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INTRODUCTION

Looking back to Weobley from Garnstone Park (Walk 14)

The Wye may be only the fourth longest river in England and Wales, but it is almost certainly the most scenic. The author George Borrow went further, describing it as ‘the most lovely river, probably, the world can boast of’. The Wye concocts a magical blend of the best of British landscapes, from open moorland in the upper reaches through pastoral tranquillity in the lowlands of Herefordshire to the final miles of its journey through a densely wooded limestone gorge to the Severn Estuary. This diversity of landscape supports a richly varied ecology, with the whole of the lower and middle Wye designated for their nature conservation importance.

It is not just the natural history of the river that is so compelling. For centuries the Wye has been a border river: in Iron Age times hillforts defended key locations on either side of the river, while Offa’s Dyke was thrown up in the eighth century to keep the Welsh at bay and a string of castles sought to underpin Norman control of the troublesome Welsh Marches. Trouble flared again in the Civil Wars, when the territory – and castles such as Monmouth – changed hands several times as Royalist and Parliamentarian fortunes ebbed and flowed. More recently the Wye played a central role in the development of early tourism, when the growing interest in the picturesque led to the development in the 18th century of the Wye Tour, celebrating the outstanding landscapes of the lower valley.

The Wye rises high on the eastern flanks of Plynlimon (Pumlumon Fawr in Welsh), the highest peak in the Cambrian Mountains, and descends some 680m (2230ft) in travelling 250km (160 miles) to its confluence with the Severn south of Chepstow. The catchment embraces several major tributaries – principally the Elan, Ithon, Irfon, Llynfi, Lugg and Monnow. But these are just the dry facts: the excitement of the Wye Valley, especially for the walker, lies in the astonishing variety of landscape experiences to be savoured as the river and the valley repeatedly reinvent themselves on the way from mountain to sea.

At first the Wye has all the characteristics of a mountain stream, yet within a few miles it masquerades as a mature, tree-lined river flowing in a wide, shallow valley past Llangurig before reasserting itself as a fast-flowing upland river from north of Rhayader to Newbridge-on-Wye. Below Newbridge the widening river flows over a rocky bed in a valley that is steep-sided at times, especially where it squeezes between the rolling upland of Mynydd Epynt to the west and the surprisingly craggy Aberedw Rocks to the east. The hills crowd in around Hay-on-Wye too, although just upstream, at Glasbury, the valley is broad and the floodplain is lush meadowland.

Rapids on the Wye below Wyecliff (Walk 16)

Downstream from Hay the Wye, now an English river, assumes another character altogether, running languidly through the Herefordshire plain past riverside pastures and, increasingly, arable fields. South of Hereford a series of big, sweeping meanders creates narrow fingers of land that are almost cut off by the broad, sweeping river. This impression of indolence is deceptive, however, for the Wye is a spectacularly changeable and at times unpredictable river, with flooding common and at times dramatic – not least in the flat lands between Ross-on-Wye and Goodrich.

Having reached the lowlands the Wye ought to wander unhurriedly across a broadening floodplain to reach the sea. But this special river has one final, remarkable twist in its tale, entering an impressive gorge just below Ross-on-Wye and flowing between the steep, wooded valley sides that close in from Kerne Bridge onwards. Bare limestone cliffs rise abruptly from the river at Coldwell Rocks, Symonds Yat Rock and the Seven Sisters, and even at Chepstow, where the river is tidal and drifts sluggishly into the Severn Estuary, cliffs rise starkly from the river to guard Chepstow Castle.

Geology and landscape

Superficially, the geology of the Wye Valley is very simple – Silurian mudstones and siltstones dominate the upper reaches; the middle valley is largely underlain by Old Red Sandstone; and the lower Wye is primarily a product of Carboniferous limestone, although here as elsewhere there are substantial tracts of glacial and alluvial deposits masking the underlying geology.

