Walk Details
The penultimate stage of the Wye Valley Walk takes us through some deep woodland as we crisscross the border several times before walking alongside the river to arrive at the majestic Tintern Abbey.
If you’re only doing this stage leave your car in Tintern (Old Wireworks car park) and take the number 69 bus running daily between Chepstow and Monmouth, to the start.
Our walk today starts at the Wye Bridge as we cross the road to walk on the pavement on the downstream side of the bridge.
Continue on this pavement beside the A466 as it bears right, heading out of Monmouth towards Chepstow.
After 1km we need to look out for a footpath on the right (just before Monmouth Show Ground). Take this path which crosses a field and skirts around the water treatment works and then turns left .Go through a gate to walk across the Monmouthshire Show Society’s showground, following the path beside the river. If an event is taking place – please be sure to keep to the path.
Leaving the showground fields through a gate into a wooded section, we follow the path as it winds above the river. Please be careful here as it can be slippery in wet conditions. Keep straight on through a gate, passing the water monitoring station (look out for bat boxes here) and continue beside the Wye. Go through a gate which takes you up to the A466. Turn right to walk, with care, a short distance along the verge and into England. Turn right opposite Bush House and follow the path running behind the house and alongside a fence. Just before the railway bridge, take the steps up towards the playing field. Turn right and immediately right to cross the old Redbrook railway bridge back into Wales for the last time.
At the end of the bridge, turn right towards The Boat (a popular local watering hole) and walk underneath the railway bridge to your right, following the riverside path for approximately 800m. Just after the fishermen’s chalet, turn right up to the old railway line and then left to walk along the track to Whitebrook. (If you prefer it is possible to continue along the path by the river for a further 2km until it joins the old railway line.) At the forestry barrier turn right to join the road and turn right to pass Tump Farm.
Immediately after Whitebrook Farm, we turn left up a steep and narrow path, (lined with wild garlic in spring) between stone walls. At the junction of paths keep on climbing steeply uphill. After the steps at the top, turn left along the lane, along another steep section past the Donkey Shed, then passing a beech wood (the spring time offers a beautiful array of snowdrops and bluebells here). The road curves uphill steeply to reach Pen y fan Green, where you can spot an old stone mounting block to the right. Having just completed the climb you can understand why people remounted their horses and ponies here!
Once you have your breath back from the climb – at the top of the Green, we’re turning left after Spring Cottage to continue along a grassy lane. At the junction of paths, turn right alongside the wooden garden fence and then immediately right again up the path running between hedges. Turn left onto the road, keeping straight on at the junction to reach a gate where the tarmac ends and the path continues into woodland. Keep straight on along Duchess Ride.
At the crossroads of tracks go straight ahead along a shaded path through mossy, boulder-strewn woodland. Ignore tracks off to either side, continuing straight on until we reach the hamlet of Cleddon. The route goes straight on passing Cleddon Falls to the left. If they are in full spate take the marked viewing route to the left to view the spectacle. Make sure you look up to see the multi-trunked beech tree (the result of coppicing) above you as you negotiate the handrail around its impressive roots and the slab of rock it appears to be growing out of. This is an outcrop of the ‘puddingstone’ used to make millstones.
Keep straight on at the crossroads of paths soon after the waterfall, where a path to the left leads down to a historic viewpoint at the Bread and Cheese Stones.
We continue up the walled track, ignoring the path to the right. Turn left along a wide track when you can see a bench and viewpoint. When you’re ready, we follow this track down through Bargain Wood and around a forest barrier (passing a play area and picnic benches to the left) and continue downhill to another parking area at Whitestone. Just before the road, turn left over a stream and walk under the tall pines. At the junction turn right down a narrow eroded path, keeping left at the next fork. When we come to the road, we’re going straight across and turning right through the wood to cross a stream. Later the path runs between giant redwoods and over a footbridge to meet the road at the entrance to the Scout’s Association Botany Bay Activity Centre. Turn left passing Hazel Grove and immediately take the footpath to the left of the driveway to climb up through woodland. Go straight ahead at the crossroads of tracks, continuing to climb. (As the track levels out a tiny track to the left leads to an unexpected view over the valley where trees have been cleared if you make a short there-and-back detour.) The path levels out and then descends. Keep left at the fork and turn left when you meet a wide track which descends through mature woodland. When the track forks keep left to go downhill, walking alongside the field boundary to your right. When we reach a gate on the right, go straight ahead, passing a stone building on the right and going down steps to the left. Turn left at the bottom of steps. When the path forks take the left hand fork past the electricity pole. Keep right as the path bears right around a tree, down steps and then straight on where the paths cross. At the junction turn right to walk down to the road. Cross the A466, turn right and immediately left signposted Brockweir.
Straightaway, look out for steps on the right and take these steps down to the former railway line, which you follow to Old Station Tintern.
Walk past the old station and railway carriages, keeping to the left through the Circle of Legends sculptures on the line of the old railway track. Turn right to go down the steps, just before the river. Go through a gate and turn right to walk along the riverbank to Tintern. The path goes through the churchyard of St Michael’s Church.
Leave the churchyard through an archway. Keep right and immediately turn left between the houses. At the A466 turn left to walk through Tintern. Cross the road at the bus stop and cross back at Abbey Mill to stay on the pavement. Abbey Mill is where the Angidy river flows into the Wye.
Opposite the Wild Hare, turn left in front of The Filling Station Café to walk down the lane, bearing right in front of the old church and school room, passing Quay Cottage and continuing along the riverside to The Anchor and the magnificent Tintern Abbey, where this stage ends.
If you need to get back to Monmouth – the number 69 bus runs from Tintern to Monmouth.
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