The Monnow Valley Walk: Following a River from Source to Confluence

Three friends on a two day hike from Hay-on-Wye to Monmouth 

The Monnow Valley Walk

The Midlife Crisis Walking Club returned for its fourth outing and this would be our most challenging hike so far.

Our "club", which is basically me and my mates, started back in December as a way for a few older dads with young kids to get out, stretch our legs and have a bit of time away that did not involve soft play or Peppa Pig. This walk was just me, Lee and Andy. The originals from walk number one.

We picked a more adventurous route this time, over two days with a camp along the way. We were doing The Monnow Valley Walk, roughly 38 miles from Hay on Wye to Monmouth, following the River Monnow from source to confluence. The plan seemed relatively straightforward. Tough, but doable. Day one would take us to from Hay to Kentchurch where we would either walk or get a lift to my in laws' farm about two miles off route and camp overnight. Day two would then cover the remaining miles into Monmouth. Day one was supposed to be around 24 miles. Those miles would turn out to be more challenging than we expected. 

Day 1: Hay-on-Wye to Kentchurch

We left Ledbury at 6:35 in the morning, got the bus to Hereford and then a taxi over to Hay on Wye. By about 8:15 we were walking. The route starts by following Offa's Dyke Path and immediately heads uphill for around four miles towards Hay Bluff. I'd been up this section before on a walk from Hay-on-Wye to Abergavenny, and assumed this would be the hardest climb of the Monnow Valley Walk. It absolutely wasn't.

The bus stop at Ledbury Memorial

Lee, Andy and me at the Offa's Dyke Path, Hay-onWye

It's not a bad run really with only one particularly steep section. A steady pace and trekking poles got us up comfortably enough, even with all the camping gear. After passing through fields we eventually reached the open moorland beneath Hay Bluff and the views suddenly opened up. It is a brilliant section of walking. From there the route heads east where the streams form the source of the River Monnow. Crossing back into Herefordshire felt nice, and from this point the route loosely follows the river all the way to Monmouth.

Approaching Hay Bluff

Sheep near Hay Bluff

One of the streams forming the River Monnow

There aren't riverside paths the whole way, so the route regularly disappears over hills and through fields before returning to the valley. I had originally found the hike on the Long Distance Walkers Association website back in December, but it had recently been removed because it was no longer actively maintained. After doing it, that decision felt like the right call. Some sections of path were becoming close to impassable and we ended up taking several diversions, partly because of access issues and partly because we were already losing time. There are no longer any Monnow Valley Walk waymarkers until you reach Grosmont, around 14 miles from Monmouth, so navigation required a bit more concentration than expected and progress was slower than the mileage suggested.

We stopped for a break on a bench outside St Mary's Church in Craswall which is a properly lovely little church and a nice place to reset. Unfortunately, because of work and family schedules, Thursday and Friday were our only available days. There are several pubs along the route but most were either closed on Thursdays or opening later due to low demand. It is always sad to see village pubs struggling but, in truth, if they had all been open we probably never would have made camp before dark.

St Mary's Church, Craswall

Inside St Mary's Church, Craswall

The River Monnow near Craswall 

From Craswall we climbed again towards Black Hill and followed a rocky bridleway near the start of the Cat's Back ridge walk before dropping back down towards Longtown. Somewhere along this stretch we had our first proper cow encounter. Around twenty cows started moving towards us and seemed determined to gradually form a circle around us. We kept walking calmly, waved trekking poles around in what we hoped looked confident rather than panicked and headed for the stile. Thankfully they followed rather than charged and we escaped with nothing more than elevated heart rates.

A bridleway to the east of Cat's Back

The cows that circled us

After more overgrown paths and a dodgy bridge crossing involving two planks and a fallen tree, we eventually reached Longtown and had a proper stop at the quirky Hopes of Longtown shop. By now we had covered around 14 miles and were badly behind schedule. Looking at the map, there was a section ahead that climbed west away from the river for views. Normally that would sound appealing but with the state of some of the footpaths we'd been on and time running short, we decided to swerve it. I found an alternative using nearby footpaths that stayed closer to the Monnow and saved us a couple of difficult miles. I just wanted to follow the river rather than sticking to the full trail anyway. 

