The way points of this bicycle route:
At 30 miles this section is a real toughie. It starts on the hills above Trallong and is designed as a linear route requiring the use of 2 cars or a drop-off at the start and either using the railway station at Llandovery or a pick-up from there. Drop-off in Trallong or if you can manage turning around in a tight space drop-off at the start of the byway up the lane (saves a climb).
The Roman road between CICVCIVM (near Brecon) and ALABVM (Llandovery) is not known as Sarn Helen, but it does provide a link between 2 of the Sarn Helens. There is no clear route to follow at the start of the road so we play on the bridleways in the hills north of the Usk valley. This takes us away from the valley and the course of the road, so we make a turn south and pick up some rights of way around Sennybridge then Trecastle (named for the 3 Roman sites on the hills above the town).
At Trecastle we pick up the first bit of worthwhile Roman road over Mynydd Bach Trecastell and make a visit to the Roman camps, fortlet and practice works at or near Y Pigwn. Then we lose the road again and pick up several rights of way and forestry trails on the way into Llandovery where we visit to the Roman fort of ALABVM. We complete this section at Llandovery station. From the village of Trallong turn up the lane northwards out of the village.
At a sharp left in the lane go straight-on onto a restricted byway. This track has a long established history of vehicular use so you may expect to find 4x4's and trials bikes using it. You could drop-off here if you're OK about turning around in this tight junction.
The bounded lane opens out onto moorland. Stay straight-ahead ignoring the fork to the right. Stay on the main track there are lots of smaller less well used tracks criss-crossing the byway.
Eventually in the saddle between the two hilltops, you meet a significant fork in the track. Both branches are fairly straight-ahead. Take the left fork - a bridleway. If you end up on the right-hand fork (the byway), just take a left when you hit the more heavily used track ahead.
Merge left onto a more heavily used track.
As the bridleway approaches a field ignore the right fork taking you into the field. Fork left and skirt the common.
Just past a track merging in from the left is a fork. Take the right fork remaining parallel to the field boundary.
Take the next left fork and head towards the fields on the other side of the common.
Now you skirt the south side of the common and run parallel to the fields on your left. Start counting the fields (this one is number 1).
At field number 5 the field boundary diverges from the bridleway and you cross the centre of the common as you climb the hill.
The bridleway leaves the main track somewhere here, but I think sticking with the main track is a sensible diversion.
A track merges in from the left and a little way ahead the route sweeps around to the left.
You're almost definitely back on the bridleway from here.
The bridleway passes on the right side of a large pond on top of the hill.
Further along the bridleway passes between 2 ponds, the one on the right is very small and may not be noticeable.
The gorse/bracken thins and opens into a clearing with a fork in the track. Take the right branch.
Just before the gorse/bracken ends, there's another minor fork keep left on the main track. After this you stay fairly straight-on and the track should be easy to follow for quite some distance.
Eventually the track gets close to the fields on your left. Keep left and keep converging on the boundary.
You cross a stream. Now keep a look out for T-junction and another bridleway off to the left into the fields.
We're now quite some distance from the Roman road in the Usk valley. Time to turn south. At the T-junction turn left into the bridleway into a field and skirt the right side of the field towards the farm.
Enter the farmyard between 2 buildings then weave left-right-left through the farm buildings and out the other side.
As you clear the last building take a right into the field. Cross the field keeping towards the right side (but not hedge-hugging). It's an odd shaped field, but you're heading for the furthest right corner.
There should be a route through the hedge in front of you according to the bridleway, but Google maps disagrees(?) If there IS a way through. You're heading for the right-hand boundary of the next field and a gate a third of the way down the hedge. If there's NOT a way through, turn left and hedge-hug your way along the edge to the gateway.
Loose hairpin your way right, into the next field. You'll pick up a track running across the field to a gate in the opposite edge.
Into the next field now keep to the boundary on your right.
Inb the corner of the field you enter a bounded lane into a small copse.
Exit the cospe and continue along the lane.
Through the farm weave your way through the farm buildings with a right-left-left-right-right.
Stay on the main track/road as you clear the last barn.
At the T-junction, haripin right.
Merge left at T-junction entering the village of Pentre'r-felin
Turn left at the crossroads in the centre of the village.
Turn right at the T-junction
You are skirting the Sennybridge military camp. Is this the modern equivalent of the Roman forts!??! :-S
As the road swings round to the left at a T-junction, you should be able to see a track on the right hand side of the left turn running parallel to the road down towards the river. This is a bridleway - follow it to and along the river.
At ther river the rhe bridleway kinks left-right. I think it may actually be a sealed surface. Follow it along the river.
After passing 3 large buildings on your right look to find the bridleway loop round to the right onto the road ahead.
