Gilwern Canal Walk

This walk from the little village of Gilwern takes you along a pleasant section of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to neighbouring Llangattock.
Here you can enjoy a climb to the Llangattock Escarpment for some fine views over the area.... There's also the Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve with its wonderful limestone scenery and interesting rare plantlife.
The route then follows some pleasant country lanes back to Gilwern.
The walk starts in the car park near the pretty Gilwern Wharf to the north of the village. The attractive wharf is a popular place for a stroll with some lovely scenery and a fine canalside pub to relax in after your exercise. Follow the towpath north west toward Llangattock where you leave the canal to climb to the limestone cliffs of the Llangattock Escarpment. The route then heads south east through some lovely countryside, on a series of quiet country lanes. You'll pass Llanelly before returning to Gilwern.
Postcode: NP7 0EL
Pubs and More Info
The Towpath Inn is the ideal place for some post walk refreshment. It's located in a fine spot, next to the canal so you can sit outside next to the water and watch the world go by. On Friday's they have Street Food pop ups where traders bring their exciting and varied menus with dishes from all over the world. You can also hire ebikes here to explore the area in comfort. The inn can be found at 49 Main Rd, NP7 0AU.
Just to the west of the village there's the wonderful Clydach Gorge to explore. The scenic steep-sided valley is where the River Clydach flows to the River Usk.
Just to the east is Abergavenny where you can visit Abergavenny Castle Meadows and Linda Vista Gardens or try the climb to Sugarloaf Mountain.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Black Mountains Walks and the Brecon Beacons Walks pages.

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Nearby Routes

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Llangattock Abergavenny Sugarloaf Walk Abergavenny Castle Meadows and Linda Vista Gardens Clydach Gorge Crickhowell River Walk Crickhowell Canal Walk Blorenge Pontypool Raglan Blaenavon Goytre Wharf Keepers Pond Llanfoist Canal Walk Craig y Cilau

Photos

Gilwern Wharf. The house on the opposite bank incorporates a canal gift shop.

Monmouthshire Brecon Canal, Gilwern (looking west)

Marina at Pen-pedair-heol. There are relatively few privately owned boats on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, probably because it is self-contained and does not connect with the rest of the canal network. Consequently, the few marinas are smaller than the vast affairs to be found on busier canals. This one is just east of bridge 110.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, near Llangattock

Llangattock Escarpment. Travelling east above the edge of a small quarry beside the Beaufort road and rounding a bend to the southeast gives this spectacular view along the larger run of quarries.

Llanelly. Driveway to Ty'n-y-wern with Gilwern Hill /Carreg Gywir in the background.

View from near Pen-yr-heol towards Abergavenny

Main Road, Gilwern village. Looking down into the village from close to the canal bridge. The food advertisement refers to the Bridgend Inn, just out of shot on the right.

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