Whispers of the Wye

The first half of the loop follows the beautiful Wye Valley trail - an undulating trail through woodland on the cliff-tops, with views over the Severn Estuary and River Wye. Just before reaching Tintern, the route loops back through the countryside, before rejoining the Wye Valley trail to head back to where you came. For a shorter loop, the route can be started at either the Upper or Lower Wyndcliff Car Parks (both free). This avoids the out-and-back section of the route from Chepstow (a beautiful, undulating piece of trail through woodland that skirts the River Wye) - a 7.5 km / 4.7-mile loop with just over 300 m of ascent.

The full route begins from the Chepstow Leisure Centre Car Park. There is a signposted footpath heading into the woods from the back of the car park to the right of the Leisure Centre building. The path is straight and paved to begin, heading gradually downwards. At the end of the paved section, turn down to the right and follow the trail as it winds through the woods. There are a few smaller paths breaking off at points; in each case, continue to follow the larger of the paths, heading north to the cliffs above the River Wye, then running parallel to the river it sweeps west and then north again. The path forks at around 2.9 km from the start. Take the main path which heads to the right. After approximately 100 m, you will reach a viewpoint looking across the River Wye. Here, the path ducks off to the left through Giant’s Cave. Continue along the path to reach the Lower Wyndcliff Car Park on the A466.

At the car park, cross the road to the path on the other side of the road, signposted with the Wye Valley Walk. After 70 m, take the path to the right into the woods. Soon, the path turns into a short but lung-busting climb, aided by stairs. At the top of the final stairs, carry on straight for a few metres and then turn right. After 100 m, the Eagle’s Nest viewpoint is down to your right, offering views over the River Wye and the Severn Estuary, as well as a well-earned resting point!

From here, the path is flatter as it winds through the woodlands. After 1.8 km, the path curves around to the right, with a short rocky descent down the edge of the woods. Be careful, it can get slippery here when wet! From the edge of the woods, carry on straight across the field to a gate on the other side of the field, and then over the next field to the kissing gate on the edge of the woods. Go through the gate and down the rocky track. At the bottom, there is a paved road to your right where you can leave the trail to get a closer look at the Tintern Abbey ruins or stop for a coffee/toilet break.

Otherwise, take a sharp left up a gravel 4WD track heading upwards. Continue straight on this as it continues to climb, narrows and then eventually joins a quiet country road. Turn left along the road and continue for 400 m, before taking the first left onto another road. Continue for another 300 m, before turning right onto the farm track after the houses and just before the cow shed - the farm track is a public right of way. Continue along the farm track, through a gate and stay on the main track as it continues across the field. At the end of the track, there is a stile leading to the Upper Wyndcliff Car Park. Turn left to go straight across the car park, enter the woods next to the signs and take the path heading the right. Follow this downwards until you reach familiar territory: the path ahead continues to the earlier climb up to Eagle’s Nest, and the path down to your right will take you back across the A466, where you can retrace your steps back to the Chepstow Leisure Centre.