Looking for sources of walking inspiration and information nearby or further afield?

Walkers are Welcome UK Network

Chepstow is one of many locations making up the Walkers are Welcome UK Network. If planning a visit away from the Lower Wye their website is a great source of contacts for local groups and walking festivals.

Lower Wye Ramblers

Lower Wye Ramblers are the local group of The Ramblers, Britain's primary walking charity, and publishers of the excellent 'Lower Wye Rambles' booklet which we use as a source of inspiration for local routes, and can be obtained by clicking on the booklet image below.

Forest of Dean Ramblers

Forest of Dean Ramblers are another local group of The Ramblers, Britain's primary walking charity.

U3A

Local U3A groups organise a range of walking activities for all abilities. Click on the links below for more details.

The Striders 1

The Striders 2

The Strollers

Forest of Dean Hotfooters

Forest of Dean Strollers

Best of

South Wales Long Distance Walkers Association

The LDWA is an Association of people with a common interest in longer distance walking in rural, urban, mountainous or moorland areas. Their website hosts a database of long distance routes.

From national trails such as the Wales Coast Path and Offa's Dyke trail, to short circular walks you can complete in a couple of hours, Monmouthshire's a great destination for walking. Go on a foodie town trail, or scale a mountain in the Brecon Beacons. Whatever type of walk you're looking for, Monmouthshire has one to suit.

The Wye Valley National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021 with a package of 50 of the team's favourite walks which can be downloaded from their website here.

The Living Levels Landscape Partnership

The Living Levels Landscape Partnership (LLLP) is a Heritage Lottery Funded (HLF) Landscape Partnership Scheme which aims to reconnect people and communities to the Gwent Levels landscape and provide a sustainable future for this historic and unique area.

The LLLP website contains a selection of walk routes aimed at discovering the Gwent Levels. 

The Wye Valley Walk

Walkers travel from around the world to enjoy this classic long-distance route, which follows the Wye for 136 miles of river and hill walking, from the rugged upland moorlands of the mountains of mid Wales to the Severn near Chepstow. No need for a passport as you criss-cross the border between Wales and England and ramble through the rolling fields and cider orchards of Herefordshire. The Wye Valley National Landscape, with its outstanding natural beauty, dramatic limestone gorges, stunning viewpoints and romantic ruins at Tintern Abbey, provides a spectacular 50 mile finale to the walk, which ends in the shadow of a clifftop medieval castle at Chepstow.

The Wye Valley Greenway

Running along the disused Wye Valley Railway the path offers walkers and cyclists a sustainable way to visit the beautiful lower Wye Valley and area of outstanding natural beauty via the spectacular 1km Tidenham tunnel (April to September only). The path links Wyedean School, Sedbury & Chepstow to Tintern.

Gwent Wildlife Trust

Gwent Wildlife Trust is the leading conservation organisation in Gwent. With the support of thousands of members and hundreds of volunteers, we're protecting wildlife and restoring wild places across Gwent and helping people of all ages reconnect with nature. For guided walks and other events click here.

Coleford Welcomes Walkers

We are quietly rather excited that Coleford became the first, of hopefully many more towns in the Forest of Dean District to have gained accreditation to the Walkers are Welcome UK network. Walkers are Welcome has a membership of over 100 towns and villages in the UK, whose main aim is to assist with our respective communities’ economic growth, physical health and mental well-being through walking.

Forest of Dean and Wye Valley

With acres of ancient forest and a stunning winding river valley, walking is of course one of the most popular outdoor activities in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley and there are plenty of options for walkers of all types. With miles and miles of idyllic landscape around us, walkers come from all over the UK and abroad to explore the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. The area is perfect for it, with well laid paths, excellent signage, varied terrain and beautiful scenery. Whether you are looking for a peaceful stroll or a lengthy hike, we're sure we have everything you need here.

The Woodland Trust

Taking a walk in the woods is the easiest way to enjoy the outdoors and get closer to nature. From woodland glades to unexplored pathways, where will your visit to the woods take you?

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust protects wildlife for the future. We connect and improve Gloucestershire's wildlife and wild places. For guided walks and other events click here.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Our reserves are vital havens for a huge range of species, and special spaces for us all to get closer to nature. From marshes and heathland to estuaries and cliffs, there is a diverse network of reserves all over the UK, including the Gwent Levels and the Forest of Dean. They're a chance for focused conservation work and for you to connect with wildlife, take part in fantastic events and enjoy the great outdoors. 

Natural Resources Wales

Natural Resources Wales own and manage some of Wales's most iconic landscapes including many in South East Wales.

Find your perfect trail, and discover the land of myths and legend. 15 trails and 5 England coast path sections to choose from, including the legendary Offa's Dyke Path.

The Ramblers

The Ramblers is a charity whose goal is to protect the ability of people to enjoy the sense of freedom and benefits that come from being outdoors on foot.
We’re an association of people and groups who come together to both enjoy walking and other outdoor pursuits and also to ensure that we protect and expand the infrastructure and places people go walking.

British Walking Federation

The British Walking Federation's member clubs organise events designed for people of all ages and abilities. You don't have to be a member of a club to take part, all you need to do is come to an event and register and take the opportunity to have fun, make friends.
Participants walk at their own pace enabling them to improve their personal fitness through regular, non-competitive exercise. The BWF is a member of the International Federation of Popular Sports (better known as the IVV) which contributes towards International understanding and friendship by encouraging people of all nationalities, races and religions to participate freely and without hindrance.

