We have a guest staying in one of the Welsh Marches Cottages who is new to Monmouthshire and this part of South-east Wales and he asked for some suggestions for walks including in the Brecon Beacons.
Well, the first thing to say is you’ve come to the right place. This is a walking paradise with plenty of options for those who want a gentle stroll to those looking to test themselves on mountains and in wild places.
One of your hosts, John Brooks, is a hill and moorland leader with Mountain Training and has had the privilege to run and walk this part of the world for more than 40 years. He often leads local walks, including during Chepstow Walking Festival, and he is more than happy to give advice or, if he is free, to show you the way.
The Welsh Marches Cottages are on the edge of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From your door you can walk up into Chepstow Park Woods which is about 750 acres of woodland criss-crossed with tracks and paths. There are no roads once you enter the area.. A walk around the perimeter track is about 8 km but you can make it as long or as short as you want by looping back.
Another option is to walk through Chepstow Park Woods, cross the St Arvans road and enter further woods which descend all the way to Tintern. There are several options. It takes just under two hours depending on your pace.
In Tintern there is the wonderful ruins of the abbey and several pubs and cafes.
You can take another route back to add interest and again I’d allow about two hours. You could aim for the Fountain Inn at Trellech Grange which is about an hour from Tintern and a further hour back to the farm.
Unfortunately, our village pub is closed at the moment but a friend and I often walk to the Fountain for food and a drink before returning home. An hour each way.
A walk I often do is from Tintern itself. I park at the wireworks car park and cross the Wye bridge at the Abbey Mill into England. The river is the border with Wales. Follow the track and then turn left up a short climb and follow the river to Brockweir where there is another bridge. Back on the Welsh side you simply follow the river back to Tintern with a stop at the old Tintern Railway Station if that takes your fancy.
It usually takes about an hour and I usually stop and have a pint at the Rose and Crown on the way back. There are seats on the edge of the river to rest up, relax and enjoy the scene. Wye! Wye not.
From Tintern you can also cross the bridge to ascent to the Devil’s Pulpit with its spectacular view of the Abbey and valley below.
The Devil’s pulpit is on Offa’s Dyke which is featured in another regular walk for me and my friends. We start at Chepstow leisure centre and follow the lower Wye Valley walk to Tintern including the climb up the 365 steps and the Eagle’s Nest viewing point. This takes about 2.5 hours.
We usually have lunch in the Anchor pub by the Abbey before crossing the bridge and climbing onto Offa’s Dyke and following it all the way back to Chepstow. Our watering hole of choice is the Three Tuns by Chepstow Castle. This leg normally takes 3 hours.
From the cottages in the other direction you can walk up to the Kilgwrrwg ridge with spectacular views of the Usk valley beyond. A great walk is to Kilgwrrwg church which sits at the top of a hill in a meadow on its own. The loop is about 40 minutes each way but there are variations.
Our three cottages are named after our three favourite nearby mountains – Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and Blorenge.
I highly recommend climbing all three.
The Skirrid is a great mountain for children. It’s a proper mountain with great views in all directions but it is easy to navigate and only takes about two hours there and back (less if you are fit and don’t linger to enjoy the views.). The wonderful Hunter’s Moon is the pub to visit when you get back, Best Sunday lunch locally in my opinion. Skirrid is about a 40-minute drive to the National Trust car park at the base of it.
The Sugar Loaf is a very popular mountain locally. There a car park halfway up on one side which makes the climb a family favourite. I prefer to climb from the Forest Coal Pit side which includes a lovely stretch of wild moor before the climb to the top. I often see grouse in that stretch and plenty of skylarks.
I also like that side because I can go to the Crown at Pantygelli. Great food but you do need to book to get a table. It’s popular for a reason!.
These two mountains are outliers of the Black Mountains but the Blorenge to the start of the famous Welsh valleys and the Brecon Beacons. This is our personal favourite. I’ve walked and run it so many times and it never ceases to delight.
If you go from the Keeper’s Pond on the road to Blaenavon it’s a very easy and pleasant climb to the viewpoint overlooking Abergavenny and then on to the trig point. The circular walk is under two hours.
If you really want to challenge yourself then start at Llanfoist church and go straight up. It’s the toughest climb in South Wales and what I use to gauge how fit I am. When I’m not fit it takes about an hour to the top of the first climb.
There’s a lovely loop back to the left which takes you through the stunningly beautiful Punchbowl. The way back is about 40 minutes.
The Black Mountains to the north have endless walking options. I am particularly fond of the walks from Llanthony Abbey. which has a cellar pub and café in the ruins. Walk up to Bel Mawr and loop back to the Abbey along the side of the valley. About 4 hours.
Other favourites include a walk up or down the Dragon’s Back on the road to Talgarth and the walk up the valley from Capel y ffin and back along the ridge. Wonderful waterfalls and peregrine falcons nesting in the cliffs. Allow four hours.
Last but not least we have the Brecon Beacon National Park.
The highest mountain in South Wales is Pen-y-Fan. On high days and holidays it can get very busy at the summit and up and down the route from Storey Arms. There can be a queue to get to the trig point which is why I prefer to go up the far less popular route on the Brecon side and return down the Cribyn ridge. That’s a lovely circle and you’ll only be with the throng at the top of Pen-y-Fan which you reach with a fun scramble up rocks in the final section.
For the more adventurous the Pen-y-Fan Horeshoe is a challenge which takes in the Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn summits. You ascent from the scenic Upper Neuadd Reservoir onto a very pleasant ridge to the mountain tops. Allow 5-6 hours and there are variations to make it longer if you wish. Add Fan-y-Big, for example.
These are proper mountains and must be treated with great respect. Make sure you are properly equipped, that you can navigate even in poor visibility, and are prepared for the expected and unexpected weather conditions.
There are a lifetime of walks in the Brecon Beacons but let’s end by sharing the one John thinks is the best. Travel to Tal-y-Bont and head up to the reservoir and keep going until you climb to a car park at Blaen-y-Glyn.
Follow the waterfalls up a challenging climb on to Craig y fan Ddu. The path follows the edge of a glorious glacial valley that drops away from you on the right side. At the end of the path, from where you can see Pen-y-Fan, you turn right and follow a track to the site of a plane crash during WW2. There is a memorial there and still piles of tangled metal nearby.
From there you can climb to another ridge or follow the side of the mountain and descend across the valley floor to a stream with more waterfalls. Cross the stream and climb back up through the woods to the car park. 3-4 hours depending on the route and how long you view and photograph the spectacular terrain you’ll pass through.
John will be happy to map out these routes for you and discuss variations depending on what you want to do and how fit you are.
For more information see some of our previous blogs:
https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2021/10/09/up-a-mountain-down-a-beer/
https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2020/05/https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2020/01/
https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2019/11/ Sugar Loaf
https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2019/11/04/skirrid-holy-mountain/
https://www.welshmarches.co.uk/2019/08/12/pilgrimage-to-tintern/
On our doorstep: Chepstow Park Woods is 750 acres of woodland with tracks and paths, and no roads once you enter the area.
The Devil’s Pulpit on Offa’s Dyke looking down onto Tintern Abbey.
View from the Eagles Nest overlooking the Wye Valley. Taken by Gemma West
Holy Mountain: The Skirrid.
Up the Sugar Loaf
Llanthony Abbey in the Black Mountains
Brecon Beacons in all it’s glory