Walk Description

A circular walk through fields, country lanes and St Pierre Golf and Country club.

Grade:  Easy 
Length: Approx 3 miles 
Start:  Millers Arms Public House (ST521915) situated on the main road through Mathern. 

Mathern and St Pierre

  • Cross the road turn left and about 100 metres after the bridge is St Tewdrics Well where King Tewdric died c470 AD and was buried nearby. Turn and retrace your steps for about 25 metres and turn left up the road that leads to the driveway to Moynes Court, an Elizabethan manor once home to the Bishop of Goodwin (1562-1633) but now a private property.
  • After 200 metres along the driveway turn left through a gate into a field. Cross the field and pass through a gate. to the left of the gate is a stone commemorating the coronation of King George V1 in 1937. Now bear slightly right aiming for a gate at the far corner of the field. You may catch a glimpse of Moynes Court and the tithe barn.
  • Go through the gate and walk across the field to the far corner. Go through a gate and over the bridge on to the gold course. Turn left and keep close to to the edge until after about 150 metres, you turn left across a narrow bridge. Do not cross the wide wooden bridge to your right which is part of the gold course.
  • Immediately after the bridge go through a gate and turn right to cross a wide concrete bridge and head for the left of Pill Cottage formerly a Customs House. As you approach the cottage there is a good view of the Second Severn Crossing which opened in 1996. Go all the way round the property ignoring a redundant stile on your right until you come to a kissing gate which leads onto a tarmac drive.
  • Continue along a tarmac path until you come to a car park. to the left of the car park was the St Pierre Pill dock where coal probably from the Forest of Dean was unloaded to be transported inland.
  • Bear left across the car park, turn right at the corner of the buildings and pass the entrance to the Leisure Club and Hotel on your right. Turn right into the graveyard of St Pierre Church which has both Norman and Saxon features. thre is a stone coffin lid inside which is that of the first Norman Lord, Urien who died in 1295.
  • Carry on through the graveyard to the courtyard with the main entrance of the Hotel on your right. The first gold course opened here in 1962. In 2008 the remains of a secret bunker was discovered on the course, Its purpose was to transmit radio information and act as HQ for fighters in the event of an invasion.
  • With your back to the Hotel entrance head for and go through the 16th Century arched entrance to the courtyard and along the tarmac drive. Turn right onto the main driveway that you left a short tiem ago. After a very short distance, turn right to take the second tarmac path so that you now have the golfcourse on your left.
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