The Marches Way is a partially waymarked

long-distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-cou ...

in the United Kingdom. It runs for through the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

–English borderlands, traditionally known as the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...

, and links the cities of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in the north and

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

in the south.

The route

The route starts at Chester at Chester railway station and then follows the valley of the River Dee southwards, before turning east into

Malpas, Cheshire Malpas is an ancient market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Malpas is now referred to as a village after losing its town status. It lies near the borde ...

, and down to

Whitchurch, Shropshire Whitchurch is a market town in the north of Shropshire, England. It lies east of the Welsh border, 2 miles south of the Cheshire border, north of the county town of Shrewsbury, south of Chester, and east of Wrexham. At the 2011 Census, the ...

, before roughly following the B5476 road south to

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

via Wem. Once past Shrewsbury, the path scales the

Long Mynd , photo = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = View down Townbrook Valley toward Burway Hill , country_type = , country = England , subdivision1_type = County , subdivision1 = Shropshire , border ...

before reaching

Church Stretton Church Stretton is a market town in Shropshire, England, south of Shrewsbury and north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671.

and

Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughl ...

and then entering

Craven Arms Craven Arms is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which link it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway l ...

, where there are excellent views of

Flounder's Folly Flounders' Folly is a tower, built in 1838, on Callow Hill, Shropshire, Callow Hill, near Craven Arms at the western end of Wenlock Edge in Shropshire, England. The tower is approximately tall and square and is clearly visible (on the skylin ...

. The path then passes

Stokesay Castle Stokesay Castle is one of the finest surviving fortified manor houses in England, and situated at Stokesay in Shropshire. It was largely built in its present form in the late 13th century by Laurence de Ludlow, on the earlier castle (some of w ...

as it heads towards

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

. From Ludlow the route winds through the Mortimer Forest as it heads towards

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

. From here the path climbs

Dinmore Hill Dinmore Hill rises steeply above the River Lugg in Herefordshire, England and is effectively the prominent eastern ridge of an area of high ground which reaches a height of at Birley Hill some to the west. It lies roughly midway between the town ...

, crossing the

A49 road The A49 is an A road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrin ...

as it navigates towards

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

. The path passes through the town centre of Hereford, picking up the

River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales ...

before heading towards

Abbey Dore Abbey Dore ( cy, Abaty Deur) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century. The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, comb ...

and

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wit ...

where the path skirts the outer edge of the

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" ...

National Park, climbing and running along the ridge of the

Skirrid Ysgyryd Fawr ( en, Skirrid) is an easterly outlier of the Black Mountains in Wales, and forms the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The hill is often referred to locally as just The Skirrid. The smaller hill of Ysgyryd Fac ...

mountain. The way then follows the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to

Pontypool Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970. Location It is situated on the Afon Lwyd r ...

before heading towards

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

and Newport via the

Llandegfedd Reservoir Llandegfedd Reservoir (also known as ''Llandegveth Reservoir'') is a large 174 hectare water supply reservoir and is eight miles (13 km) north of Newport, Wales, Newport in south Wales. The reservoir is very close to Pontypool, Cwmbran ...

. Finally, the path heads towards its end point at

Cardiff Central Railway Station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Cardiff Central station (26526139271).jpg , caption = 1930s frontage of Cardiff Central station (northern entrance) , borough = Cardiff, City and County of Cardiff , country = Wales , coordin ...

via Caerphilly Common and

Castell Coch (; ) is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built above the village of in South Wales. The first castle on the site was built by the Normans after 1081 to protect the newly conquered town of Cardiff and control the route along the Taff G ...

at Tongwynlais. It links many of the most important historic sites on both sides of the border, drawing together the history from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

times, passing through two important

Roman forts In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

(

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or ''vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban village of Caerleon in the north of the city of ...

and Burrium), and the turbulent

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

periods when the border lands were contentious power bases vied over by

Marcher Lords A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...

