Walking in the Wye Valley. Mike Dunn
above the river. The Monmouth Picnic Club went further, building the Round House on the Kymin, its first-floor dining room offering wide views over the valley to the Welsh mountains.
The early tourists’ curiosity didn’t extend much further than Hereford and its Mappa Mundi, however, and it is only more recently that more eclectic leisure destinations such as Hay-on-Wye with its second-hand bookshops, the Rhayader area with popular feeding stations for the majestic red kite, and the Elan Valley reservoirs have emerged as magnets drawing increasing numbers into the scenic and unspoilt upper valley.
More recent development has sometimes been less benign, although the construction of the Elan reservoirs from 1893 onwards met very little opposition, and they have arguably added a spectacular new landscape element to the somewhat barren moors west of Rhayader. The construction of wind farms has proved more controversial, but although the number of turbines is gradually increasing and wind farm development continues to gather pace, they have not yet had a profound impact on the valley, which remains largely unspoilt and perfect for leisurely exploration on foot.
Getting to and around the Wye Valley
The Wye Valley is easily reached from Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and indeed London, with the M4 providing an easy route to the lower valley; the M50, A40, and A49 opening up the Herefordshire section; and the A470 (from Cardiff and Brecon) and A44 (from Birmingham and Leominster) penetrating the upper valley. The key rail hubs are Chepstow – with slightly erratic services from Gloucester and Cardiff – and Hereford, with good connections from London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester. In addition, Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells have a few services on the scenic Heart of Wales line between Shrewsbury and Swansea.
The chain ferry at Symonds Yat (Walk 7)
Local bus services are good in the lower reaches and, unsurprisingly, much more sporadic in the relatively remote upland country of Mid Wales, although even here careful planning will allow most walks to be completed using public transport. Details of public transport options are given for each walk, although a car is essential for a small number of the walks.
Appendix B gives full contact details of relevant public transport operators, as well as of the region’s local councils. The council websites are largely focused on residents rather than visitors, but three of the region’s five (for Powys, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire) offer very good public transport information, and they all feature useful sections dealing with public rights of way, with information on temporary closures and a facility to report path problems online.
Accommodation
There is a very varied range of accommodation available in the lower Wye Valley, from fine hotels to comfortable guest houses, village inns, youth hostels and camping, but the choice is much more limited higher up the valley (with the exception of towns such as Llandrindod Wells and Rhayader). Appendix B provides contact details for websites and organisations that offer advice on where to stay and things to see or do while you’re visiting the area.
While the future of tourist information centres is often in doubt because of financial constraints, the Wye Valley is well served by TICs, which can provide information on accommodation as well as attractions, activities and events. The most useful are listed in Appendix B.
When to go
The whole of the Wye Valley is very accessible to walkers throughout the year, with a rich variety of routes available in every season – from the crisp delights of sunny winter days to the woodlands carpeted with bluebells and anemones in spring, the wildflower meadows of summer, and the red, gold and yellow of the autumn trees. Bear in mind, however, that the high hills can sometimes be unforgiving in winter conditions, and that the Wye regularly floods in a number of places. A detailed weather forecast from www.metoffice.gov.uk can prove invaluable, and the Environment Agency’s flood warnings (at www.environment-agency.gov.uk) should be checked after sustained periods of rain.
Winter flooding on the Wye above Symonds Yat (Walk 8)
What to take
The relevant maps, a compass and (especially in woodland areas and on the remote moors at the head of the valley, which have few landmarks) a GPS unit should always be carried, together with a good set of waterproofs and spare warm clothing. Don’t forget to pack adequate supplies of food and water, a camera to capture the best of the scenery and binoculars for wildlife-watching. A decent pair of lightweight walking boots should be able to cope with all of the walks in this book, including the moorland and mountain expeditions above the upper Wye.
Maps and waymarking
Walkers are encouraged to use the relevant 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map to supplement the 1:50,000 map extracts (reproduced at 1:40,000 in the printed book and 1:50,000 in digital format). The whole of the valley is covered by nine 1:25,000 maps:
Outdoor Leisure 13 (Brecon Beacons National Park – Eastern Area)
Outdoor Leisure 14 (Wye Valley & Forest of Dean)
Explorer 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