Trailblazer Guide Books

Trailblazer guidebooks provide practical information on specific routes… in less accessible parts of the world.
 - Wanderlust

Using this guide

The route guide and maps have not been divided into rigid daily
stages since people walk at different speeds and have different
interests. Some sections fall naturally into full days such as Knighton
to Kington but more often the choice is up to the walker.

The route summaries below describe the trail between significant
places and are written as if walking the path from north to south.
To enable you to plan your own itinerary practical information
is presented clearly on the trail maps. This includes walking times,
places to stay, camp and eat, as well as shops where you can buy
supplies. Further service details are given in the text under the entry
for each place. For an overview of this information, see pp34-5.

TRAIL MAPS
Scale and walking times
The trail maps are to a scale of 1:20,000 (1cm = 200m; 31/8 inches =
one mile). Walking times are given along the side of each map and the
arrow shows the direction to which the time refers. Black triangles
indicate the points between which the times have been taken.

The time-bars are a tool and are not there to judge your walking
ability. There are so many variables that affect walking speed, from
the weather conditions to how many beers you drank the previous
evening. After the first hour or two of walking you will be able to see
how your speed relates to the timings on the maps.
Up or down?

The trail is shown as a dotted line – – –. An arrow across the trail
indicates the slope; two arrows show that it is steep. Note that the
arrow points towards the higher part of the trail. If, for example, you
are walking from A (at 80m) to B (at 200m) and the trail between the
two is short and steep it would be shown thus: A– – – >> – – – B.
Reversed arrow heads indicate downward gradient.

Accommodation
Accommodation marked on the map is either on or within easy reach
of the trail. Details of each place are given in the accompanying text.
Many B&B proprietors are happy to collect walkers from the nearest point on the trail and deliver them back again next morning; check at the time of booking, some may make a small charge.

Unless otherwise specifi ed, B&B rates are either per person (pp) or per room
for the summer (high) season assuming two people sharing a room; see also box
p19 and p20. The number and type of rooms are given after each entry: S = single
room, T = twin room, D = double room, F = family room (sleeps at least three
people; may also be let as a twin or double). Where possible places where at least
one room has a bath are specified (bath available) and also those that accept dogs.

Other features
Features are marked on the map when pertinent to navigation. In order to avoid
cluttering the maps and making them unusable, not all features have been
marked each time they occur.