Date walked: 5th January 2022

Map used: Ordnance Survey Explorer OL 14- Wye Valley and Forest Of Dean (having downloaded the route onto my phone).

Distance: about 6 miles – this is the second part of Stage 1 of the route as described on the website below

Website for path: There is no written guide to the path but this website has the basics. 

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This section of the path initially follows the road from The Veddw to Tintern Cross (which I have always known as Pont y Saeson – I’ll come back to that). I was surprised by the road-walking as looking at the map there is an obvious cross-country route on footpaths that would get to The Fountain Inn by way of Panta Farm. I took this up with David Morgan (who is Mr Monmouthshire Way). He said that he had always found the cross-county route muddy and unpleasant to walk. Fair enough – I’ve only walked it once and that was years ago.

So having walked down the lane from my home, todays outing starts where the footpath through New Wood reaches The Veddw (which, in their folly, the planners refer to as Ravensnest Wood Road – more about that anon) .

As you can see, the lane is pretty rough at this point and the stream which the map records as Fedw Brook often floods the road in winter. This can become a treacherous sheet of ice – you have been warned. As you reach a bend to the right a smaller lane goes off to the left.

This is Coal Lane, also called Cole Road; it runs all the way to Devauden. I understand the name comes from the fact that charcoal used to be brought down it to feed the C17th Tintern Abbey Furnace lower down the valley – a fascinating place.

It’s one of those deeply sunken lanes. When we came the lane’s surface here was down to the Red Sandstone bedrock. Further up the lane was a stone barn owned by Panta Farm. They applied to “convert” this into a house which was contrary to planning policy due to its remoteness. Conversion  meant that the character of the lane would be completely changed by it being concreted over. We and CPRW opposed the conversion; it was a bitter battle which went on for some years. We lost, of course. I always carry a nasty feeling when I walk up the lane.

Just round the corner is another barn “conversion” which now goes by the name of Fedw Barn. We are friends with the occupants.

When we came this was just a single small barn. We didn’t oppose the conversion as it is next to the lane and another property but it demonstrates what barn “conversions” really mean. They means that the original building gets new openings for windows, extended and outbuildings allowed, LPG gas tanks get installed and fences put up and it all becomes domestic.

The last property on the lane is Veddw Farm (also friends). It used to be owned by someone big in electricity who occasionally used to get dropped off home by helicopter. Chances are if you walk past you’ll be greeted enthusiastically by their dogs – they don’t approach though. The lane rises steeply at the end to join the road that goes down to Tintern.

I was surprised some years ago to discover that it is also called Ravensnest Wood Road. Anyway, The Monmouthshire Way turns left onto this road, passing Fedw Pool.

This is a dammed pond, part of the system of extensive management of water that extends from here all the way down to the furnace and beyond. It used to be a fishing pond but not any longer. Some years after we moved here we re-homed our goldfish here. They were eating the frog spawn.

I wonder who would answer if you rang this number?

Several small streams join Fedw Brook which runs out of the pond…..

This one coming from the woods on the far side of the road

… and when the road reaches the drive leading to Panta Farm …..

…another stream joins it and now it is known as the Angiddy  and the valley the Angiddy Valley (the map spells it Anghidi – spellings are fluid around here).  From Fedw Pool to Pont-y-Saeson the bonus of this road walk is that you are constantly within earshot of running water.

Panta farm is where Brooke’s Ice Cream is made which is sold widely in Monmouthshire and beyond. They also make the Angiddy cheese which is like Perl Wen but not as nice.

A few hundred yards after the drive to Panta Farm the Angiddy meets its next obstacle – Ravensnest Fishery. 

The fishery didn’t exist when we came to live here,  the small river passing through a series of  dams and weirs that were all part of the historic management of the water relating to the furnace (and possibly other uses). The stream/river was the favoured habitat of dippers. The ponds associated with the dams get regularly silted up from the red soil runoff from Panta Farm.  And, equally regularly, earth movers are brought in to scrape the soil out of the ponds and dump it at the side of the river. You won’t be surprised to hear that we, the RSBP, CPRW and others also opposed the approval of the fishery. And failed.

The fishery has a car park…

… and signs of course…..

…. and an office building with outside shelter, tables and chairs. In the past the owner has applied to site 5 holiday cabins here.

Without seeking obtaining permission its owner subsequently sited a small caravan in a prominent spot and later replaced that with a huge building without planning permission which he wanted to pretend was a caravan then convert into a dwelling. The planners refused and told him to remove it. Instead he has appealed the refusal and covered it in a green tarpaulin. The fish, by the way, are imported from Devon.

It seems the appeal hasn’t been heard yet.

When you walk by the fishery have a think about whether all this is really in sympathy with this being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The lane continues down to Pont-y-Season and is being undermined by the Angiddy in places.

Nature trying to reassert itself

There’s a farm at Pont-y-Season called Cross Farm. They’ve made a garden by the river populated by herons and a deer. I expect more animals will join the menagerie in due course.  Pont-y-season translates as “Bridge of Saxons” and the story goes that there was a battle here to repel invading Saxons led by Tewdig formally a Welsh King and later hermit of Tintern Abbey (what?). I’ve no idea what evidence there is for this.