Straight-on at the crossroads.
After the farm on the left the road swings around to the left. Go straight-on onto a bridleway.
You emerge form the trees into an open field.
Not sure where the opening into the next field is in the opposite hedge, but I think it should be towards the left end of the hedge. Through the hedge, you want to bear left towards the centre of the hedge on the left.
Go through the gateway and turn right onto the main road. Take care - this is the A40 and is a fast, and at times, busy road. Fortunately, we turn off this road fairly swiftly.
Take the next right off the A40.
Left at the crossroads.
Somewhere in the trees theres a bridleway forking off to the left to a farm.
Not exactly sure how you follow the route through the farmyard, but it looks as if you go straight-on between the buildings ahead to a hedge.
At the hedge should be a T-junction with a track running behind the buildings. To the right is an Other Route with Public Access and to the left is a restricted byway. Take the byway to the left.
Once again - not precisely sure of the route. But it looks like the byway swings hard to the right away from a field entrance straight-ahead. The byway goes through the hedge into a field. Skirt the hedge on the left to the next corner in the field.
Stay straight-on and pass into the next field. Skirt the tiny copse momentarily then continue into the copse and out the other side (still in the same field).
Keep the hedge to your left.
In the corner of the field, pass into the next field. Continue to skirt the left hedge and head for the next corner in the field
In the corenr of the field I think the byway enters a bounded lane bearing to the left. Follow the lane (or if I'm wrong the field boundary).
The byway turns hard right. Follow it, skirting the field on the right. This could be a quick downhill, so take care at the bottom as it junctions with a fast main road - so no bunny hopping the gate onto a major trunk road!!!
At the end of the byway turn right onto the A40. This is a sometimes busy, usually fast major trunk road - take care. Fortunately we turn off in half a km.
At the second minor track on the right, alongside a small cottage fork right off the main road. I believe this is an old toll road and the cottage is the toll house. It's an ORPA on the OS map because it is a county road. If I remeber rightly this track was quite difficult to traverse, I think the track was criss-crossed with barbed wire fences - hopefully that's been put right now. I believe the green-laners (4x4s) and trail riders (trials bikes) have recognised this fact more recently and opened up usage. It's a bounded lane all the way along.
There may be a T-junction here - stay straight-on. If the track is difficult to follow then it will probably be from here on.
At the T-junction the county road is straight-on, but turn left onto a bridleway.
The bridleway runs into a farmyard(?) Follow the main thoroughfare through the property to the main road.
Bear left onto the A40. Take care - once again, this is the main road. You're right in the middle of the village of Trecastle so the traffic should be a little more gentle.
Take the 2nd right into Chapel Street.
Straight-on at the T-junction.
At the first T-junction beyond the edge of the village, turn right along a farm access , a bridleway.
As soon as you enter the farmyard, turn sharp right into a bounded lane.
Stay in the lane as it turns sharp left by a field entrance.
I think the lane ends here and opens into a field. Skirt the left edge of the field towards the adjacent corner.
In the corner of the field the bridleway enters a small valley and crosses a stream.
Up the other side of the valley it opens into a field. cross the field towards the opposite corner.
In the corner of the field cross diagonally into an adjacent field. Cross this next field aiming for the property in the trees on the far side.
Not sure how the bridleway enters or passes through the property. On the map it seems to pass wide of the left side of the main house then cut right just in front of the house, before cutting left and leaving via the main drive.
Part-way up the drive there is a crossroads with an open hard-standing area on the right. The bridleway ends here and I don't think straight-on is a public right of way. The track crossing the access road is a restricted byway. Turn right. I think it's a bounded lane for a short distance.
The lane opens into a field. Skirt the right-hand edge of the field to the corner ahead.
In the corner of the field pass into the field on the right and skirt it's left edge (with the fence-line on your left).
In the corner of the field turn right through the gateway onto the road.
At the T-junction bear left.
At the next T-junction turn left onto a long straight road. This is popularly considered to be the Roman road. I'm not sure if this is correct as it makes quite a severe turn ahead - I suspect the actual route is somewhat south of here and makes aim for Sennybridge.
At the sharp bend (sharp in Roman road terms!) you are now pretty close to being on the original Roman road. The actual route probably being a spit to the right. We converge with it and join it just ahead.
At the slight kink in the road, we cross and nearly join the Roman road. I think it is literally just to the left of the road beyind the hedge/fence.
As the patches of trees on the left come to an end the road steers very slightly right and we move onto the Roman road.
I think you're now right smack bang on the original road.
The road becomes an unsurfaced county road.
A short distance along the unsurfaced road, I think we deviate off the Roman road as the track bears ever so slightly right.
