The Monks Trod
Posted on Thursday, December 18 @ 20:51:25 GMT
Topic: Trips
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 In mid - December 2008, a valiant band of landrover enthusiasts, (ok, Rob, Gareth and our two loyal, long-suffering better halves) set out to conquer the legendary Monks Trod - on foot! This route has been TRO'd for 20 years. Legend has it that there is a Discovery in the bog about midway along the route. So we parked a vehicle at the Claerwen Dam, then drove round in a second vehicle to start walking from the East end of the Trod. The forecast was abysmal. Mart had already opted out. Turns out that whilst the rest of the country languished under 2 feet of water, we had clear skies (mostly) and ideal conditions. The track is in the most remote part of the country. Not a soul for miles. It would still be driveable at the beginning and the end, but the bog in the middle is impassable. This is a TRO I support whole-heartedly. If there is a Disco up there, it's long since sunk to a muddy grave. We walked the Trod, ending up at the top end of the Claerwen Reservoir, looking for tyre tracks, and picturing what it would be like to drive it. It's not a high walk, but the scenery is spectacular. We were then faced with a 2 hour yomp along the lake-side track with only 1 hour of daylight left. We finally reached the car at 5pm with the last glimpses of daylight dying over the hills. After a 13 mile walk. Gareth and Jo's blisters at the end of the track were a sight to behold - they soldiered on without a whimper and we reached the car at the dam with a sense of relief. Beer and Pie, then a couple of oversized measures of Talisker at the hotel that night sorted out the aches and pains, though the blisters left Gareth hobbling for days after. The Trod is a route to fantasize about but no longer to drive - forget the mountain bikes too - that bog is simply too impenetrable. But I can now say that I've done the Monks Trod...
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