A dodgy bridge in Herefordshire 

Me at the River Monnow near Longtown

Hopes of Longtown

From Walterstone onwards the route became more straightforward but still involved enough climbing to remind us we were nowhere near done. Eventually realism kicked in and I messaged my brother in law Jimm who lives over in Pontrilas. Thankfully he agreed to meet us at the pub in Kentchurch and drive us over to the farm. When we arrived at The Bridge Inn at about 7:15 in the evening we had covered more than 22 miles and looked like people who had spent all day in the Amazon. We had a quick beer and a refreshing glass of cold Coke before heading to camp.

The Monnow, Herefordshire

Walking the Monnow near Kentchurch 

Drinks at the Bridge Inn, Kentchurch

We got to the farm, had a coffee with my mother-in-law Carol and then pitched in the lower field. A nice spot with a stream running alongside and woodland nearby. I had stashed a healthy supply of beers there in advance but we weren't exactly up for a booze session. We had one each and called it a night knowing there were still another 16 miles to cover the next day.

Farmland camping in Herefordshire

My Wild County Helm Compact 1

Day 2: Kentchurch to Monmouth

I woke at about 5:30 and emerged from the tent an hour later for porridge and coffee. Then I waited. And waited. Eventually at 7:45 I gave up and woke the others. We finally left the farm after 9, already later than planned. I had heard the paths beyond Grosmont were better maintained and thought we still had a chance of making the 16:40 bus from Monmouth to Ross, where we could catch another bus home to Ledbury.

Then we reached Grosmont and a hill called Graig Syfyrddin.

Day one looked hilly. Day two looked manageable. 

Graig Syfyrddin had other ideas.

At the beginning of the climb we had another cow encounter but by this point we had become strangely relaxed around them. Then the woodland climb started and immediately turned brutal. It was steeper than the hill up towards Hay Bluff and harder than anything from day one. With camping gear and tired legs it became a proper grind. When we eventually reached the top the sun was now properly hot and we still had around ten miles left. Checking buses revealed there was a later one to Hereford at 18:40, which removed the pressure and let us settle back into walking rather than racing.

Cattle on Graig Syfyrddin

A tough walk up Graig Syfyrddin

From there we moved through lanes and fields towards Skenfrith and past the castle before reaching the final challenge of the walk, Coedanghred Hill. On paper it is only 192 metres high which sounds harmless enough, I later found out that is known locally as Heart Attack Hill and that absolutely makes sense. Thankfully, I didn't actually have a heart attack, but I certainly wouldn't recommend this hill to anyone with a dodgy ticker. Thirty plus miles into a walk with around 12kg on my back, dragging myself uphill with trekking poles, I do not think I have ever been more tired on a climb. My arms hurt more than my legs so the poles were definitely helping save my aching feet from serious punishment. 

Putting a brave face on during a climb up Coedanghred Hill

It was then mostly downhill towards Monmouth. We picked up the Monnow again and followed it through to Rockfield, passing Rockfield Studios where Queen recorded most of Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975. Plenty of other famous bands have worked there since including Black Sabbath, Oasis, Coldplay and Pixies. By this stage we abandoned the official route and followed pavements into Monmouth because the marked path didn't hit the river anyway.

Woodland on the Monnow Valley Walk

The River Monnow in Monmouthshire 

Rockfield Studios

Heavy feet. The beginnings of blisters. General exhaustion. Then finally we reached Monnow Bridge.

Job done.

Nearly 39 miles. Around 1500 metres of climbing. Two days with heavy camping packs and a route that made us work for every mile.

The Monnow Bridge, Monmouth

The end of the Monnow, Monmouth 

The Monnow Valley Walk may not always stay close to the river and it definitely needs some maintenance, but it was properly satisfying following the course of a local river all the way from source to confluence. It felt like a decent achievement and exactly the type of we wanted to do when we started our group. 

After that, we did what any sensible walking group would do. We went to the pub for some beers and some much-needed unhealthy food. We got the bus to Hereford and the train back to Ledbury before returning to ours normal lives of raising toddlers with our real friends: Grampy Rabbit and Bluey’s dad.