In the 'Vale of Ewyas' you will find neither hustle nor bustle: just a quintessential slice of Welsh countryside tucked against the border of England. Concealed by the Hatterall Ridge is the secluded Vale of Ewyas, a steep-sided once-glaciated valley within the Black Mountains area of the Brecon Beacons National Park. On this walk you’ll encounter the monumental ruins of an old priory, one of Wales’ oldest remaining medieval houses, and the wonkiest church in the British Isles. In between you will traverse meadows, pine forests and heather-laden ridges. It really feels like time moves differently here. If you’re looking for a place to reconnect with nature (and yourself) then look no further than the fascinating Llanthony Valley.
This walk can be done in an afternoon, but I highly recommend staying overnight to make a weekend of it, and to get the most from your surroundings. You can pick from a few nearby campsites (there are a few options) or book at the Abbey Hotel.
BEFORE YOU GO
Time: 5-6 hours
Terrain: Approx 10 miles of paths and trails, one steep section, possibly some fern & heather navigation depending on your route. Possibly windy at high altitudes so have an extra layer to hand. Limited phone signal in the valley. The only toilets are at the start & finish of the walk.
Rest points: Food & drink at the Abbey Hotel - possibly the ultimate setting for a pint and a lasagne. The wonky church at Cwmyoy is a good place to stop and snack: about halfway round, before the steep climb and in beautiful surroundings.
How to get there: car parking at Llanthony Priory.
Best time to go: Late spring or summer, when the valley is at its most lush and it doesn’t get dark too early
Directions: This route from Walking Britain is the one I followed. The directions and route map are on two separate pages though.
You begin this walk at Llanthony Priory, a 900 year old priory that was ruined after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. A truly breathtaking structure, massive in scale and rich in detail, set against the backdrop of the valleyside: history rarely comes more hands-on than this. You are very welcome and highly encouraged to wander around ruins - and even head into the hotel to get some food and drink - but I think both are best saved for the end of your adventure, as this is where you will finish your walk too.
Your walk will take you down the hill from the Priory and into the valley. You’ll cross the river Honddu here, before starting down the valley, through beautiful meadows and the pine forests of Llanthony wood. You’ll have plentiful views of the glorious vale as you make your way down.
BONUS: as you pass between two fields, look out for a tree so big on your right that two people can look right through it's roots from two ends and see each other!
When passing through the woods, drink in the fresh pine aroma as you make your way down the valley. Look out for an array of colourful mushrooms growing along your path depending on the time of year. We used the Shroomify app to try and identify as many as we could: which is a fun activity to try, but please don't eat anything you find unless you're experienced in the field, as even innocent looking fungi may mean a quick and sorry end to your adventure.
After a few kilometres, you’ll head down to the valley floor and cross the river again before making your way through more meadows until you eventually reach the hamlet of Cwmyoy.
BONUS - as you climb the hill into Cwmyoy, look our for the ruins of (what I guess is) an old milling stone, used for grinding grain into flour. We couldn't figure out how it would have worked, but had a nice time trying to guess, and generally appreciating the scene.
Cwmyoy is a small place: not home to a pub, but to a very cool church that is worth your investigation, inside and out. The building is roughly as old as the nearby Priory ruins, and has been a stop for pilgrims for centuries. It is also claimed that this is the wonkiest church in the whole of the UK. The tower slants at 5.2 degrees: which is officially wonkier than the leaning tower of Pisa. A series of landslips over hundreds of years have been the cause of such structural discombobulation: it’s extremely impressive that the building still stands. Stop a moment here to look around the church and take in this wonky wonder.
From the church, rejoin the path and make your way up the hillside as you begin to ascend the Hatterall Ridge. Make sure you pace yourself on this path, as the truly steep bit is yet to come!
BONUS - Look out for a collection of old buildings on your right. This is Llwyn Celyn, built in 1420, and a very rare survival from so soon after the destruction caused by Owain Glyn Dŵr’s Rising against the English Crown.
Continue your ascent and steel yourself for some very steep hillside walking. You can stop for a breather and turn around to survey the wonderful views of the valley behind you; which only get better the further up you go. Brambles and ferns will begin to give way to heather and your efforts will soon reward you with jaw-dropping views from the top of the ridge: you can see far east into England, and west into Wales.
You now stand on top of Hatterall Ridge, part of Offa’s Dyke, used as a natural defensive feature between England and Wales for over 1,000 years. Presently you join a route that is part of a 176 mile footpath that runs between Liverpool Bay in the north and the Severn Estuary in the south. Congratulations, you’ve done the hard climbing: enjoy the ethereal atmosphere of this quiet altitude, with rolling heather and stunning views stretching as far as the eye can see.
You will come across cairns (piles of stones that serve as landmarks and sometimes burial sites) and bog-pools that are quite gorgeous when catching the sunshine. On the Welsh side, you can spot Llanthony priory, perfectly framed by the steep sides of the valley. You will be making your way along the ridge, heading back in that direction: but in your eagerness to return, don’t forget to take plenty of moments to appreciate the fantastic part of the world that you find yourself standing in.
Continue along the ridge and eventually you will find a path that gradually leads you down the hillside - much less steep than your way up. You’ll note some very cool old trees here, and depending on the time of day or year, you might start to catch the evening sun ahead of you filtering through the tree branches and casting a warm glow over your surroundings. Before you know it, you will have reached the priory once more and completed your adventure. Be sure to head into the hotel here and grab yourself a refreshing drink, and perhaps order some good pub grub: they’ll bring it right out for you. You can sit on the grass or one of the old stone column foundations with some hearty food and drink, and review the best bits of the day, as well as your present surroundings: it really doesn’t get better than this.
My favourite bit: Wandering around the ancient priory ruins, feeling very small, with a pint of Welsh ale in my hand. I raise a toast to the legends that decided to establish a pub in the middle of such a special historical site - iechyd da! (that’s Cheers in Welsh)
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