The detail is, of course, much more complicated. At the head of the valley the broad Plynlimon massif is formed by an inlier of older Ordovician rocks within the Silurian outcrop that otherwise underlies the upper valley – including the great moorland plateau of Elenydd, which is often described as the ‘green desert’ of Wales. The vast emptiness of Elenydd, with its thick blanket of postglacial peat above the Silurian strata, rises above the Wye to the west, relieved only by the scattered conglomerate outcrops that form the highest summits, such as Drygarn Fawr with its spectacular summit cairns. This is Wales at its most elemental; a heavily dissected and eerily quiet grass, bilberry and heather moor.

The heather-clad slopes of Esgair Dderw, looking to Cerrig Gwalch and Moelfryn (Walk 28)

Some way downstream a tributary, the Ithon, hosts a remarkable landscape feature known as the Builth Inlier. The rugged topography here, with its low rocky hills, is a result of the intrusion of volcanic lavas and pyroclastic rocks into the surrounding mudstones. There are several locations between Llanelwedd and Llandegley where the rocks are exposed, sometimes with excellent fossils, and most remarkably of all it is still possible to identify an ancient shoreline with fossilised cliffs, sea stacks and beach deposits.

To the south of Builth Wells lies the area in which Silurian geology was first understood. Successive rock formations were deposited in a marine environment and are now exposed at classic locations including the lower crags of Aberedw Rocks, where olive-grey calcareous siltstones form a line of cliffs; the higher crags, with flaggy siltstones and fine sandstones full of shelly marine deposits; and the River Edw south of Aberedw, where there is an interesting exposure with signs of folding, tectonic distortion and even the ripples and scours of Silurian lake-bed activity.

As the river approaches Hay-on-Wye it takes on the characteristics of a mature lowland river, meandering across a broad, damp valley below the northern scarp of the Black Mountains. The floodplain betrays plenty of evidence of the shifting course of the river, with abandoned river channels and several oxbow lakes, especially to the west of Glasbury. The effects of glaciation are plainly visible between Hay-on-Wye and Clyro, where the river has cut a narrow channel through an impressive moraine where glacial deposits are heaped up to a height of 50m (165ft).

This impression of maturity follows the Wye on its journey through Herefordshire as a tree-lined river centred in a broad floodplain flanked by low, rolling hills. There are far-reaching views across quintessential English farmland, with the underlying Old Red Sandstone giving a characteristic rich red colour to the soils. Rock exposures are rare, but occasionally the meandering river has carved out low cliffs – for example at Brobury Scar and at Bridstow near Ross-on-Wye. Below Hereford the meanders become more pronounced, isolating the low-lying King’s Caple and Foy peninsulas.

Looking across the Wye Valley to Banc-y-Celyn from the northern scarp of Aberedw Rocks (Walk 20)

To the west of the river the land gradually rises to the brownstone scarp, with astonishing views westward to the Black Mountains from the summit of Aconbury Hill and extensive woodlands on ancient sites such as Athelstan’s Wood. To the east the uplifted older rocks of the Woolhope Dome form an area of complex geology and spectacular landscape, with hidden valleys and narrow parallel ridges. An intricate blend of orchards, pastures and semi-natural woodland typifies the area, with the nature reserves of Common Hill and Lea and Paget’s Wood providing particular highlights.

South of Ross-on-Wye the river continues sluggishly at first between lush river meadows before suddenly entering a narrow, twisting gorge between high river cliffs. The rim of the plateau above the gorge consists in several places of puddingstone – a hard quartz conglomerate (previously much in demand for millstones) – which outcrops on Coppet Hill near Goodrich and, spectacularly, at the Buckstone and Near Hearkening Rock, where the breakaway boulder known as the Suck Stone – the largest detached boulder in Britain – lies where it fell just below the ridge.

From Monmouth to the river’s mouth south of Chepstow the Wye is confined in a narrow valley below steep wooded slopes punctuated by limestone cliffs. On either side of the river is an extensive plateau – around Trellech to the west and the Forest of Dean to the east – with woodlands and heathland. The extent to which the river has cut down through the plateau is shown by the abandoned meanders at Newland (where the misfit valley is now more than 100m/330ft above the level of the Wye) and St Briavels.

