188 (Builth Wells)
Explorer 189 (Hereford & Ross-on-Wye)
Explorer 200 (Llandrindod Wells & Elan Valley)
Explorer 201 (Knighton & Presteigne)
Explorer 202 (Leominster & Bromyard)
Explorer 213 (Aberystwyth & Cwm Rheidol)
Explorer 214 (Llanidloes & Newtown)
The Glanusk boundary stone and the summit escarpment of Aberedw Rocks (Walk 20)
Waymarking is generally good – especially in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty from Hereford southwards – although there are some areas where improvement is needed, both to waymarking and to footpath furniture such as stiles and gates. Path problems can be reported online at the relevant county council website (see Appendix B). Where there are ambiguities or obstacles, a more detailed description of how to overcome the difficulties is provided in the text.
Using this guide
The 30 walks in this book have been chosen to illustrate the exceptional variety of landscape and scenery walkers can expect to encounter in the Wye Valley. The walks are divided into four sections, starting with the lower gorge between Chepstow and Ross-on-Wye and progressing upstream to the Herefordshire plain and Welsh borders, then moving into the upper middle valley between Hay-on-Wye and Newbridge-on-Wye and finally the upper reaches from Newbridge to the summit slopes of Plynlimon. Part 1 includes walks on both sides of the gorge, visiting the picturesque landscapes around the Wyndcliff and the Kymin, and following a monks’ road from Tintern Abbey. Part 2 explores the tranquil landscapes between Ross-on-Wye and Hay-on-Wye, while Part 3 tackles the more rugged country of the Begwns and Llanbedr Hill, while also visiting Llewellyn’s cave, where the rebel Prince of Wales allegedly spent his last night. The varied walks in Part 4 include a trek along the Monks’ Trod and a visit to an outstanding nature reserve, with a final ascent of Plynlimon to look down on the source of the river.
Cader Idris across the moorlands north of Plynlimon (Walk 30)
With few exceptions, all of the walks are well within the compass of reasonably fit walkers, ranging from easy strolls through riverside meadows to moderately strenuous expeditions climbing the hills on either side of the valley. The exceptions are largely the walks at the head of the valley, with a couple of mountain expeditions (Plynlimon and Drygarn Fawr) and some moorland walking above the Elan Valley. None of this is rocky or exposed, but some of it is across high plateaus with few landmarks, where competence in map reading and navigation is required.
Trellech from Beacon Hill (Walk 5)
For each walk a route information box summarises the practical details associated with the walk, while a brief introduction gives a summary of the type of walk and the historical and scenic highlights encountered en route. An estimate of the time needed to complete the walk is given, although this will of course vary considerably with the experience, fitness and perhaps the age of the participants. The walk is then described in detail, with cross-referencing to the Ordnance Survey map extract provided; an enhanced description of the way forward at points where the route is difficult to follow on the ground; and notes on features of natural or historical interest on or close to the route.
THE LOWER WYE
Chepstow to Ross-on-Wye
Bluebells on the ridge above Staunton (Walk 6)
WALK 1
The Lancaut Peninsula
| Start/Finish | Rising Sun pub, Woodcroft (ST 542 957) |
| Distance | 5km (3 miles) |
| Ascent | 110m (360ft) |
| Time | 2hrs |
| Map | Outdoor Leisure 14 |
| Public transport | Woodcroft has no public transport services useful for walkers |
| Parking | Roadside parking in Woodcroft |
This is a short walk but one full of interest, with a sharp descent into the Wye Gorge, a visit to the ruined church at Lancaut, and a climb past an Iron Age fort and Offa’s Dyke to the well-known viewpoint of Wintour’s Leap.
Take the B4228 south from the Rising Sun (which has a chequered recent history and may be closed) in Woodcroft, passing the arched entrance to Moyle Old School Lane and then turning right onto a stony path (signposted as Offa’s Dyke Path) enclosed between railings and a high stone wall. When the long-distance trail goes left through a kissing gate, go straight on under a little wooden footbridge to enter Lancaut Nature Reserve, now with the Wye Gorge dramatically down to the left. The well-defined path begins to drop steeply through mixed woodland, guided by red waymarkers and with massive limestone cliffs (used as nest sites by peregrine falcons) rising 90m (300ft) up to the right.
The Lancaut and Ban-y-Gor nature reserves were established in 1971 and comprise superb woodlands with oak, ash, yew and lime, together with rare whitebeams, with birdlife ranging from peregrines and ravens on the cliffs to wood warblers and goldcrests in the woods and shelduck and cormorants on the river. Dormice and the unusual lapidary snail inhabit the woodlands, while the riverine saltmarsh supports sea aster and English scurvy-grass.
The path levels out, drops steeply again and reaches an area of big, awkward boulders, which can be troublesome for the next 50m, although the best route is indicated by yellow paint splashes. The hill slope above is strewn with boulders and a gap in the limestone cliffs on the skyline emphasises the damage caused by illegal quarrying here. On the far side of the boulders the path rises and falls through woodland before reaching a wooden bench with an excellent view downstream along the Wye, muddy and tidal here as it nears its confluence with the Severn.
St James’s Church is all that remains of the abandoned village of Lancaut
Keep to the riverside path as it curves around a big meander, with Walter’s Weir ahead a reminder of the former importance of the river fisheries here. When the stark, roofless ruins of St James’s Church suddenly loom above the path, clamber up to the right to inspect the church, which was founded in the seventh century but abandoned in 1865. The remains are melancholy but the setting above the river is superb, with a partly collapsed Norman chancel arch, gravestones propped up against the west wall and the base of the churchyard cross still visible. The Crown Estate sold the church to the Forest of Dean Buildings Trust for just £1 in 2014, but it will cost the Trust another £50,000 to stabilise the ruins.
The fields by St James’s
