Anne Hayward retired to the Abergavenny area late last year, and enchanted by its seven hills, lush meadows, and winding river, decided to make a 550 mile pilgrimage cross country on foot, to explore more of Wales - a land she had fallen in love with.

Walking across its diverse terrain and falling in love with its natural beauty, Anne’s three month adventure across Wales made a deep impression on the solitary wanderer.

Anne would like to share some of her recollections of the landscapes she journeyed across, and the tapestry of rich and varied heritage she travelled through with Chronicle readers, and hopes that just maybe her adventures in wild Wales might inspire a few more souls out there to pull on their hiking boots, pick up their rucksacks and set off into the remote and magical places found in every corner of Cymru.

I’d been planning a long walk in Wales for some time and, having taken early retirement from teaching, I took the opportunity to spend three months on the road as a long distance walker.

I set off from my home in Gilwern just after Easter and got back in early July, having travelled about 550 miles on foot in that time.

I’d been interested for some time in the ancient pilgrimage places of Wales; the sites that are so significant in the religious history of this nation. So first I headed north to Holywell in Flintshire and then across north Wales to Aberdaron and over to the island of Bardsey . I then headed inland as far as Blaenau Ffestiniog and then made my way south to St David’s. I then cut across Pembrokeshire and then south to Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan and then home. Holywell, Bardsey, St David’s and Llantwit Major became the key points of my trek.

But there were plenty of other interesting and lovely things to see along the way, things as varied as the Museum of Modern art in Machynlleth, the stunning Millennium Coastal Park near Llanelli and the views of Snowdonia in the snow from the Clwydian hills in north Wales.

Some people have been surprised that I walked on my own. However I think that worked to my advantage as so many people wanted to stop and talk. I felt almost overwhelmed by the kindness of people I met; one young lady I met near Fishguard even lent me her library book! All I had to do was return it later in St David’s. Another kind farming family near Newtown took me in when I had nowhere to pitch my tent that night.

Yes, I camped as I went, staying at camp sites and carrying my super lightweight one-woman tent. Food was pretty simple, a packet of instant couscous and a tin of sardines being a typical meal! It’s a good job I’m not much of a foodie.

However I did cheat a bit as every week or two my husband joined me in our campervan for a day or so and made me lots of lovely meals. I also walked from Holywell to Aberdaron with a group of people walking the new North Wales Pilgrimage Way. This gave me some company for a while and meant I could sleep in a real bed as they kindly took me under their wing.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip for me was the people who wanted to chat about everything from practicalities of how much my pack weighed (about 10 kilos) to serious questions like, “What do you think about when you’re walking?”. Everyday I got talking with people. On one occasion, as I walked towards Carmarthen, three different people invited me into their homes or onto their patios for coffee. One kindly couple near Port Talbot even took me on an outing. I hadn’t managed to visit nearby Neath Abbey on my walk as it had been quite out of my way, so they insisted on taking me there in their car.

One of the questions I was asked as I walked was, “How will you stop this becoming a distant memory?” Quite a challenging question! And it’s a question that I’m addressing at least in part by planning another pilgrimage trek next year, this time probably exploring the places in the West Country and in Brittany which are connected with the early saints we so often think of as Welsh. But back in the sixth century or so these people really got around and following in their footsteps for a while should be a real challenge. So here’s to next year’s trek.