Trail-blazers fix Glyndwr's Way

A popular National Trail in north Powys is being improved thanks to a group of volunteers and their 4x4 vehicles.

Glyndwr's Way National Trail near Llangadfan is set to be improved thanks to a project that has been started to build boardwalks made of lightweight culvert pipes and mesh on an inaccessible and boggy part of the trail.

The remoteness of the area had given Powys County Council's Countryside Services team considerable problems in getting the large amount of materials needed to the site. However, thanks to the resources of a new volunteer group, with its 4x4 vehicles and experienced drivers, improvements on the trail are starting to take shape.

The volunteers come from a group called Treadlightly, an organisation that promotes the sustainable, responsible and legal use of motorised vehicles in the countryside. Working alongside the council's countryside access volunteer co-ordinator, the group helped to transport the materials using their 4x4 vehicles and then got to work building the boardwalks.

Helen Tatchell, the council's Glyndwr's Way National Trail, said: "I would like to thank the Treadlightly volunteers, who are both willing and happy to offer their services on all rights of way, including those that do not allow for vehicle access. "Utilising their vehicles meant that we only needed to make the minimum number of journeys from the public road to the remote site, saving a huge amount of time and effort. The day was a great success and we hope to repeat it again soon." Cllr Rosemarie Harris, Cabinet Member responsible for Countryside Services, said: "Volunteers have played an important role in recent years in opening up our beautiful countryside for people to enjoy. I'm delighted that we have worked with Treadlightly on this successful project and we are looking forward to working together again on other projects in the future."