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Adams Anchorage and New Cwm Farm

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Newsletter September 2007

Good News for Walkers and Cyclists

Visit Wales has awarded New Cwm Farm both “Walkers Welcome” and “Cyclists Welcome” gradings. This means we offer facilities especially tailored to outdoor people’s needs, such as a drying room, secure storage for bicycles, etc. Groceries can be delivered prior to your arrival, and “breakfast in a basket” can be provided. We can transport guests to the local CamRA hostelry or to the Radnorshire Arms in Beguildy or the Kerry Lamb in Kerry for an evening meal, or indeed take your luggage on to your next port of call.

Both Oak cottage and Sycamore cottage have full central heating (included in the price) and a washer/dryer. There are guide books and maps which guests are welcome to borrow for the duration of their stay.

Within the last three years, the Shropshire Parish Access Project has renovated all the rights of way signs, stiles, gates, etc., and fortunately Powys has done the same. This makes it very user-friendly for visitors and locals. The Cross Wales Walk organised in June each year by the Newtown Rotary Club finishes at the Anchor Inn, just a mile away from New Cwm Farm. Mountain bikers have miles of forestry tracks to explore, together with the common land of Cilfaesty, which adjoins New Cwm, and further over is The Beacon – an even bigger common! More conventional cyclists may prefer to stick to the tarmac roads, which are very quiet especially in the Clun Forest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, again only a mile away. Why not bring your bicycle for National Bike Week in mid June annually, or if you prefer to spectate, what about the Tandem Triathlon at Bishops Castle at the end of June each year?

Four Footed proFile

Christmas Cara

Cara is a lovely 15hh heavyweight skewbald mare. Rescued at 18 months old – all ears and feet! – from Llanybydder horse market, she was gently broken in at 4 years old and taught to jump a couple of years later. She has a lovely easy going nature and has been on loan previously to adults and children. Cara is now 15 years old and taking it far too easy(!) and would make an ideal light hack or companion. She lives out all year, but needs space and some shelter. Cara is owned by a good friend of ours and for further details contact
Sam on 02476 742485, mobile 07906 715 916,
Email: nessthebedouin@hotmail.com

Whimberries

The end of July/beginning of August is whimberry-picking time. Locally the whimberries grow on the turbury, which is an almost unique area of moorland adjacent to the Kerry Ridgeway. There is nothing better on a summer’s evening when the air is like wine, than to go whimberry picking, for which you need a “whimberry coom”. This can best be described as a heavy duty afro comb with a little box attached. You sweep it through the low-growing bushes, and the little black berries are gently stripped off and collected (together with a lot of flotsam and jetsam) in the little box.

The most boring part is picking over the berries in the kitchen – it takes about an hour to pick over enough for a pie, but believe me it is worth it. A friend of mine put it succinctly as she was tucking into a plate of whimberry pie and custard: “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven”.

Download the September 2007 newsletter (pdf).

Newsletter Archive

Check out previous newsletters.

The March 2007 newsletter.

The June 2007 newsletter.

Summer!

Well, what a summer we’ve had! The rain in June and July didn’t cause us much in the way of problems, apart from a few overtopped ditches. It rained on St Swithin’s Day, therefore it would rain for the next 40 days. No change there then. But there are pluses – I’ve never seen so many harebells (see above), and the apples are cropping very heavy. The local farmers had an hysterical couple of weeks harvesting when the good weather did come, and in the end it was a good hay crop.

The E Type Jaguar Owners’ Club held a rally this summer which passed The Anchorage. There were 30 or 40 of these inimitable immaculate cars with their distinctive throaty engines. Was there ever a more sexy car? I was privileged, as a teenager, to ride in one once. A gentleman from our village stopped and offered me a lift to the railway station. It was completely the wrong direction and I would be late getting to work, but was I going to refuse?

The Kerry Ridgeway

A gentle 15 mile route from Cider House on the B4355 in the west (grid reference 108847) to Bishops Castle in the east, and passing just a mile or so from New Cwm Farm. This is the most ancient of the countless old tracks and routeways in the Cambrian Mountains. Its origins are lost in the mists of time but it certainly predates the Iron Age and Dark Ages.

The Kerry Ridgeway never dips below 1,000 feet, resulting in spectacular views in all directions, up to 70 miles on a clear day. The route undulates gently throughout, ideal for walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers, all of whom can legally use this prehistoric way

Hatched, Matched and Despatched

The foal born on 5 May has been called Trooper. As he will be a big strong horse the name will suit him.

Misty (and foal) has been running with a 14.2hh traditional piebald stallion. As Misty is 16hh, it was a good job the field had a steep slope! We are hoping for a sweet natured cob around 15.2hh, with a bit of white about it.

Malakie has been sold to a first class home near Kidderminster where the mum and teenage son are both going to ride him (presumably not at the same time).

Black Girl, a show jumping mare, has been sold to a riding school in Essex where I’m sure she will enjoy teaching the children to jump.

Also a gorgeous Welsh Cob called Tarzan has been sold to a vet and her husband who live just down the road, so we will still see him out and about.