The Usk Valley Walk is a waymarked

long distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exce ...

in south east

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, from

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

Distance

The route runs some . The entire route can be walked in three to five days.

The route

The route follows some of the course of the

River Usk The River Usk (; ) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north int ...

and runs from a start point at

, not far upstream from the rivermouth at

Uskmouth Uskmouth () is an area to the south of the city of Newport, Wales, Newport, South Wales. Location Uskmouth is effectively in the west of the village of Nash, Newport, Nash. It is at Uskmouth that the River Usk meets the Severn estuary. Ameni ...

, south of Newport, up the river valley, with interesting detours, to

in the north. It passes from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

uphill, climbing the

Wentwood Wentwood (), in Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, South Wales, is a forested area of hills, rising to above sea level. It is located to the northeast of, and partly within the boundaries of, the city of Newport, Wales, Newport. Geology ...

ridge, to descend into gentle dairy pasturelan

visiting the riverside towns of Usk and

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

, where it enters the

Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...

, follows the towpath of the

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal () is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its ...

, bypassing

Crickhowell Crickhowell (; , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community (Wales), community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on th ...

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 The Brecon Beacons (; ) are a mountain range in Wales. The range includes South Wales's highest mountain, Pen y Fan (), its twin summit Corn Du (), and Craig Gwaun Taf (), which are the three highest peaks in the range. The Brecon Beacons ha ...

on the way. Passing below the reservoir the route climbs towards Talybont Forest rejoining the canal at Pencelli. The route ends at

. The route is waymarked using a symbol of an

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

'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

towards its source in the

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

Fans below

Fan Brycheiniog Fan Brycheiniog is the highest peak at a height of (above sea level) in the Black Mountain (range), Black Mountain (''Y Mynydd Du'') region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. There is a trig point at the peak and on ...

in the west of the

National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

External links

*
The Rambler's Association on the Usk Valley Walk

Basic Map and information from Contours walking holidays
{{authority control Recreational walks in Wales Long-distance footpaths in Wales River Usk Brecon Beacons Footpaths in Powys Transport in Monmouthshire