43. Lonely Shepherd

Parking

Parking is at the car park just off Hafod Road. There are at least three ways of reaching this point.(Grid reference: SO208154)

1. The easiest but the longest. Take the old road up Black Rock. At the top take the right turn onto Hafod Road just after the 20mph sign. Follow the road, past the gas pumping station on your right, and another half-mile or so to the car park signed on your left.
2. In Gilwern village turn onto the Crickhowell Road. After a short distance , pass garage on left and turn left at Church Road signposted Llanelly Church 1 ½ miles. Turn right immediately past church then follow the road left up the hill. This is a narrow road with very few passing places. At the T-junction take care when turning very sharply right onto Hafod Road. Follow the road as in option 1.
3. From the Gilwern-Llangattock road, turn left signposted to Herons’ Rest marina. Follow signs to White Horse trekking at subsequent junctions (but don’t turn into the stables), and on up the T-junction with Hafod Road. Turn left and park as above. This route is very steep in parts, narrow and with few passing places.

Directions

1. Facing the hillside look for a small path at the left-hand end of the car park. This leads to a grass path. Turn left.
2. When you reach a stony track in front of a white house with a conifer hedge, turn right and continue uphill. This is a rough stony track which turns to the left. Keep going until you get to a a smaller grassy track on the left (point A).
3. Stay on the lower path which goes between boulders and ‘bumps’ to reach fencing. The Lonely Shepherd is now in view. Carry on to the viewpoint.
4. Retrace your steps to point A. Turn left and double back on yourself . Ignore sheep tracks to right and left to reach a path where three paths converge to form an old tramroad going straight on along the hillside. Keep to this path until you see a white house below you to the left. Here there are small paths to right and left.
5. It is possible to turn right up the hill through bracken, gorse and winberries to the crest of the hill for good views westward, but this path peters out into sheep tracks and you will have to turn back eventually.
6. Take the path to the left, go down the steep path keeping to the house boundary going round to the right. Cross the driveway beyond, then follow the path nearest to the wall / fence to the right - the Sugar Loaf will be directly in front of you. As you turn around the hill the Lonely Shepherd will come into view again, this time above to the left.
7. After passing a stone barn on your right, the path becomes a vehicle track which eventually joins the Hafod Road at a T junction. Turn left here. Pass farm buildings to the left and the gas pumping station on the right. On reaching the next T junction just before the old sheep pens, turn left onto the stony track, and after a few yards right onto the grassy path to return to the car park. When you pass the white house and barns which are lower down the hill, the car park is to the right off the path.

Points of interest