This is a pleasant short circular walk which begins in heathland, then goes over fields to the fantastic viewpoint at the Devil’s Pulpit, continuing along a wooded section of Offa’s Dyke, and completing the circle by walking back along ‘Miss Grace’s Lane’.

SUMMARY

• Grade: Easy-moderate. The first part of the walk is easy, but later on there are a few steps, and a section of Offa’s Dyke where it can be more difficult to find your footing because of tree roots and stones.
• Length: 3.3 miles
• Key Features: Devil’s Pulpit, Tintern Abbey, Offa’s Dyke. Views over Tintern, and along the Wye Valley
• Refreshments: None en route – but some good spots for picnics. Brockweir Village shop is a good place to stop for tea and cake on the journey back.

For an interactive version of this map click the image above or here

Route

This walk begins at a Forestry Commission car park just off the B road from Hewelsfield to Tidenham. The car park is just to the north of Tidenham and marked by a brown road sign to Offa’s Dyke. Follow the public footpath into the heathland area, and when you reach your fork in the path – with a white trig point in front of you – take the path immediately to the right of the trig point.

When you come out at a rough track turn left for about 10 yards and then turn right along the path signposted to Offa’s Dyke and the Devil’s Pulpit. At the end of the first field go through a metal kissing gate, and then bear right diagonally across the next field. If you look back, on a clear day you’ll get views of the Severn bridges, and across the Bristol channel.

Continue to follow the path through another kissing gate, still bearing diagonally right. When you emerge on to Offa’s Dyke, go left along the path which has been newly restored. You will soon come to the Devil’s Pulpit, with the iconic pulpit stone from which the Devil reputedly tried to turn the monks of Tintern Abbey away from their calling. To the other side of the path is an ancient yew, with its roots bound into a stone plinth. The history of the yew and the stone is probably older than that of Tintern Abbey.

After you have explored and looked, continue to walk along Offa’s Dyke, past the Pulpit. You will come across two more sections where trees have been cleared to allow views over Tintern and the Angiddy Valley opposite. Where the renovated path ends, keep right continuing to follow the top of of the cliffs which are below you. On this stretch you need to be careful of tree roots and boulders. Eventually you come to a point where it looks as though you could go either left or right. Follow the main path around to the left (the right path will take you closer to the cliffs than you really want to go – unless you’re a climber of course).

After a while the path has been diverted to the right, to try and avoid erosion of the Dyke itself. As you walk along the diversion, you can see the mound of the Dyke amongst the trees – many of which are yews.

You eventually come to a broad track where you turn left following the sign to Woodcroft. When you get to the ‘danger, quarry’ sign on your right, you turn left going uphill.

When you get to the main road, crossover and turn left, walking along the verge until you get to a bus shelter. At this point you need to cross the road, very carefully, and then take a small road opposite – called Miss Grace’s lane. Walk along the lane until you get to a public footpath sign on your right, just after Park cottage. Go through the barrier and then left along a smaller path. Go through two wooden gates, and when you get to the white trig points which you saw earlier, bear right and will soon come back to the car park.

The walk

We did this walk in late autumn, with a bright blue sky, and magnificent autumn colours. On the Offa’s Dyke section we could see glimpses of the river a long way below us and to the right, like a shimmering sinuous snake.