway linking two Cistercian houses, arriving at Abbey Cwmhir, near Rhyader, at 9.40pm.
The ride took place as part of the Strata Florida Project, a joint University and community initiative, and was initially intended to provide data for Professor Andrew Fleming who plotted the route of the Monk’s Trod and has written about its construction and role in the medieval period. However, as a result of the ride, and the research which Sam conducted with members of the farming community who have experience of riding and shepherding across the Cambrian Mountains, the importance of the route and the surrounding landscape in terms of local cultural heritage also became apparent.
Sam and Alex were accompanied some of the way by local farmer Huwie Davies who grew up on a farm intersected by the Trod. Huwie recalled that in his childhood, the Trod was wide enough and sufficiently intact to be able to drive a horse and cart along some sections. However, as Sam and Alex, and their horses Elvis and Psyche discovered, the Trod is no longer visible in places, and as a result, they found themselves repeatedly sucked into the boggy ground around the Claerwen reservoir in the Elan Valley.
The Trod’s demise is due, in part, to the nature of the bogland, and centuries of neglect, but the Trod’s deterioration has been exacerbated in places by the use of recreational 4x4s and motorbikes, and by military training exercises which have made some sections no-go areas.
Huwie and some of the other farmers met along the way expressed concern that the Trod was disappearing and that something needed to be done to help preserve this historically, archaeologically and culturally significant road. The route of the Trod takes in some breathtaking scenery and represents a fantastic opportunity for walkers, horse riders and cyclists to experience the beauty of rural Wales. However, at present, sections of the route are just too dangerous – as Huwie pointed out, the only reason Alex and Sam were able to get across was because they were riding locally bred Welsh cobs, and because the period preceding the ride had been uncharacteristically dry. As a result, Sam is hoping that during the next phase of the Riding the Trod project she can find a way of working with local communities to restore the Trod, which could, in time, become a valuable asset for attracting tourists to the area.
Sam and Alex would like to express their sincere thanks to the support team on the day: Professor David Austin, Gaenor Parry, Professor Andrew Fleming, Eleanor Flaherty, Rachel Stelmach, Huwie Davies, Glyndwr Jones, Non and Lisa Jones and Lucy Clark, plus in the run up to the event; Tom Baker, Eve Hayes, Valerie and Andrew West, Chris Jones, Pat and Roger Conn, Sheila and Rosemary at Bitless Bridle Equestrian Centre, the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, Mountain Horse and to everyone else who has provided support towards the project or donated sponsorship in aid of World Horse Welfare.
