The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Abergavenny

Abergavenny History

Abergavenny (Y Fenni) is a place close to my heart, it was an area I studied many moons ago as a student. I later had the privilege of living just up on the hills in a small village called Llanelly Hill where I was blessed with a fantastic view of the Sugarloaf from my bedroom window.

The town starts with a formed settlement in the Roman period firstly with the appearance of a fort, built to keep the local Iron Age Silurian tribe at bay. Lots of finds have been uncovered over the years showing what everyday life was like at that time. Some of the finds are displayed at the local museum which nicely on to the castle.

The ruins of a Norman castle can be found just a short walk away from the centre of the town. Abergavenny Museum is situated within its original walls and housed within a later hunting lodge built for the Marquess of Abergavenny. It is a small museum with a very local story to tell, this is well worth adding to any visit to the town. If you are looking to virtually visit I often find the history is well told by those that live and/or have an interest locally such as the Abergavenny History Society. If you would like to learn more about the history, heritage museums and local societies are a great place to start.

St Mary’s Church

A short walk from the castle you will find St Mary’s Church which was founded in the early 12^th century  as part of a Benedictine Priory. Its central location, nearby carpark and rich history of historic tombs , wall hangings and war remembrance make it worth adding to a ‘to visit’ list. Just a short walk away from the church is St Mary’s Tithe Barn also built in the 12^th century to house the taxes paid to the priory monks.

At the bottom of the long High Street and on past the market building (as if you were walking away from the town) is Gunter Mansion now run down it was once the residence of the Gunter Family who were a local influential family. Parts of the house date to the 16^th century and the Plas Gunter Mansion Group are dedicated to its restoration.

With its great history, pleasant layout, local market building and good local amenities you could easily spend a long day in Abergavenny exploring its heritage but a good place to start if you are planning a visit is the VisitMonmouthsire Website where you will find everything you need from parking, amenities, facilities to rest and refreshment. My current personal recommendation for an extra special treat or celebration would be afternoon tea at The Angel although there are plenty of cafes and pubs to choose for a spot of refreshment or lunch which are all lovely and delicious.

Hillforts near Abergavenny

Up high on the hills around Abergavenny are many hillforts, defensive enclosures that once were home to settlements of the local Silurian Tribe. The historic records for Abergavenny tell the stories of the part quarried away Twyn yr Allt Hillfort, the Iron Age settlement at Twyn y Gaer Hillfort, Cwmyoy and the ambiguous  Skirrid Fawr Ysgyryd (Skirrid) Fawr Hillfort which may in fact be connected to later ecclesiastical use with St Michael’s Chapel nearby, rather than Iron Age inhabitation. For those who enjoy a good hike you can combine a visit to Skirrid Fawr with a trip to the summit and maybe after a visit to the Skirrid Inn, Llanvihangel – a very old pub with great character and some chilling tales to tell.

There are also two hillforts listed that have now been quarried away in the Parish of Llanelly; Craig y Gaer Hillfort and Twyn-y-Dinas Hillfort . Stepping a little further west into Powys (removing the modern county boundaries that would not once have been there) there are records for two hillforts where clear remains still can be seen. Firstly Crug Hywel Hillfort situated on a Black Mountain Ridge and secondly Coed Pentwyn Hillfort.

Roman Abergavenny

During the Iron Age the Romans came to Britain and began marking the landscape with their military forts and own style of construction. This is true at Abergavenny where the Romans built an early auxillary fort ‘Gobbanium’ which fell out of use and later became a civilian settlement. The site underlies the modern town and shows the towns earliest beginnings nearly 2000 years ago.

Walks

For a really challenging walk, there is the circular three peaks Abergavenny route covering a total of around 26 miles starting and finishing in Abergavenny   which takes in The Skirrid, The Blorange and The Sugar Loaf peaks in one circular walk that can be done as an intensive walk on a long summer day or split over sections. There is a shorter walk with some great views that takes you up the little skirred walk.

Castles near Abergavenny

The historic timeline shows the appearance of the early Roman fort at Abergavenny which brought a time of change in the landscape and then a little later came the Norman castle near the modern-day town centre. But there are also an impressive trio of stone-built castles that formed a triangular fortification to protect the line of communication between what is now Hereford and Wales that lay out in the landscape beyond. Now ruined stone shells but free to visit they provide stop off points for a popular triangular walk between them named ‘Three Castles Walk’ . Be warned at just under 19 miles to do the walk in a day is not for the faint hearted and splitting the walk is recommended for those wishing to enjoy it at a slower pace.