As the track bears slightly left, ahead of you, you may be able to see the east ramparts of the Y Pigwn marching camps.
Here, you're right next to the southern corner of the Y Pigwn marching camps. There are 2 camps here. Both are rectangular and orientated roughly SW-NE. One is slightly larger than the other and their orientations are slightly different. On Google Maps you can see them as 2 rectangles, one inside the other with it's corners touching the larger one's edges.
There is a track here which will take you up onto the earth bank ramparts of the camps. On Google you can clearly make out the entrances of the inner camp on it's northern edges, 1/3 of the way along from the western corner and halfway along the north-eastern side. When you're ready to continue, carry on along the track. There is an issue here with the way the route is displayed on an OS map. It's shown as an ORPA up to the county boundary, but is I believe a county road on both sides.
Due to the shape of the terrain this is the natural route for a road and the Roman Road does appear to be here but instead of going to the right at this kink it goes straight on to the Roman fortlet perched on this high spur with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. I'm not clear exactly where the fort lies here my research hasn't given me specific descriptions.
The track swings dramatically round to the left and down this steep escarpment. The views here are stunning.
As the track loses a little altitude it becomes a hedge lined lane.
Past the farm the lane becomes a tarmac lane. There is a gentle right-left in the lane, then look for two field entrances on opposite sides of the lane. Turn left off the the road into the field.
Roughly in line with a field entrance in the hedge to your left - stop. You should be on or near the Roman practice works. This may have been a temporary camp or an unfinished marching camp. Return to the field entrance you came in through.
Half way along the hedge turn left 90 degrees and head into the centre of the field.
Turn right in the field and skirt the right-hand edge of the field to about half way between the entrance and the opposite edge of the field.
Turn left back onto the road.
At the T-junction keep left.
Just past a house on the right, turn right into a lane into the trees. This is a county road.
In the farmyard bear right down the left side of the farm buildings. The county road becomes an unsurfaced one through deciduous woodland. I seem to remember it's easy to navigate. As it's a county road, it could have motorised vehicles on it (though it's not such a well known route), so take care.
Eventually the lane opens out into fields. Stick with it down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill you arrive at a farm. Go straight-on through and out of the farmyard.
At the end of the lane is a staggered crossroads on teh A40. Crossover slightly right of straight-on. Take care with traffic - this can be a fast and busy road.
Through the village of Pentrbach, go straight-on at the T-junction onto a bridleway (possibly surfaced)
Eventually you reach a sewed crossroads with another bridleway. Go straight-on.
Past a small property on your left the bridleway gets a bit indistinct. The best route looks as though it's straight-on until you reach a T-junction with another track.
At the T-junction, turn right sharply heading downhill.
A short distance on there's a hairpin left. Follow it round.
The track bears left and the bridleway should be just after the corner and will be a barely used track off to the right.
The bridleway traverses down the hillside towards a hedgerow at the back of some properties.
At the back of the property, you turn right straight between the buildings and down the drive (through the ford) to the main road.
Turn left for a short sprint down the A40. Take care of traffic.
Take the next left in towards the Forestry.
Fork left staying on the main track. There are a number of minor junctions ahead, stay on the main track.
At a fork in the track take the left branch and follow the wide sweep around to the left.
As the track arrives at the edge of the forest at a T-junction, turn right keeping to the main track skirting the edge of the forest.
At the T-junction keep straight-on.
At the next T-junction fork left.
After a sharp left bend you come out of the Forestry then swing right to skirt a deciduous copse (you will have fields on your left as opposed to clear fell which may have been around you earlier).
The track swings left across the fields
As you enter another deciduous copse there should be 2 tracks on your left leading up through the copse, pick one and take a left.
Where the track meets the road turn left onto the road.
Fork left onto a byway.
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Sarn Helen is the name given to a number of Wales’ Roman roads. The roads were built after the conquest of the Welsh tribes to create a network of all-weather routes linking the Romans' forts. "Sarn Helen" is a misnomer meaning Helen's Causeway or Road and refers to Elen, a Romano-British princess and the wife of the governor of Britain, Maximus. Whilst she is fabled to have got Maximus to build roads across Wales to help defend it, it is considered that Elen is from a much later period than the roads themselves. These roads suggest a route from a fort in Neath in South Wales all the way up to a fort near Conwy in the north. Parts of Sarn Helen are off-road and make for interesting MTBing, but much of Sarn Helen is tarmac or obliterated. However, I’m inspired by the idea of a south to north route split into bite sized chunks, which follows Sarn Helen or haunts its surrounding countrtside and visits the Roman sites along the way. See plots #1-3 for a description of this section. WIP.
Tagged with: Recreational, Onroad, MTB, Difficult, Offroad, Low traffic, Rural, Scenic
