A riverside hike from lowlands to mountains — Wye Valley Walk

The Wye Valley Walk follows the River Wye along the battle-scarred Anglo-Welsh border through woodlands, pastures, orchards, and lonely moors to its mountain source.

The 136-mile (218-kilometer) trail follows the Wye from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, through Herefordshire to the slopes of Plynlimon in Powys, Wales.

A wonderfully-contrasting hike, the trail takes you through deep limestone gorges, ancient woodlands, water meadows, cider orchards, farmsteads, sleepy villages, rugged moors, and wild mountain tops

There is plenty of history to observe along the way. From prehistoric standing stones to Iron Age hillforts, 10th century castles to 12th century churches, there is plenty to see. Chepstow Castle, Tintern Abbey, and Hereford Cathedral are some of the star attractions.

Wildlife is abundant along the way, too. The Wye is well-known for displays of wild salmon leaping upstream to breed. However, there is much more to see. Keep a look-out for buzzards, red kites, kestrels, tawny owls, otters, weasels, badgers, hares, foxes, hedgehogs, and more.

Whilst there are some steep and rocky sections, tough climbs, and challenging distances to contend with, the trail predominantly follows easy pathways through gently undulating countryside, making it a good choice for all levels of expertise.

In this Collection, we split the route into nine stages. Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you are comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple of stages, in isolation.

Every stage finishes close to accommodation, even if there are only a few options nearby. However, places to stay are not always abundant so it is worth planning in advance and scheduling any rest days accordingly.

If you are planning to arrive by public transport, you can catch a train to Chepstow, which is served by direct trains from Cardiff and Gloucester, among others, and has connecting services around Britain.

Awkwardly, the Wye Valley Walk ends abruptly in a remote spot with no public transport. The easiest thing to do is arrange a pick-up or a taxi from the Rhyd-y-benwch car park, which is close to the finish.

Alternatively, you can continue for another eight miles (13 kilometers) on the Severn Way to Llanidloes, which is well served by buses. If you choose this, the mountain detour shown on Stage 09 will be way too much. If you stick to the official route and continue to Llanidloes, the total distance is just less than 20 miles (32 kilometers).

Due to how long this hike and how remote this finish is, arriving by car is more trouble than it is worth. Public transport from Llanidloes back to Chepstow is convoluted and time-consuming—expect a minimum five-hour journey with four-or-five bus and train transfers.

There are no well-positioned places that are within easy reach of the start and finish either. If arriving by car is essential, your best bet might be to arrange for long-stay parking in Hereford, which has reasonable links to the start and finish.

For more information about the Downs Link, visit: wyevalleywalk.org.
For train timetables and tickets, visit: thetrainline.com.