, Welsh princes and the scenes of rebellions, bloodletting and political power-broking by many of the region's historical characters. The terrain of the footpath varies greatly as it proceeds from Chester to Cardiff, passing through the flat

Cheshire Plain The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland within the county of Cheshire in North West England but extending south into Shropshire. It extends from the Mersey Valley in the north to the Shropshire Hills in the south, bounded b ...

to the steep

Shropshire Hills The Shropshire Hills are a dissected upland area and one of the natural regions of England. They lie wholly within the county of Shropshire and encompass several distinctive and well-known landmarks, such as the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge, The W ...

and the mountains of South Wales. The path passes through many woods, forests, riverbanks and farmland along its journey. The route is waymarked only in Cheshire, with black and white waymarker discs. Sandstone Trail and Marches Way

Linked footpaths

The route crosses many different trails along its length, including: *The North Cheshire Way (Chester Spur) at Chester railway station *The Baker Way at Chester railway station *The

Sandstone Trail The Sandstone Trail is a long-distance walkers' path, following sandstone ridges running north–south from Frodsham in central Cheshire to Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border. The path was created in 1974 and extended in the 1990s. ...

at Tushingham (going past Old St. Chad's Chapel) *The

Maelor Way Maelor Way is a key long distance footpath, running 38 kilometres / 24 miles from the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail at Bronygarth to the Shropshire Way, Sandstone Trail, Llangollen Canal, South Cheshire Way, and the Marches Way all at Grind ...

and

South Cheshire Way The South Cheshire Way is a long-distance footpath running east–west mainly through Cheshire, England, though parts lie in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The western section from Grindley Brook, near Whitchurch, runs through farmland; the e ...

at Grindley Brook *The

Shropshire Way The Shropshire Way Main Route is a waymarked long distance footpath running through the English county of Shropshire. It runs around the interior of the county in two loops centred on Shrewsbury, with an additional spur to Whitchurch. The Ma ...

at various points in Shropshire *The Mortimer Trail in the Mortimer Forest, Herefordshire *The Black and White Trail at Leominster *The

Herefordshire Trail The Herefordshire Trail is a long distance footpath in Herefordshire, England. Route and distance The trail, running for as a circular tour of Herefordshire, links the five market towns of Leominster, Bromyard, Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye and Kin ...

at various points in Herefordshire *The

Offa's Dyke Path Offa's Dyke Path ( cy, Llwybr Clawdd Offa) is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout th ...

and the

Beacons Way The Beacons Way (Welsh: Ffordd y Bannau) is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It is a linear route which runs for east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important lan ...

at Pandy *The

Taff Trail The Taff Trail ( cy, Taith Taf) is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is so named because it follows the course of the River Taff. Along much of its length, it follows the National Cycl ...

at Tongwynlais, Cardiff

Mapping

The Marches Way was removed from the Ordnance Survey map series in 2004 after being detailed on these particular maps for approximately five years. The Ordnance Survey maps that included the Marches Way between 1999 and 2004 were: *OS Explorer OL13 – Brecon Beacons National Park (East) *OS Explorer 151 – Cardiff and Bridgend *OS Explorer 152 – Newport and Pontypool *OS Explorer 166 – Rhondda and Merthyr Tydfil *OS Explorer 189 – Hereford and Ross-on-Wye *OS Explorer 202 – Leominster and Bromyard *OS Explorer 203 – Ludlow, Tenbury Wells and Cleobury Mortimer *OS Explorer 217 – The Long Mynd and Wenlock Edge *OS Explorer 241 – Shrewsbury *OS Explorer 257 – Crewe and Nantwich *OS Explorer 266 – Chester and the Wirral *OS Landranger 117 – Chester and Wrexham *OS Landranger 126 – Shrewsbury and Oswestry *OS Landranger 137 – Church Stretton and Ludlow *OS Landranger 138 – Kidderminster and Wyre Forest *OS Landranger 148 – Presteigne and Hay-on-Wye *OS Landranger 149 – Hereford and Leominster *OS Landranger 161 – The Black Mountains *OS Landranger 171 – Cardiff and Newport

References

External links

The Ramblers Association – basic info on the Marches WayPhoto of the trail near the Old School, Llanhennock, MonmouthshirePhoto on the bank of the River Dee

{{authority control Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom Recreational walks in Wales Footpaths in Cheshire Footpaths in Shropshire Footpaths in Herefordshire River Usk Footpaths in Powys Transport in Monmouthshire

The route

Linked footpaths

Mapping

See also

References

External links