Slow Ways

Slow Ways is an initiative to create a national network of walking routes connecting all of Great Britain’s towns and cities as well as thousands of villages. Using existing paths, ways, trails and roads, people can use Slow Ways routes to walk or wheel between neighbouring settlements, and combine them to create longer distance trips. It’s designed to make it easier for people to imagine, plan and go on walking journeys.
There are currently over 7,000 Slow Ways stretching for over 100,000km. This network of routes was created by 700 volunteers during the Spring 2020 lockdown, creating a unique Slow Ways map in the process. 

GetOutside

GetOutside was founded by Ordnance Survey, to help more people to get outside more often. It sits at the heart of everything we do, as we firmly believe an active outdoor lifestyle helps you live longer, stay younger and enjoy life more. As the world starts to open up, how you feel is personal to you. We all have to do what's right for our circumstances and getting outside is somewhere many of us like to escape to.

National Trust

Ancient woods, dramatic clifftops, wild parklands, trails and landscaped gardens. You're spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a walk at our places

The Walking Post

The Walking Post is intended to be a news website for walking, primarily in the UK and Europe. It features news on equipment, new trails, books, and a weekly podcast.

Independent Hostel Guide

A great source of information for Walking Festivals across the UK, and a go-to place to find the best budget accommodation.

This is a place for people who love getting outdoors, lacing up a pair of muddy boots and discovering new walking routes in the great outdoors. We’re building a collection of the very best hill walks, mountain walks, woodland walks, lake walks, river walks, coastal walks, village walks, city walks and pub walks, taking take you right to the heart of the finest scenery in Britain.
The Outdoor Guide believes passionately in the value of enjoying a healthy life outdoors and aims to support those without the ability or opportunity to access and share the benefit of our great outdoors.

Find your next trail with AllTrails

Walking Britain

With over 2,500 walks and 23,000 pages of free walking information, "Walking Britain" offers a wide range of walks in England, Wales and Scotland. The routes range from easy circular walks to challenging mountain hikes. Walking along the coast, by rivers and lakes, through the countryside and across the hills, moors and mountains are all available. All routes are free to download and print, have a detailed route description, quality mapping and GPX files.

Visit Wales

Take a walk in Wales and you’ll find superb scenery is the constant of our walking regions, whether coast, mountains, valleys or hills. In our great outdoors you’ll discover well-marked national trails for some of the most inspirational hiking in the UK, walking holidays and shorter routes perfect for an afternoon stroll.

Brecon Beacons National Park

Whether you prefer strolling along to take in the gems you pass or energetically stepping up a slope to get your heart pounding, you’re guaranteed to find a walk to suit your mood and needs in the Brecon Beacons.

Newport

Newport City Council offer a range of walking ideas from their website.

Torfaen is a beautiful area occupying the most eastern of the South Wales valleys, well known as an area that holds a warm welcome with great diversity in terms of its landscape, biodiversity, history and cultural heritage. 
Whether you are a long distance walker looking for a challenge or out for a weekend stroll with the family, Torfaen has a series of circular walks to suit all ages and abilities.

Blaenau Gwent

If it’s a while since you’ve been to the valleys, it’s about time you visited again. The only remaining coal tips are conservation sites and hillsides are green again. This is great walking country with loads of trails following old tram roads and winding tracks straight to the mountain tops. ​

Caerphilly

We have a range of trail guides for walks ranging from 3 to 32 miles. Following one of our guides to explore some of the beautiful scenery and historic landscapes that makes up so much of our countryside.​

Valeways

Valeways is an independent volunteer run charity, created to promote health and wellbeing through walking, improve access to the Vale countryside and provide walking opportunities in the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan.

Cardiff’s parks and green spaces make this one of the greenest cities in the UK.
Discover the variety of walking trails from 1 mile to long distance treks. The walking trails are all waymarked, have individual leaflets including a map and start point information to help plan your journey.

Walking in Ross

Ross-on-Wye has long been recognised as the birthplace of modern tourism, drawing visitors for over 200 years.  It sits at the heart of the River Wye along which the original tourists travelled by boat and later by train and on foot.  It is the only town in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Today Ross-on-Wye is recognised as an accredited “Walkers are Welcome” town – offering something special for walkers and others who love the outdoors.

Herefordshire’s unrivalled network of byways is a hiker’s dream. These routes are made for walking – some 2,100 miles of dedicated footpaths, including no fewer than eight long-distance routes headlined by the 154-mile Herefordshire Trail.
A host of characterful market towns make ideal hubs for exploring on foot. Kington, Leominster, Bromyard and Ross-on-Wye proudly sport Walkers Are Welcome status, reflecting hiker-friendly facilities and a rich menu of trails to trek.

Thornbury Wayfinders

Recently accredited as a Walkers are Welcome town, Thornbury is the base for Thornbury Wayfinders, who aim to help all visitors and residents to enjoy outdoor life.

Walking is good for our health, an excellent way to socialise, and is a form of active travel - sustainable and caring for the environment. The green spaces, countryside and agricultural land in Gloucestershire are stunning!

South Gloucestershire

Whether you’d like to join a led walk over a short or long distance or just want to download a route to walk by yourself, you’ll find it on our website with information about walk programmes and walking routes.

Bristol

Bristol and its surrounding countryside have many opportunities for those wishing to enjoy a leisurely stroll or more challenging trek.​