Black Mixen

Crowned by a prominent communications mast, this high point of the Radnor Forest offers a bleaker, more industrial character than its neighbours. The ascent follows broad forestry tracks onto an expansive peat-covered plateau, rewarding walkers with clear views across the Lugg Valley towards the distant Shropshire Hills and the Malverns.

• •The name derives from the Old English 'mixen', meaning a midden or dung heap, likely referring to the dark, boggy peat that covers the summit plateau or the hill's rounded shape.
• •It is the eastern anchor of the Radnor Forest plateau, connected to the higher Great Rhos by a high-level track that skirts the deep, dramatic valley of Harley Dingle.
• •The summit is dominated by a 70-metre tall radio station; while it diminishes the sense of wilderness, the mast serves as a reliable navigational 'handrail' during the thick mists common to these moors.
• •From the trig point, clear days offer views past the nearby village of New Radnor to the sharp silhouettes of the Clee Hills and the sprawling whaleback of the Long Mynd.
• •Despite its status as a Hewitt and Nuttall, the summit experience is less about alpine solitude and more about standing next to a very large piece of telecommunications equipment in a bog.