Wye Valley Walk
Whether it's your Start Or
Finish The Source Is Epic!
EXPLORE THE WYE VALLEY WALK
The Wye Valley Walk is a spectacular 136-mile national trail following the course of the river Wye starting from its source on the slopes of Plynlimon/Pumlumon in the Cambrian Mountains Wales or if choosing otherwise on the banks of the Severn Estuary in the Welsh town of Chepstow. From source it flows through Mid Wales, into Herefordshire England and then back into Wales. With a remote mountainous start (our preferred choice) and with valleys, views and history to enjoy join us as we explore the river Wye in the true spirit of river walking.
Flowing As Easy As The Trail. Check out the slide down below featuring a few choice images from off the Trail.
PUMLUMON SOURCE
Pen Pumlumon Fawr mountain (meaning 5 peaks) in the Cambrian Mountains Wales, stands at a height of 752 meters or 2,468 feet. It’s a vast series of summits and valley systems that plays host to the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). For 50 years it's been an open-air laboratory for studying the environment and water. Longer than this even it's been home to farming families for generations as well as mining communities and those stretching back 5,000 years and more. On a good day the views from the Wye source and Pumlumon reveal the summits of Snowdonia to the North, the Irish Sea to the West, the Southern Cambrians and Mid Wales with the Midlands of England just beyond visibility to the East. It's a place for real hiking connoisseurs who like it wild and remote. This is the birth place of the Wye.
Known as the Afon Gwy or the Roman Vaga
Meaning Winding River.
There are three ways you can hike the winding river. You can employ hotels and B&B's and hike the official trail, you can section hike it (all good) or you can wild camp (technically not legal) the whole way. If you're looking to get your walk stamped and do it the official way then visit the Wye Valley Walk official site. But if you want advice on doing it the wild and rad way then click here.
View from the source of the Wye at 680 meters 2,230 feet
Follow The Route All The Way
Pinned Locations, Pictures & Information. Click to Enter
Quick Glance
Crossings
A list of crossings with aprox distances from source or Chepstow. Information source
Pont Rhydgaled: Source 7 KM - Chepstow 240 KM
Llangurig: Source 17 KM - Chepstow 230 KM
Pont Marteg: Source 28 KM - Chepstow 218 KM
Rhayader: Source 33 KM - Chepstow 214 KM
Builth Wells river Irfon: Source 59 KM - Chepstow 188 KM
Erwood: Source 73 KM - Chepstow 174 KM
Boughrood: Source 78 KM - Chepstow 169 KM
Hay-On-Wye: Source 94 KM - Chepstow 153 KM
Bredwardine: Source 116 KM - Chepstow 131 KM
Hereford Great Western Way/Victoria Br: Source 142 KM Chepstow 106 KM
Mordiford: Source 150 KM - Chepstow 97 KM
Kerne Br: Source 196 KM - Chepstow 51 KM
YHA Welsh Bicknor: Source 201 KM - Chepstow 46 KM
Biblins Br/Current Diversion: 206 KM - Chepstow 38 KM
Monmouth: Source 218 KM - Chepstow 32 KM
Redbrook: Source 222 KM - Chepstow 28 KM
A List of the high hills/mountains you'll encounter along the way.
Plynlimon/Pen Pumlumon Fawr: 752 Meters 2,468 Feet
Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan: 727 Meters 2,385 Feet
Esgair Llwyn Gwyn Eastern Edge: 393 Meters 1,289 Feet
Nant Yr Hendry Hill Slight Contour Beyond Llangurig: 470 Meters 1,541 Feet
Esgair Yr Craig: 476 Meters 1,561 Feet
Gamallt Contour Eastern Slopes Nr Rhayadar: 380 Meters 1,246 Feet
Craig Alt-Y-Bont Nr Carngafallt Nature Reserve: 390 Meters 1,279 Feet
Pant-Y-Llyn Hill Contour Eastern Slopes Nr Builth: 410 Meters 1,345 Feet
Merbach Hill Northern Slope Nr Bredwardine: 290 Meters 951 Feet
Capler Camp Nr Fownhope: 160 Meters 524 Feet
Chase Wood Nr Ross On Wye: 179 Meters 587 Feet
Cuckoo Wood Nr Cleddon Lower Wye: 230 Meters 754 Feet
Black Cliff Wood Nr Tintern: 200 Meters 656 Feet
Wyndcliff Nr Chepstow: 200 Meters 656 Feet
Towns/Settlements
A list of the towns & settlements along the way with links to their sites.
Llangurig: Source 17 KM - Chepstow 230 KM supplies/accomodation
Rhayader: Source 33 KM - Chepstow 214 KM supplies/accomodation
Builth Wells: Source 59 KM - Chepstow 188 Km supplies/accomodation
Boughrood: Source 76 KM - Chepstow 171 KM supplies/accomodation
Hay-On-Wye: 94 KM - Chepstow 153 KM supplies/accomodation
Hereford: Source 142 KM - Chepstow 106 KM regional capital/supplies & accomodation
Ross-On-Wye: Source 186 Km - Chepstow 61 KM supplies/accomodation
YHA Welsh Bicknor: Source 201 KM - Chepstow 46 KM refresh/accomodation
Symonds Yat East: Source 209 KM - Chepstow 54 KM refresh/accomodation
Monmouth: Source 218 KM - Chepstow 32 KM supplies/accomodation
Redbrook: Source 222 KM - Chepstow 28 KM supplies/accomodation
Tintern: Source 232 KM - Chepstow 15 KM
Chepstow: Source 247 KM
More Detail: Follow The Route All The Way
Pinned Locations, Pictures & Information.
For Google view click box top right of map.
Up To Date Weather
Upper
Lower
Check Out Street View
No need to search for transitional points or 360 orientations it's all here.
How About Video
There's no better way to get a feel for the Wye Valley trail other than through some fantastic feature length videos. Sit back and enjoy the adventure series before you head out there yourself. Enter Adventure Cinema
Navigation & Gear
The Wye basin that drains into the Wye covers
a huge area of 4,000 SQ KM.
Navigation is fairly simple because you'll be doing what's known as 'handrailing' a river. The exception is in the upper Wye, which is mostly wild Open Access land, which is subject to CROW The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Even then you are handrailing the river right from source even.
Challenges navigationally can come on the other big hills in clag or mist. Then you'll have to be on your toes and have good maps and maybe a compass to help get your bearings. Mind you distances from one feature to another aren't to great meaning you can orientate using maps most of the time. It's all good fun.
Maps
A good start would be the 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey Explorer series. These give you the features in detail. The list of maps covering the route are as follows:
Explorer OL14 - Wye Valley and Forest of Dean - Explorer 189 – Hereford and Ross-on-Wye - Explorer 202 – Leominster and Bromyard - Explorer 201 – Knighton Presteigne - Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park (East - Explorer 188 Builth Wells - Explorer 200 Llandrindod Wells and Elan Valley - Explorer 214 Llanidloes and Newtown.
Navigation Apps
For The OS Explorer App Click
For GPS Navigation Click
Equipment & Gear?
For camping gear from tents through to sleeping bags and bivvy and other essentials click here.
Some Epic Reasons to Walk the Wye
Health
Creative
NRG
Education
Additional Points Of Interest
There are some interesting places and features to note along the way. Here are just a few that we like.
Wild Camping
Camping reminder. Again Here is some advice for wild camping generally and a list of some of the sites nearby the trail.
