Three Castles Walk, Monmouthshire

Last updated

A section of the Three Castles Walk between Skenfrith and Grosmont The Three Castles Walk - geograph.org.uk - 568727.jpg
A section of the Three Castles Walk between Skenfrith and Grosmont

The Three Castles Walk is a waymarked long distance footpath and recreational walk located in north-east Monmouthshire, Wales.

Contents

Distance

The Three Castles Walk covers 31.2 kilometres (19.4 mi) [1] on a circular route.

Route

The route links Skenfrith Castle ( 51°52′42″N2°47′25″W / 51.8783°N 2.7903°W / 51.8783; -2.7903 (Skenfrith Castle) ), Grosmont Castle ( 51°54′55″N2°51′58″W / 51.9154°N 2.8661°W / 51.9154; -2.8661 (Grosmont Castle) ) and White Castle ( 51°50′46″N2°54′08″W / 51.8460°N 2.9021°W / 51.8460; -2.9021 (White Castle) ). [1] It follows woods and hills and takes the walker over Graig Syfyrddin (Edmunds Tump), from which there are views of the Welsh Marches, the mountains of South Wales, including the Black Mountains, and the Forest of Dean and beyond.

The Three Castles Walk links with both the Offa's Dyke Path (at White Castle) and the Monnow Valley Walk (at Skenfrith and Grosmont).

Related Research Articles

River Monnow

The River Monnow marks the England–Wales border for much of its 42 miles (68 km) length. After flowing through southwest Herefordshire, England, and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales, its confluence with the River Wye is approximately 13 mile (0.54 km) south of Monmouth.

White Castle, Monmouthshire

White Castle, also known historically as Llantilio Castle, is a ruined castle near the village of Llantilio Crossenny in Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, it comprised three large earthworks with timber defences. In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response King Stephen brought together White Castle and its sister fortifications of Grosmont and Skenfrith to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.

Monmouthshire County

Monmouthshire is a principal area with the style of 'county' in South East Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire of which it covers the eastern 60%. The largest town is Abergavenny. Other towns and large villages are Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor and Usk. It borders Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north.

Llanvapley is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. Llan has replaced the (earlier) Eglwys (1254).

Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, the castle comprised earthworks with timber defences. In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response King Stephen brought together Skenfrith Castle and its sister fortifications of Grosmont and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.

Grosmont, Monmouthshire Human settlement in Wales

Grosmont is a village and community near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales. The population taken at the 2011 census was 920. The wider community (parish) includes the villages of Llangattock Lingoed, Llangua and Llanvetherine.

Grosmont Castle

Grosmont Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Grosmont, Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, it was originally an earthwork design with timber defences. In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place, and in response King Stephen brought together Grosmont Castle and its sister fortifications of Skenfrith and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.

Graig Syfyrddin Hill in Wales

Graig Syfyrddin or just The Graig, is a 423m high hill near Grosmont in north-eastern Monmouthshire, Wales. The summit knoll is known as Edmund's Tump. The hill consists of an isolated mass of the micaceous sandstones of the Brownstones Formation, a unit of the Old Red Sandstone well known from the nearby Black Mountains, of which it can be considered an outlier in both the geographical and geological sense.

Monnow Valley Walk

Monnow Valley Walk is a 40 miles (64 km) long-distance footpath in north-east Monmouthshire, South Wales, with short sections in Herefordshire, England and Powys. It links Monmouth and Hay-on-Wye, following the River Monnow and the foot of the Black Mountains. The trail is linear running through the valley of the River Monnow, from Monmouth, near its confluence with the River Wye, to the headwaters below Hay Bluff. At this point, the walk links up with the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail, sharing the same route to the finishing points at Hay-on-Wye.

Llanvihangel Crucorney Human settlement in Wales

Llanvihangel Crucorney is a small village in the community (parish) of Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Abergavenny and 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Hereford, England on the A465 road.

Llantilio Crossenny Human settlement in Wales

Llantilio Crossenny is a small village and much larger community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, in the United Kingdom. It is situated between the two towns of Abergavenny and Monmouth on the B4233 road. The community includes Penrhos, and Llanvihangel-Ystern-Llewern.

Cross Ash Human settlement in Wales

Cross Ash is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located on the B4521 road between Abergavenny and Skenfrith, some six miles north east of Abergavenny.

Skenfrith Human settlement in Wales

Skenfrith is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. It is located on the River Monnow, close to the border between Wales and England, about 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Monmouth. The road through the village (B4521) was once the A40, linking Ross-on-Wye and Abergavenny.

Monmouth Castle

Monmouth Castle is a castle in the town of Monmouth, county town of Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. Monmouth Castle is located close to the centre of Monmouth on a hill above the River Monnow, behind shops and the main square and streets. Once an important border castle, and birthplace of Henry V of England, it stood until the English Civil War when it was damaged and changed hands three times before being slighted to prevent it being fortified again. After partial collapse in 1647, the site was reused and built over by Great Castle House, which became the headquarters and regimental museum of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers.

Beacons Way

The Beacons Way is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It is a linear route which runs for 99 miles (159 km) east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important landmarks and mountain peaks in the mountain range. It also includes a few of the towns in the park as well as popular attractions such as Carreg Cennen Castle near Llandeilo at the western end of the path.

Pandy, Monmouthshire

Pandy is a hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom.

St Bridgets Church, Skenfrith Church in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Church of St Bridget lies at the north end of the village of Skenfrith, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is an active parish church and a Grade I listed building. The church is dedicated to St Brigit, to whom 17 churches are dedicated across the country.

B4347 road Road in England and Wales

B4347 road is a road in Monmouthshire, south-eastern Wales, and crosses the border into Herefordshire, England. The road begins at 51°49′38″N2°45′0″W in Rockfield, to the northwest of Monmouth as a continuation of the B4233 road. It passes through the village of Skenfrith. The road ends at the junction with the B4348 road to the west of Kingstone, Herefordshire at 52°1′25″N2°55′21″W. The road crosses the River Monnow.

Three Castles

The Three Castles was a former medieval lordship, comprising the fortifications of Grosmont, Skenfrith and White Castle in Monmouthshire, Wales. The castles were established by the Normans in the wake of their conquest of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, they initially comprised earthwork fortifications with timber defences. In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response King Stephen brought the castles together to form the lordship, which continued to play a role in defending the region for several centuries.

Three Castles was a medieval lordship in Monmouthshire, Wales, comprising the fortifications of Grosmont, Skenfrith and White Castle.

References

  1. 1 2 "Three Castles Walk (Monmouthshire)". The Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap  
Download coordinates as: KML

Coordinates: 51°52′33″N2°53′11″W / 51.8757°N 2.8863°W / 51.8757; -2.8863