Welshpool Airport to Powis Castle Walk

Welshpool airfield to Powis Castle and return.

Distance: 5 ½ miles.

Terrain: Some busy roads, tracks, paths and tow paths, a few styles.

Refreshments: Welshpool Airfield Cafe & National Trust Cafe

Setting off from the airfield requires a walk along the fairly busy A490 up to the roundabout, although the road does have reasonable grass verges to stand on whilst the traffic goes past. 

Once at the roundabout we crossed the road to follow the second exit on to the A458, before after 50 metres a small road comes off on the right, following this to the end past some cottages there is a right turn to head up Lime Kilns Lane towards a bridge over the Montgomery Canal.

Montgomery Canal - Belan Lochs

Just after the bridge there is a gate on the right and a style, passing over this and following the wide path as it heads up hill passed some trees and before long passes into another field where the path bends right to follow a fence line on the left before heading down to a gated fence and then another bridge.  Following the track until it becomes grass across a field with a style at the edge of a road. Directly across from the style is the single track road leading into the grounds of the castle.

We had been advised to head further up the hill to the other entrance to the grounds (which, for cars is the exit) as this was the shortest way to the castle. We chose however to walk up to the castle using the vehicle entrance which meant we followed the road as it wound around passed the gardens and around the back to the car park. As we found out later this was probably the best idea.

Following the road around gave us a good view of the land around the castle and also a great view of the castle from outside the lower part of the gardens. Following the road round it continues through the grounds before turning in to the large car park towards the rear of the castle. Continuing further on at the end of the car park is the final short climb up to the entrance of the castle.

Powis Castle is run by the national trust and so we had our cards scanned and had a map of the garden stamped and entered the castle.

There is a National Trust Cafe here and so we had a couple of expensive juices before walking round the grounds and taking in the view.

View across the valley from the castle.

As time was getting on we decided to leave the castle and head for the airfield, initially we started walking down the vehicle exit, but after passing over one cattle grid we came across a number of cows sitting either side of the road, with one of them looking suspiciously like a bull, so we turned back and retraced our steps out of the grounds along the road that we had arrived on.

Exiting the grounds, instead of crossing the road and heading back across the fields we turned left and followed the road down the hill until, at a T junction it met the main road. We turned right passing over the road. After 150 metres a path crosses the road and goes through a gate, entering this there is a short walk between fences until the patch joins the towpath for the canal.

Belan Loch Cottages.

Following the canal took us to Belan Lochs at which point we turned off and followed a short road through the houses until we rejoined Lime Kilns Lane and followed this back to the cottages.  Turning right at the bottom of the road we took a path along some trees until we arrived at the A483, which we crossed and headed for the roundabout and then back down the A490 to the airfield.

Links:
Welshpool airfield
Powis Castle
Montgomery Canal