The Monmouthshire Way turns left here, passing a row of cottages.

Just after the cottages a wide gate marks the end of what I understand to be a Roman road, though it is locked and looks like any other farm track.

I wonder why this never became a Right of Way?

The Way does join this track but you have to walk a few hundred yards further on and take some steep steps off the road….

…. and climb through a field to meet it.

From here the Way follows this track up through the field…

… to arrive at an outbuilding and what appeared to be someone’s back “garden”.

Beyond a willow circle was an almost collapsed shed….

… and a rather fine Gloucestershire Old Spots pig.

He seemed to want to chat

This plot has an attractive if rusty metal gate at its far side….

… from where a track…..

…. leads down to The Fountain Inn.

The Fountain used to be a regular watering hole of ours. When we came to the area the landlord was one Chris Rabbits and his wife Judith- a more cheerful and welcoming publican would be difficult to find. He had the most extraordinary giggle and once a year they would throw a free lavish party with food for his customers. It’s still a nice pub with decent food and drink.

The Way takes some steps opposite the pub which were in a pretty poor and overgrown state……

…. the path then following the side of field to meet a pair of gates that cross a track that leads to Wain-y-Parc farm.

The Way, skirts the farm alongside a field that would normally carry a crop….

… and besides which was a flock of sheep feasting on bales of hay.

We, like sheep,… (its all about the comma)

More sheep were encountered in the next field…..

These rushing towards me as if I had hay coming out of my ears.

….. at the end of which a redundant bramble enclosed stile was walked around to enter another field.

Climbing to the corner of this field a further double stile was encountered in even worse condition.

I had no option but to add to its demise

A further short climb through the field brought me to a tied up gate …..

I think this is on the Right of Way, so shouldn’t be tied up like this

…..and some rather beautiful black cows accompanied by a brown bull.

Fortunately on the other side of the fence

The gate climbed over,  the path leaves the next field by an unmarked stile and enters Kit’s Wood.

I wonder who Kit was?

The track through the wood was easy enough to follow…..

… though pretty wet and muddy just before it joined a little lane.

If you were walking in the other direction this footpath might be difficult to find as there was no finger post at the roadside.

Turning left onto the road the Way twists and turns for a few hundred yards on the little lanes and footpaths of the hamlet of Whitelye.

Spot the tortoise

A phone box is still in place sans phone……

… and I was glad to have the route on my mobile phone as there were no signposts to indicate which was to go at several junctions.

I don’t know if High Beech Farm is still a farm or not but they had several rather attractive brown goats.

The Way crosses a lane shortly after High Beech Farm to enter the open grassland that is Wyes Wood Common.

The Way crosses the common, passing  a low stone wall…

… to reach a small stream and a stile at the edge of the village of Catbrook.

The Way takes a little path through the village by a stone wall. I was met with a sign telling me that the path was blocked by a fallen tree.

There being no alternative path I resolved to scale the fallen tree only to find that the path had, in fact, been cleared.

A casualty of storm Arwen I suspect

The Way passes through a small wood before reaching a fine stone stile.

On the other side was a small field with another of these lovely stone stiles…..

… and beyond that an open field with strikingly good stone walls.

The map gives no name to these fields but it seemed to me that there was something unusual and particular about the place.

Another stone stile…..

…. led to a final one to enter Ninewells Wood.

The path through the wood was pretty soggy at first….

… but thankfully this became a better track ……

……that dropped down via a footpath and stile……

… to the road near Cleddon. From here it would be a detour of less than half a mile to visit Cleddon Falls. 

If I had masterminded the route I would have worked in this detour. And I understand that the path by the falls has recently been much improved

So here’s a pic of mine from a previous walk

Instead, the Way crosses the road …..

….and takes a track by the side of the woods to Cleddon Hall. – birthplace of the Nobel Prize winning philosopher Bertrand Russell.

Rather frustratingly you don’t get much of a view of the hall

The Way turns a sharp left here, heading, according to the Finger Post, for Scotland.

The path through the woods was soft in places, but not seriously so.

It emerged at the hamlet of Cotland….

… crosses the road and then takes a track (walking by a garage/MOT station previously unknown to me) names on the map as Henllan Lane.

Another casualty of storm Arwen?

By this time I am keeping a close eye on my watch. A bus back to Devauden was due in Trellech at 2.51, the next being some three hours later. I had about 25 minutes to get there. The village was visible though the hedgerow, the tall elegant spire to St Nicholas Church a landmark for miles around.

The lane was firm and I upped my pace, reaching the road that leads into the village with 10 minutes to go.

As I approached the village I got to a point that if I missed the bus I would be able to see it go by. It was due in 5 minutes.

By the time I could see the bus stop I reckon I had a chance of flagging the bus down.

As it was I reached the bus stop with two minutes to spare.

I’ve never been sure about the wooden sculpture -but it won’t last forever.

And the bus was on time; I was the only person on it for the whole of the way back to Devauden. 

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