Powys Walks

All walksLlandrindod & Radnorshire

Llandrindod & Radnorshire

Rock Park and the Chalybeate Spring

Victorian pleasure grounds in a wooded dingle below the town, built around the mineral spring that made Llandrindod’s name and paid for most of its architecture.

Distance
1.2 mi / 2 km
Time
40 min
Ascent
30 m
Difficulty
Easy
Shape
Circular

Where it is

The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

The route

Drop into the dingle from the top of the park and follow the Arlais brook downstream on made paths, then climb back through the trees on the far side. The pump house sits low down near the water. Signposted throughout and hard to get lost in.

Worth knowing

  • The spring water is still running and still tastes appalling. Try it once.
  • Good under a heavy tree canopy in light rain, which makes it a useful fallback when the hills are in cloud.
  • Combine it with the lake loop for an easy hour and a half without leaving town.

What you’ll see

Mature limes and beeches, the brook, and the ironwork of the old pump house.

Background

The chalybeate and sulphur springs here drew thousands a year at the spa’s height. The park was laid out to give paying visitors somewhere genteel to stroll, and the Edwardian bandstand crowd would still recognise it.