GREAT BARNETTS WOOD
Length: 1.8 miles
Start Time: 11:00 am

Great Barnetts Wood has a celebrity visitor!

Do come and walk with the Hobbit, Mrs. Bilbo Bilbo Baggins from Bag End.

Previously known as Belladonna Took, Mrs. Baggins is greatly irritated by her son’s fame. He deserted her to go on an adventure, becoming a star of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Eager to tell her side of the story, show off her fortune telling skills and reveal the secret lives of the tree spirits and elves in Great Barnett, a walk with Mrs. Bilbo Bilbo Baggins is not to be missed!

Please note booking is through the Chepstow Walking Festival web site.

In and Around Talgarth
Length: 5 miles graded a 2 boot by the festival.

SEE:

• Stunning views of the Black Mountains, Castell Dinas and Mynydd Troed, before descending to Pwll-y-Wrach nature reserve and the waterfall.

MEET :

• Hywl Harris  - a key figure in the Welsh Religious Revival  whose downfall was his ego and attachment to a woman.

• The last witch to drown at the witches’ pool ???

• Annie – a real-life patient at the old psychiatric hospital with an emotional tale to tell.

A walk with woods, a waterfall, stupendous views and open countryside, coupled with fascinating stories. This walk has everything including a pub for refreshment at the end,

Booking is through Talgarth Walking Festival Web site.

Length: 2miles max (GENTLE)
Fee: £15 pp

A very easy, gentle stroll around some of Abergavenny’s green spaces, flowing waters and town. You may know the town or parks but do you know its stories?

We are not just talking about living on the edge of the border lands but people living on the edge of social norms and creating change.

We meet:

• Lady Llanover - a formidable sponsor and some would say creator of Welsh culture.

• Vulcana the strong woman - no social norms for her.

• Mattie the wife of William de Braose - witness to the massacre at Abergavenny castle.

• Mary - a previous inmate at the psychiatric hospital who didn’t want to leave.

We have a strong posse of women for you on this stroll with Crawshay Bailey 2nd, the benefactor of Bailey Park, as the rich man who died seemingly in poverty.

The infamous and less well known all come to life… so many characters in beautiful settings living on the edge. Come and listen to their stories.

Book now for a magical Saturday! Tickets must be purchased in advance to reserve your spot.

Length: 4 miles, circular stroll (GENTLE) from Tintern to Brockweir
Fee: £15 pp

MEET:

• One of the Devils: What role did he play in the construction of Tintern Abbey?

• The doctor who called the Moravians in to deal with the excessive drinking, debauchery and poverty.

• Tewdric, the father of King Arthur who stands in the circle of power.

• William Wordsworth may even appear.

SEE:

• The beautiful River Wye with the famous Tintern Abbey.

• The remnants of Tintern’s industrial past and the mayhem it caused, including the wire works.

• The Moravian church at Brockweir and the ruined St Marys church at Tintern with its history of continual destruction

• The Old Station and its Circle of Power.

HEAR:

• What the Devil thinks of the Devils pulpit and the monks below.

• How two German wire makers came to Tintern to help create the Tintern wire works.

• How in the past Brockweir was full of the devils of industrialisation with terrible conditions.

• How Tewdric was pulled out of retirement to fight the Saxons one last time.

• How William Wordsworth got into trouble here.

REALISE: Tintern has a history that its current beauty belies.
REFRESH at one of Tintern’s cafes or pubs.

Length: 4 miles, graded moderate
Fee: £15 pp

The higher you go the more history you get!

SEE:

• The shell grotto, the folly. Last year, we had special private access granted to the inside of these landmarks and what a treat it was. We have gained that special access again this year!

• St. Cadocs Church - Which window is in memory of the LLanerch mining disaster?

HEAR:

• Of the Hanbury family and their building of the Folly and Grotto…..where did all the shells come from?

• Of a duel undertaken by a friend of the Hanburys and the loyalty shown him by the Hanbury family.

• Who was to blame for the Llanerch mining disaster?

Sometimes graded as easy, there is a steep incline to the Folly which in Strolls ‘n’ Stories terms means we grade it as moderate. Well worth it for the stunning views! We take it slowly and anyone of average fitness can do it.

Length: 3.5 miles (GENTLE) - A circular walk including the canal and open countryside.
Fee: £15 pp

SEE:

• The Ancient Burial Chamber site and St Catwygs historical church.

• The Lime Kilns and the Old Rectory, not to mention the quaint cottages of the older village itself.

• Then there's the special and majestic Giant Redwood Tree on the Canal...one of Jan's favourites.

HEAR:

• The story of St Catwyg, who helped elevate St. Davis to his position in the church.

• The 2 women of Llangattock, who were taken to court in the war.

• The man who defrauded the local workhouse.

• Did Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of wireless telegraph, conduct some of his experiments here?

REFRESH at the Horseshoes Pub Llangattock.

Length: 3 to 4 miles – circular walk
GENTLE, with one short incline.

SEE:

• The nature reserve side of Llandegfedd reservoir.

• Sit in the bird hides.

• The Area of special Scientific interest due to the limestone and caves.

• The historically interesting woodlands and sites of common land.

• St. Michaels Church which is, unfortunately, due for closure by the Church of Wales.

HEAR:

• Of the sinking of homes to create the reservoir.

• The Glascoed Riots to preserve the Common Land.

• The monks who had quarries here that formed the caves.

Glascoed has hidden secrets. Come and find them with us!

Length: 5 miles
Time: 10.30am to 3.30 pm
GENTLE …It’s a flat walk!

This circular route takes you from the magnificent Caldicot Castle down to the coast by the Prince of Wales Bridge, along the Wales Coast Path to the Iron Age fort at Sudbrook, and on to Black Rock picnic site for spectacular views over the Severn Estuary.

SEE:

• The pumping station at Sudbrook keeping the Severn tunnel free of water.

• The Prince of Wales bridge across the estuary from an entirely different perspective.

• The statues at Black rock of the Lave Net fishermen (still in operation today) and the engineer who built the tunnel.

• St Mary’s church at Portskewett…now there’s an interesting church!

Hear stories of the Castle, the Severn Tunnel disaster and the old ferry across the bridge and more.  

A real mix of a walk – the coastal path, the castle grounds, and sites of industry… from the ancient to the new. It’s like travelling through time. The Portskewett Inn is available for refreshment towards the end of the walk.