The massive bulk of the detached boulder known as the Suck Stone (Walk 6)

Plants and wildlife

In very broad terms, the Wye Valley can be divided into three ecological zones: the valley grasslands, with riverside meadows and enclosed fields; the steeper slopes on the valley sides, with hanging woods and encroaching bracken; and the moorlands above, with gorse, bilberry and occasional heather among rough grasses.

The great moorland plateau of Elenydd is characteristic of the uplands flanking the upper Wye. Aptly characterised as a vast, pale sheepwalk, it consists mostly of rank grasses with a little heather, and cotton grass and purple moor grass in the wetter areas. The mountain grazings traditionally supported the ‘hafod and hendre’ system of transhumance where the hafod – or shepherd’s cottage – was only inhabited in summer.

In and around the river itself there is a gradual transition from mosses, lichens and liverworts higher up (especially in the gorge above Rhayader) to extensive beds of ranunculus (water-crowfoot) in the more mature, lowland river, with particularly luxuriant beds around Boughrood and near Monmouth, while below Builth Wells wild chives dominate the banks for several miles.

In Herefordshire the Wye and Lugg have yellow water lily, water aven and great pond sedge, but the greatest interest lies in the few remaining Lammas Meadows, managed under a medieval system where stock were excluded until after the hay cut in July. Most were enclosed by 1900, but Lugg meadows and Hampton Bishop meadows still survive.

The woodlands of the Wye Valley are world-renowned, from the oak, alder and willow along the infant river to the amazing hanging woods of the lower gorge. The Woolhope Dome and Wye Gorge retain wild service trees and small-leaved and large-leaved limes – species that dominated the woods here five millennia ago – and at Coppet Hill two precious fragments of medieval woodland have survived. The gorge woodlands are of exceptional ecological interest, with limes and rare whitebeams and a ground plantlife that includes herb paris, yellow archangel and dog’s mercury.

Clockwise (from top-left): The distinctive marsh cinquefoil at Cors y Llyn (Walk 23); Ragged robin at Cors y Llyn (Walk 23); Bee orchid at White Rocks Nature Reserve (Walk 7); Heath spotted-orchid at Cors y Llyn (Walk 23)

Wildflowers come into their own below Builth Wells, with meadow saxifrage and cowslips common, while bluebells, anemones and ramsons colour the woodland floors in spring and 27 species of orchid grace the lower Wye, with bird’s nest and butterfly orchids in the gorge woodlands and pyramid and bee orchids thinly but widely distributed. Semi-natural grassland still clings on in the lower valley and is best seen on the Seven Sisters rocks above Monmouth, which host a remarkable assemblage of rare plants such as bloody crane’s-bill and lesser calamint.

Heathland has all but been eliminated through a mixture of agricultural intensification and afforestation, but a few fragments remain – notably at Poor’s Allotment north of Chepstow. Heathland restoration projects using Exmoor ponies to control scrub encroachment are gradually improving the situation at several other sites above the gorge.

Fish are scarce in the headwaters of the Wye, with only the most resolute of the Atlantic salmon for which the river has been renowned for centuries reaching the shallow pebble beds around Llangurig, where the hardiest salmon overwinter and breed. Edward II ensured that his Scottish campaign in 1308 was provisioned with Wye salmon, but over-fishing and disease has taken its toll.

Trout, bullhead and lampreys join the salmon as the river flows past the confluence with the Afon Marteg above Rhayader, and there is an increase in coarse fish such as roach and dace from Newbridge downstream, but the twaite shad is the Wye’s second most important fish. Like the salmon, this ancient native fish migrates from the sea to breed, its most favoured spawning grounds being the big, sluggish meanders below Hereford.

