The area round Newchurch is a short distance north of the book Mecca that is Hay-on-Wye. Barely 15 minutes drive will take you to low hill country of moorland and open common, with fine views of the Black Mountains and, more distantly, the Brecon Beacons. We had book-related events to attend in Hay, and a remote farm B&B near Newchurch as base-camp. Behind it, Newchurch Hill and a Trig Point to ‘bag’ while the late November sun shone.
Easy walking on open terrain, with plenty of sheep for company
And horses. Most are wild, in that they are mainly left to their own devices all year round. They are a mix of Welsh mountain ponies, Welsh cobs and perhaps some pit ponies, with other breeds adding to the genetic mix over the years. The greys are the purest bred.
There were a number of broad tracks, and because the land was so open the sheep tracks were very clearly defined. This one stretched a remarkably long way. You can just see our trig point target on the skyline
The trig point marks Newchurch Hill as 424 metres high, and provides extensive 360deg views
There are any number of ways to get to the top, and to return. This was a tempting track 
At one stage we were joined by a pair of red kites (the area is known as ‘red kite country’). It was gratifying to find that at one stage we were actually higher than they were. I wished I’d taken a bigger camera…
As we walked down, a pair of riders from a nearby stables passed on the skyline 
The stables had the perfect name for spelling out with horseshoes…
ROLLING HARBOUR GALLERY 