Walk Description


Walk Description This is a true border walk as we cross the Wye into England. The walk takes you to Lancaut where there was once a settlement and the ramparts of an Iron Age fort can still be identified. All that remains of the village today is the ruins of St James Church. Along the way you will pass Wintours Leap cliffs, popular with rock climbers. Peregrines nest here and is a SSIS managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Start: Outside Chepstow Tourist Info Centre Bridge Street.
Grading: Moderate, some scrambling across boulder scree.
Length: approx 5 miles 

Lancaut Peninsula

Basic Directions
  • From Chepstow Tourist Centre walk to the road and turn left, crossing the old Wye Bridge over the river. To your left is Chepstow Castle and to your right the old railway bridge designed by Brunel. Halfway across the bridge is the border between Wales and England but no passports required here!
  • Continue over bridge and cross road to join the start of The Gloucestershire Way  Continue up this walled lane until you reach the road.  Cross road and follow the Offa's Dyke Path along this lane and turn left through a kissing again signposted Offa's Dyke Path.
  • Walking uphill head towards the top right hand corner of the field, passing a stone ruin on your right thought to be a lookout tower or windmill in days gone past.
  • In the corner of the field is a metal kissing gate, go through keeping the stone wall to your left for about 150 metres. Where the wall meets a higher wall is a kissing gate. Go through between a fence and the wall. At the driveway turn sharp right then through a black kissing gate on your left.
  • Follow grassy path diagonally across the fields towards a kissing gate in the corner. To you right you will see a green painted mansion called 'Pen Moel'.
  • At the kissing gate ignore the Offa's Dyke Path waymark and go ahead under a low wooden bridge marked 'Lancaut Nature Reserve'. Continue along the path dropping down steeply through woodland with glimpses of the River Wye to your left. The path is very narrow and eventually leads to a boulder strewn scree slope.
  • The boulders came from Woodcroft Quarry in the cliffs above. Limestone was loaded onto boats from massive timber platforms built at the bottom of the scree slope.
  • Cross the boulders following way markers to a narrow path which rises and falls sharply. At a T-junction of paths turn left following a path through woodland and under cliffs known as Wintours Leap.
  • The path veers left and heads down to the river. Follow a clear path through woods buy the river to a clearing. The path splits but take either path as both lead to another clearing and continue to a metal stile. Climb over and walk to an old tree. Turn right uphill by a marker post. On the right is 11th Century St James's church. There has been a settlement on Lancaut since Norman times and is believed to have once been a leper colony.
  • Continue uphill to reach a bench with views down the river and continue uphill keeping to the right. At a T-junction turn right passing to derelict lime kilns and up to a road. Turn right passing a house called 'Spital Meend' on your left. Continue to a junction, cross the road and go right and continue until you reach a small green. Cross green to the same road and walk along road for 60m. Just before the first house on the right turn tight up Offas Dyke Path. Walk along the top of the cliffs through a kissing gate and along the edge of a quarry with far reaching views to the Severn Estuary on your left.
  • Continue through two kissing gates to a third taking you to a road. Cross and turn right downhill for approx 70m looking for Offa's Dyke fingerpost by green kissing gate on the opposite side of the road. Go through under low bridge and continue retracing your steps back to Chepstow.
The moody photo above of Lancaut Peninsula looking down from Wintours Leap was sent to us by John Pember.
Thank you so much it's fantastic!