Few mammals roam the uplands of Mid Wales bordering the Wye: beavers were extinct by the 12th century, red deer were hunted to extinction in medieval times and (allegedly) the last wolf in southern Britain was killed in the Edw Valley near Builth Wells in the 16th century. Even the goats have gone – they grazed too destructively and there is now a sheep monoculture on the high hills.

So the higher reaches of the valley now see only stoats and weasels, with foxes lower down and dormice in the deciduous woodlands. Polecats, largely confined to Mid Wales by the 1950s, are now widespread. Brown hares are present but quite scarce around the Herefordshire Wye, while water voles are declining through the loss of bankside habitats and predation by mink. Grey squirrels finally ousted the reds from the Woolhope Dome in the 1960s, while a few fallow deer roam the woodlands above the lower Wye.

The big success story, however, is the otter, which was in serious decline until the 1970s but has returned to all parts of the river and its tributaries, especially the Lugg, so that the Wye population is the most abundant and most firmly established in lowland Britain. Key factors in this revival are much cleaner river water, abundant food supply and dense vegetation cover for resting and breeding.

Male yellowhammer on the Begwns (Walk 18)

While birds are thinly distributed in the upper valley, especially in winter, there is a surprisingly large number of species to be seen, from the classic summer triumvirate of small birds – wheatear, meadow pipit and skylark – to threatened breeding waders such as golden plover, lapwing and curlew; raptors such as the peregrine falcon, merlin and buzzard; and a large population of ravens.

But the iconic bird of the Wye uplands is the red kite. Mid Wales was the last stronghold for this colourful and majestic bird, its moorland largely devoid of heather and hence lacking red and black grouse and the gamekeepers who would kill kites to protect them. The kite’s recent renaissance has been astonishing and it is now widely distributed in Wales and beyond. Most walks in the upper and middle valley will include a sighting.

A spectacular red kite near Smithfield Farm (Walk 23)

Closer to the river itself, dipper and grey wagtail can frequently be seen in fast-flowing water, while common sandpiper and red-breasted merganser breed in secluded spots downstream from Rhayader and the goosander patrols most of the Welsh Wye. Riverside woodlands hold important populations of pied flycatchers, redstarts and willow warblers from May onwards, with yellowhammers and linnets on the commons above, while the gravelly shallows below Boughrood are colonised by reed buntings, sedge warblers and breeding little ringed plover. Vertical riverbanks here provide nesting sites for kingfishers and big colonies of sand martins.

The woodlands above the lower gorge contain great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and treecreeper, with hobbies soaring above the Trellech plateau, while the wetter fields near the river provide nest sites for yellow wagtails. There is an important and historic heronry at Piercefield, just above Chepstow, while cormorants roost on the cliffs here and a few pairs of shelduck nest on the riverside.

Small tortoiseshell above Park Wood (Walk 17)

A wide range of butterflies can be found in the valley, from large heath in the blanket bogs of the Elenydd to a much wider range in the valley downstream from Ross-on-Wye – including comma, common blue, small tortoiseshell, ringlet and (in woodland shade) speckled wood – but the best sites are on the Woolhope Dome, with large colonies of the attractive marbled white around Common Hill and a spectacular range of butterflies in Haugh Wood, which is managed by Butterfly Conservation and the Forestry Commission for uncommon species such as white admiral, high brown fritillary, wood white and white letter hairstreak.

The impact of man

Human activity may be concentrated in the lower valley today, but it was not always so: there is relatively little evidence that prehistoric man used the gorge (save for a few Iron Age hillforts and the exceptional bone collections in King Arthur’s Cave), but the uplands around the upper and middle Wye were much more important. The lower slopes of the Black Mountains upstream from Hay contain a number of important Neolithic tombs, at Ffostyll and elsewhere, as well as the Bronze Age stone circle at Pen-y-Beacon.

Evidence of prehistoric settlement is tantalisingly elusive, but Mesolithic hunter-gatherers roamed Elenydd, and the remains of hut circles, clearance cairns and field walls suggest more intensive agricultural use by the late Neolithic era. Bronze Age peoples left burial mounds, cairns and standing stones – including the tall pillar of Maen Serth above the ancient route from Rhayader to Aberystwyth, and the high, remote stone circle at Bwlch y Ddau Faen on the high col between Drygarn Fawr and Gorllwyn.

