LLYN HEILYN is an amiable place to set out for a walk. The lake’s inmates are mute swan, mallard, little grebe, coot and moorhen.

Bridle paths take a fairly gentle course up the hillsides around it. The easy terrain is through tall heather with bilberry, grassland, bracken, gorse, hawthorn scrub and rocky outcrop.

We’re in the company of whinchat, stonechat, wheatear, buzzard and red kite.

Thin soil means there are few streams; ponds have had to be created for grazing sheep and cattle.

The notice by Bellibedw Mawn Pool informs us that it’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The rushy margins of a mawn pool, the Radnor term for a mire, are an attraction to birds like teal and snipe; and the moorland is actively managed for one of the largest populations of red grouse in Wales.

Something no longer flying is the Nazi flag at the deserted farmstead between points 4 and 5 on our route.

In a precursor to Resistance by Owen Sheers, recently filmed in the Black Mountains, Black Yatt featured in the 1964 film It Happened Here.

The ruins are a legacy of bombing in the cinematic German invasion. In my June 2013 reconnaissance, the only peril was being presented by a marauding Merlin flying low in pursuit of prey on the plateau by Llanwentre Pool.

John Lloyd lived on a little sheep farm up Harley Valley above New Radnor.

In the course of his work of tending to the flock on the steep and rocky hillside he often came across an animal with a broken leg.

He would boil herbs to make antiseptics and the simple surgery he carried out always seemed to do the job.

When the miller’s son from lower down the valley broke his leg, Lloyd was asked to mend a human being for the first time.

With the utmost care he set the boy’s leg in splints, bandaged it and helped the father carry him down the valley to the mill.

The grateful miller offered payment, but Lloyd declined: “I dunna take no gold or money for what the Almighty gave me”.

Instead he settled for two silver buttons.

Down the years, “Silver”

John’s reputation as a bonesetter grew and before long he had enough buttons for his waistcoat and his overcoat; but at Michaelmas in about 1830, the healer set out for Builth Fair on his cart and was never seen alive again.

When the Candlemas Fair was held around Llyn Heilyn, Fforest Inn landlord’s daughter Mary went skating on the ice towards the far end of the frozen lake.

Suddenly she slipped, fell face downward on the ice and let out a piercing cry of horror. A large crowd, rushing toward her, saw the girl point below herself before covering her face.

After the shallow waters had thawed, a corpse was carefully lifted out. It soon became obvious that this was Silver John, missing for four months, and murdered for the sake of his silver buttons. Nobody was ever charged but a local rhyme laid the blame in New Radnor: “Silver John is dead and gone, “So they came home asinging.

“Radnor boys pulled out his eyes “And set the bells a-ringing.”

Silver John lies on the slopes of Great Creigiau above New Radnor in a grave where the grass always grows greener; but his spirit haunts Llyn Heilyn.

Llyn Heilyn at Llanfihangel-nant-
Melan.
Lakeside, open moorland,
country lane. Highly
recommended ramble.
5½ miles, moderate.

 

Very clearly defined tracks.

No steep climbs or stiles.

Map: OS Explorer 200, Llandrindod
Wells and Elan Valley.

 

The Route.

1. Llyn Heilyn. GR 166 583. 8 miles west of Kington. 500m along from junction with A44 at Fforest Inn, park by lake bordering A481 to Builth Wells. With your back to road entrance to parking area, go right through bridle gate towards stand of trees.

Immediately TR before trees through second bridle gate.

Climb bridle path for quarter of a mile with fence on L.

Continue right, contouring hill through gated field division.

With the fence now on your R, pass a sheep pen, and go ahead through second gate.

Go ahead at a marker post, slightly down through marshy area and back up to second marker post. (1¼ miles so far).

2. Major path junction. Go ahead (over track coming up from right) about twelve paces. (Do not carry on uphill ahead). Instead, TL along wide stony path through gate. (60m above pool). We follow this direction now for 1 mile southeast: through SSSI gate: ahead and R of line of gnarled trees along wide track: climb a little up R of lone rowan tree: kink L at brow through bracken, then cross springy turf up past another lone rowan tree.

Now go down through gate ahead and rutted track to the larger mature trees ahead. (2¼ miles).

3. Tree gap. Reach marker post underneath Sycamore.

Carry on ahead through gap.

Go up over mound ahead, due east, and a little left ahead.

Follow grassy path ahead and drop a little to come closer to, and meet, the fence on your left. In a dip, at an upright post, keep ahead. Follow the line of small trees which is on your left. About 100m beyond the last small tree and level with a conifer plantation over on your left, reach a marker post. (2¾ miles).

4. Byway. The path for the next 1¼ miles is marked on the maps as a byway, so it should be, and is, obvious.

Bear L down across the ford, beyond the right, eastern edge of that same conifer plantation.

Go up byway, northnorth- east, past the remains of Black Yatt. Follow rutted track through waymarked gate, up and ahead, curving left and right, over brow, across plateau, along rutted track, through sheep pen area, through gateway and with fence now R, reach a path junction. (3¾ miles).

5. Meeting of fences at path junction. Where the fence on your right meets the fence ahead, TL down the rutted track, soon leaving the fence on your right with views across to the treeless wilds of Radnor Forest. You are now heading due west. Go down past an old quarry. Follow the aggregate path with fence now on your R again through a gate to Foice Farm. Now keep ahead on the surfaced road beyond Lawnt and Llyn-hilyn Cottage, with the lake on your left, to the Builth road. TL along road back to start.