Usk Valley Walk

The Usk Valley Walk is a waymarked long distance footpath in south east Wales, from Caerleon to Brecon.

Distance

The route runs some 48 miles (77 km). The entire route can be walked in three to five days.

The route

The route follows some of the course of the River Usk and runs from a start point at Caerleon, not far upstream from the rivermouth at Uskmouth, south of Newport, up the river valley, with interesting detours, to Brecon in the north.

It passes from Roman Caerleon uphill, climbing the Wentwood ridge, to descend into gentle dairy pastureland , visiting the riverside towns of Usk and Abergavenny, where it enters the Brecon Beacons National Park, follows the towpath of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, bypassing Crickhowell where it climbs again providing views of the Black Mountains falling back to the canal towpath again. Just after Llangynidr it climbs again towards Talybont Reservoir with fine views of the highest part of the Brecon Beacons on the way. Passing below the reservoir the route climbs towards Talybont Forest rejoining the canal at Pencelli. The route ends at Brecon.

The route is waymarked using a symbol of an otter's head, an animal that any walker may well see on the river. A guidebook for the route is available from bookshops.

More adventurous walkers can follow further up the River Usk towards its source in the Carmarthenshire Fans below Fan Brycheiniog in the far west of the National Park.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Usk Valley Walk.

• The Usk Valley Walk website and photos
• The Rambler's Association on the Usk Valley Walk
• Basic Map and information from Contours walking holidays

Long-distance footpaths and National Trails in Wales
Coastal footpaths & trails	Anglesey Coastal Path Ceredigion Coast Path Gower and Swansea Bay Coast Path Llŷn Coastal Path North Wales Path Pembrokeshire Coast Path South Wales Coast and Severn Estuary Coastal Path Wales Coast Path
Non-coastal footpaths & trails	The Beacons Way Cambrian Way Celtic Way Cistercian Way Clwydian Way Dyfi Valley Way Glyndŵr's Way Landsker Borderlands Trail Marches Way The Maelor Way Monnow Valley Walk Offa's Dyke Path Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk Taff Trail Usk Valley Walk Valeways Millennium Heritage Trail Wye Valley Walk

Transport in Powys
Road	A40 A44 A438 A458 A470 A479 A481 A483 A487 A488 A489 A490 A495 A4059 A4113 A4221 B4574
Footpaths	Beacons Way Cambrian Way Epynt Way Glyndŵr's Way Marches Way Offa's Dyke Path Sarn Helen Severn Way Usk Valley Walk Wye Valley Walk
Cycle routes	Celtic Trail Elan Valley Trail Lake Vyrnwy Road Circuit Lon Cambria Lôn Las Cymru Radnor Ring Taff Trail
Railway stations	Cambrian Line Caersws Dovey Junction Machynlleth Newtown (Powys) Welshpool Heart of Wales Line Builth Road Cilmeri Dolau Garth (Powys) Knucklas Llanbister Road Llandrindod Llangammarch Llangynllo Llanwrtyd Pen-y-Bont Sugar Loaf Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Castle Caereinion Cyfronydd Heniarth Llanfair Caereinion Sylfaen Welshpool Raven Square