The Romans left only a light impression on the valley, establishing outposts at Chepstow and Monmouth to control ironworking sites; a Romano-British town at Magnis near Hereford; and a short-lived fort between Hay-on-Wye and Clyro. They had an even more fleeting presence in the uplands above Rhayader, where the marching camp on Esgair Perfedd housed 4000 men late in the first century but may only have been occupied for a matter of weeks before the conquering army moved on.

Offa’s Dyke on Tidenham Chase (Walk 3)

The early medieval period saw an extended struggle for territorial supremacy in the tempestuous Welsh borderlands, symbolised most strikingly by Offa’s great Dyke (thrown up in the eighth century to protect Mercia from incursions by the Welsh) but also marked by Viking raids in the early 10th century as far inland as south Herefordshire. At the same time, however, the farmed landscape continued much as before, with evidence of corn milling as early as the eighth century.

The chronic instability of the region before the Conquest explains the urgency with which the Normans exerted control over their newly acquired territories, building castles at Monmouth and Chepstow within a decade and quickly throwing up the great castles at Goodrich, Hay-on-Wye, Builth Wells and elsewhere as statements of intent as well as defensive structures. The policy was successful in the lowlands, where the Domesday Book shows that by 1086 the Herefordshire plain was settled and prosperous. Higher up the valley, however, a more fraught relationship existed between feudal lords and the hoi polloi, with the court and royal residence at Talgarth, for example, in stark contrast to the ‘Welshries’ in the foothills of the Black Mountains, where the lord’s tenants eked out a living from working narrow arable strips and keeping a few cattle and pigs.

In the upper valley the 12th and 13th centuries saw permanent settlement encroach into the uplands as the climate improved. House platforms and cultivation ridges – for example at Banc-y-Celyn south of Builth – hint at former settlement sites, as do the later ruins of shepherds’ summer dwellings, often surrounded by small walled enclosures: a good example being at Lluest-pen-rhiw on Elenydd. There was industrial activity in the mountains, too, typified by the lead mines on the slopes of Plynlimon and Drygarn Fawr, and widespread evidence of peat-cutting.

Much of the moorland was controlled by the monks of Strata Florida and Abbeycwmhir, with sheep and goats grazing the hills, their wool exported to France and the Low Countries. The dissolution of the monasteries led to the growth of country estates – at first on a modest scale around solid farmhouses such as Nannerth-ganol near Rhayader, where the farmstead has been dated to 1555, and later with impressive houses in parkland. Holme Lacy near Hereford was built in the 1680s on the site of a medieval deer park, while the park surrounding Moccas Court was landscaped a century later by the landscape architect Lancelot Brown (1716–1783; more commonly known as Capability Brown or ‘England’s greatest gardener’).

The industrial era saw the river at its busiest, with water power providing the driving force for mills of all descriptions, together with industries as diverse as tanning (the last of Rhayader’s tanneries closed in the 1950s), cider and perry making, ropemaking and shipbuilding. The river also provided access for the industries of the lower Wye, including blast furnaces, copper smelting and tinplate works at Redbrook; a whole series of paper mills in the Whitebrook valley; and lead and copper working together with grain and fulling mills in the Angidy Valley at Tintern.

The ruins of St Mary’s Church, Tintern (Walk 4)

As heavy industry declined, a new source of income revived the lower Wye’s fortunes. Tourists, inspired by the natural wonders of the Wye Gorge, arrived in increasing numbers from the 1780s onwards. Their arrival, often by pleasure boat as part of the renowned Wye Tour, created a slightly perverse motivation to save the decaying ruins of Tintern Abbey and much of the industrial archaeology in the valley. JMW Turner and William Wordsworth were among those stirred by the sights, and landowners responded by creating new viewing points and romantic walks 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 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.