These castles are called White Castle, Grosmont Castle and Skenfrith Castle, which are now under the care of CADW, the Welsh body that protects the schedule monuments of Wales.

All three castles were first built in earth and timber and later refortified in stone.

White Castle

At White Castle this change to stone came in the 12^th century. It is described as the humblest of the three although still impressive with its bridges and deep moat. I can’t move on without recommending the nearby White Castle Vineyard which is run by a very friendly couple and they do make delicious wine……

Grosmont Castle

Grosmont Castle from the french ‘gros mont’ meaning big hill was rebuilt in local red sandstone in the 13^th century. It is a little more tricky to park at this site especially during the busier summer months but if you do make the visit do try and visit St Nicholas Church a church with 13th century beginnings located in the village on the other side of the road to the castle pathway.

Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle is set in a village rich in heritage. The castle was rebuilt in local red sandstone in the late 12^th century and most of what remains today is from the 13^th century. If you are making a trip to the castle then I recommend stopping at Hen Gwrt moated site nearby. It is quite eerie to see a rectangular platform surrounded by a moat but no manor to be seen…..

…. And finally just a short drive from Abergavenny is the site of the C15th century late medieval castle at Raglan . This is a paid for entry site but it is beautiful, yet intimidating at the same time and you would think it remiss if not at least mentioned. A handy hint is that CADW have an Open Doors event yearly (usually in September) that gives you access to some of the paid for sites for free! This yearly the event was virtual and here is the link for more information on castles and more….

Industrial Landscape above Abergavenny

It is definitely worth moving up into the hills beyond Abergavenny to explore the nearby industrial World Heritage Site at Blaenavon, a landscape that inspired the writer Alexander Cordell.

Heading away from Abergavenny, south east along the base of the Blorenge, through the village of Govilion and up ‘The Tumble’ ( a famous tough biking climb) and back down towards the town of Blaenavon you will pass a number of sites. The old forge at Garnddyrys, the lost village of Pwll Du (the Lamb and Fox Inn still exists but unfortunately in recent years has ceased trading as a public house) before passing Keeper’s Pond  and heading down towards the town of Blaenavon/Blaenafon.

Blaenavon is home to Big Pit, a mining museum with underground tours that well explains the life and times of mining in Wales during the 19^th and 20^th century. The museum is run by the National Museum of Wales and is a great FREE day out and is not too far away is the paid for CADW site of Blaenavon Ironworks   (remember to check out CADW’s Open Doors to see if it is a site marked for free entry) .

The small town of Blaenavon has a small community museum and the world heritage centre which tells its story in much more depth than here and also provides the opportunity for rest and refreshments and toilets. The town is also home to the Blaenafon Cheddar Company who make delicious cheese and the Rhymney Brewery known for its fine ales.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

The following is just a starting point for the exploration of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. If you are looking to walk part or all the route the links in the text will take you to some good sources and I would recommend reading the interpretation boards along the canal route.

A very brief history:

This waterway was once two stretches of canal  (Monmouthshire + Brecon and Abergavenny) both were built in the late 18^th century and they formed part of a small network of canals and tramways across south Wales. The canals merged in 1865 when the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company bought out the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal Company and in 1880 control of the canals passed to Great Western Railway. The canals were nationalised in 1948 and eventually abandoned in 1962. The original primary purpose of the canals was the transportation of raw materials and goods from the industrial sites across south Wales.

The Canal and River Trust have created a great little pdf map showing the navigable 35 mile section today (you can cover a greater distance on foot/by bike)

Walking the Canal

This highlights the places you can join the canal and shows the distance between sections so you can enjoy as much or as little as you like. My recommendation for a day out as a starting point near to Abergavenny, would be at Goytre Wharf but in the summer months this can get quite busy and the short section of narrow lanes that lead to it can become jammed. An alternative is to pick up the canal in Llanfoist with a 11 mile return walk (or cycle) to Goytre for a full day walk with amenities centered in the middle of the day.

The Gilwern to Talybont section does lack stop off places on route although there are places you can come off the canal and head into the local area, but they are sparsely spaced out so a packed lunch and plenty of refreshment would be recommended if covering this sections on foot. Then again why not go the whole hog and book a canal boat to cover the distance at a lovely slow pace and head into Brecon. There are plenty of boat hire and cycle companies that operate along the canal for you to choose from.

For articles near Abergavenny see Blaenavon and Pontypool