Usk to Abergavenny

The town of Usk was in bloom as I walked out of it, with brightly coloured flower baskets and flower displays on the bridge and many of the houses, looking exceedingly cheerful in the morning sun, with their red geraniums and yellow marigolds. Having crossed the river on the old bridge the path took me through a municipal park with dog walkers and then into farmland through fields of maize (some of it taller than me), across the stubble of wheat and by areas of peas. There were a few houses, a little road walking and some stretches of woodland by the river before reaching grassy fields with a distant view of the Skirrid to the north.

More fields and woodland walks beside the river followed one side of the river or the other, until I reached a pleasant section of National Trust riverside with areas especially designated for swimming dogs! Himalayan Balsam, a plant I had never seen 10 years ago, seemed to be everywhere displacing native wild plants (although replacing the stinging nettles which were attacking my bare legs, or the brambles grabbing my tee shirt, may not be such a bad thing).

Himalayan Balsam by the Usk Valley Walk

After the National Trust riverside (keep following the path along the bank in this section) the Usk Valley Way changes direction from north to west, with bits of road walking, followed by long stretches through pastoral fields, often along the river side. There was a curious bridge with "holes" through it in this stretch. I diverted into "The Bryn" hoping for a shop with lunch supplies but with no success, so I walked onto Llanellen where a shop supplied me with a sandwich and ginger beer. There was then a steep slope up to the Monmouth & Brecon canal. Looking back gave expansive views of the edge of the Brecon Beacon mountains.

After eating my sandwich on a handy bench, my final section today of the Usk Valley Walk was along the canal, I passed a few barges, I seemed to be walking faster than them, with the trees shading me from the occasional sunlight. Reaching Llanfoist and the sign for the Blaenavon World Heritage site (an old industrial area), I turned off the canal and headed into Abergavenny, where they were setting up for the Eisteddfod, that national celebration of Welsh culture. As my train did not go for another hour I wondered around Abergavenny, and although too late for the market, I had a pleasant coffee and Bakewell tart at a cafe. I caught the train to Tenby, I doubt if any on the train were actually going to Tenby, most got off at Newport or Cardiff.

In all I walked 29.4 km. Waymarking was generally good but in places an Ordnance Survey Explorer map was needed where signs were absent or where it was not clear where the path exited a large field. Paths were generally clear but in a few cases brambles were encroaching.

Newport to Usk on the Usk Valley Walk

Although all the documents I could find report that the Usk Valley Walk starts at Caerleon, it is now waymarked from the Wales Coast path in Newport as part of the Usk Valley Walk Link. This adds about 10 kms to the 77 km length of the original Walk, but 10 kilometres filled with history, which is very different from later parts of the walk, and also more convenient for rail and bus links.
So I started from Newport railway station and walked down to the Newport Transporter bridge, a magnificent feat of engineering finished in 1906 which still transports people and cars across the river in a "gondola" suspended beneath a high walkway. It was designed so that tall ships could travel up the river to the then docks, important at the time as Newport was a large port exporting coal and iron ore.
Heading back towards the centre of Newport from the transporter bridge there is a short walk alongside the road on the Wales Coast Path before joining the Usk Valley Walk at the next bridge. The Wales Coast Path heads off east across the bridge while the Usk Valley Walk continues alongside the river along a tarmaced path and cycleway. The area up to Newport Castle has been redeveloped, where once there was docks and railways there are now modern flats with occasional sculptures and memorials to soldiers and seamen. A mixture of wild flowers, garden flowers and a mowed strip around the path made for an enjoyable walk.

Riverside with Sculpture at Newport

Newport castle consists of the 14th century ruins, maybe less interesting than the mosaic murals of past Newport life on the walls that you pass. I missed the path along the river beside the abandoned Sainsburys store and had to retrace my steps. A contrast to the rest of the riverside walk there was rubbish and bits of ceiling where the Supermarket and its car park were being taken over by nature. A park and roads followed until I joined a tarmaced path surrounded by green vegetation taking me to Caerleon. The path passes the Roman fort and amphitheatre for which Caerleon is famous and which can be freely accessed, with no tickets or anything. I have seen more complete amphitheatres around the world but none in Wales. The ice cream van was also welcome as I agreed with its owner that it was going to be a very hot day.
Crossing the Usk I reached the start of the original Usk Valley Walk and was soon climbing through trees to the Celtic Manor Golf course (famous for its pouring rain during an "Open" held there). Here I lost the trail for a while, plowing through tall grass outside the entrance to the resort until I found some waymarks. Some road walking followed before I turned off on what the Ordnance Survey indicated was the correct route, going past Woodwards farm. The farm was in the process of being torn down or rebuilt and the man with the hammer said the footpath did not go through here. I had downloaded a gps file of the route for my Garmin Satnav which indeed suggested a routing through the woods to the south east, so retracing my steps for a kilometre I found an alternative path through the woods, and although there was no Usk Valley sign at the entrance (the waymarks have a picture of an otter), they appeared a little later.
However this second attempt to find the way also failed, after 500 metres I came across a sign saying forestry operations, no entry. No deviation was indicated. One is tempted to ignore such signs as they inevitably add distance and force one down less pleasant routes, maybe I would have if it had been in Europe and I could claim not to understand the language, but two printed signs with symbols, and some Welsh and a hand painted sign in English meant I was obliged to make a detour along a quiet road with distant views of the Severn estuary before re-entering the woods, where there were more warning signs, but none that I took to prohibit my passage.

View over Usk Valley

Waiting through fields on the flood plan

After leaving the wood (and finishing my supply of water on a day that was hotter than I anticipated), there was another long section of road walking based on my gps route. I later noticed on the Ordnance survey map that the Usk Valley Walk was marked through some fields rather than the road but it was too late to go back and find this path. I did not recall seeing it but at the key point I was distracted by a van driver kindly stopping to ask if I wanted a lift.
More fields and road walking followed along the flat flood plain of the River Usk and as the sun's heat increased I was glad of the shade from an occasional tree. The town of Usk looked very pleasant with old pubs, coffee shops and a rural museum, but I did not have time to tarry as my bus would soon be leaving and I needed to find a cold can of something to quench my thirst. The bus driver made it clear that notes were not allowed nor could change be expected. Fortunately I had the exact £4.35 for the ticket on the number 60 bus back to Newport, even if it did involve six 20p pieces, several 5p's and a few 50p's, otherwise I would still be at Usk.

The gps file I used from Caerleon was from here, A gps file of the Usk Valley Walk Link can be found here. In all I covered 35 km, and although it was a river path, there was a cumulative ascent of 557m.