Walk 1: Chepstow to Goldcliff
I first started my Welsh Walking Adventure – walking the Wales Coast Path – on 25th January 2020. Little did I know at the time, but the world was on the brink of being shut down, pressing pause on my adventure, but I did learn a lot in the couple of months leading up to the first lockdown, which would stand me in good stead for when I restarted my walk in 2022.
My first walk was a bit of an experiment – although I enjoyed the odd mountain hike, I wasn’t entirely sure how far I could walk in one go, so my partner and I drove to Chepstow and started walking, with the aim of seeing where we ended up!
The Wales Coast Path starts (or, technically, ends) at the Old Wye Bridge in Chepstow. After a stroll through the town, you soon get a glimpse of the Prince of Wales Bridge, which was known as the Second Severn Crossing until it was renamed in 2018. I’ve been travelling to Wales for the whole of my life, and, since its opening in 1996, it has been the gateway to what has become my favourite place, so passing the bridge would feel like we’d really started on our adventure.
Before we reached the bridge, however, we had to contend with our first experience of my least favourite aspect of the Wales Coast Path: cows. We trudged through an incredibly boggy, slippery and smelly cattle field, which took us straight through a group of bemused-looking cows. It took quite a bit of bravery (and I actually think I would probably find an alternative route if faced with this particular field now), but we made it through safely, to reach the village of Mathern, home to St Tewdric’s Church.
In front of the churchyard, we spotted a wooden statue of St Tewdrig, a sixth-century Welsh saint who abdicated in favour of his son and retired to live a hermitical life, but came out of retirement to fight the Saxons (he won, but was mortally wounded in doing so).
We continued onwards, eventually catching sight of the Prince of Wales Bridge once again. On a foggy January day, the bridge looked almost ethereal, although it didn’t sound it as we got closer! The walk took us underneath the bridge, and shortly after, back over the motorway (and shortly after that, over again). We walked what felt like dangerously close to some electricity pylons before finally getting some estuary views.
It’s safe to say that this isn’t the most scenic of walks, and probably not one you’d choose to walk unless you were hiking the whole path, but it did have some nice moments, and very little ascent to help ease us in.
The final stretch saw us trudging along a very muddy path for what seemed like forever. As the sun set and the aching became too much to bear, we realised it was time to find somewhere to stop, and Goldcliff looked like just the place. We finished our walk at The Farmers Arms, where we found warmth, a pint (of Coca-Cola) and a tasty curry, while we attempted to book a taxi to take us back to Chepstow. It was touch-and-go, but we eventually found a very kind driver to take us back to our car!
🥾 Distance: All in all, we managed to walk about 18.5 miles – a respectable start to the walk (and around 1% of the total distance of the Wales Coast Path). ⭐ Highlight: Foggy views of the Prince of Wales Bridge – the gateway to Wales from the South West. 👎 Less Good: A toss-up between the trudge through a field of cows, walking a bit too close to electricity pylons and the muddy and achy slog to Goldcliff. 🚗 Transport: We drove to Chepstow and got a taxi back to the car from Goldcliff. I’d recommend pre-booking a taxi if you choose to do this, as we struggled to find a taxi company that was willing to take us back to Chepstow. 🛏️ Accommodation: This one was just a day trip, so we slept at home. 🌱 Food: We had a tasty (and much-needed!) veggie curry from The Farmers Arms in Goldcliff while we waited for our taxi. 🗺️ Map: This route is featured in the official South Wales Coast guide. |
Still not convinced? Read my ten reasons to walk the Wales Coast Path.
If you’re ready to start planning your walk, you can find lots of resources to help you on your way here.
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