Walk From Coleford To Monmouth via Redbrook

I predicted a sunny day while on a Forest of Dean holiday in Coleford. So I put on my walking boots, packed my bags, and it was time to stretch my legs again. I chose this route to avoid relying on public transport after an epic fail getting to Goodrich Castle the day before. This was meant to be a long dog walk, and maybe a quick paddle in the River Wye, too.

Walk From Coleford to Newland Via “The Burial Path”

Our walk started at Greenacres campsite and then meandered into the Angus Buchanan VC Recreation Ground high above Coleford. We then walked along a trail called the Burial Path into a wooded past via the White House. The Burial Path got its name because it was the route that those who had died in Coleford were taken to Newland Church centuries ago.

This route was a slight incline through woodland, with many wild mushrooms growing on dead trees. The next Ordnance Survey waypoint was on the map as “The White House”. It was on a dirt track; we passed a few settlements, then went off-road again.

This trail was above some cliffs with views of a big factory in Coleford, and Whitecliff Off-Road Centre was visible from above when looking through gaps in the hedges

The route opened up into stunning hilly farmland, with views of another stone quarry and many rolling hills in the Wye Valley. It was a warm day, so we sat under an enormous oak tree and enjoyed the stunning views.

The walk continued downhill through fields until we reached a level crossing for a toy railway, all marked as private property. It appeared to be someone’s private train track, all very interesting and unexpected.

The walk continued through farmland to a track that led to the road into the village of Newland.

Newland Village

We approached Newland from the road. This was quiet, with very little traffic. The church was our aim, so we were glad to find a few benches to rest our legs and sip some water. The dog also had a break and a bowl of dog water.

The Cathedral of the Forest

They also know All Saints Church in Newland as The Cathedral of the Forest, which dates back to the 1200s. This historic church is home to the Miners Brass, a symbol of the Royal Forest of Dean.

King John appointed the first rector in 1216 in a small church building, but over the next 2 centuries, it grew into the building we were sitting in. A stunning building, and I’m glad I chose this walk.

The Ostrich Inn in Newland

One pub in the village, The Ostrich Inn, is dog-friendly and has a restaurant, bar area, and a stunning rear beer garden. Soft drinks were the order of the day today because of the heat and the distance we planned to hike. The food at the restaurant looked delicious, and the menu was impressive and interesting.

Hike from Newland To Redbrook

After our break, we went back into the churchyard to get back onto the path. Savage Hill was very steep. Luckily, we were heading downhill and turned right at the bottom to reach French Lane. This dirt track was the last steep hill we had to climb.

The walk had hedges on either side, so it was shady. Finally, we reached the top and entered the woods. The map showed many trails to our destination. This part of the walk was downhill on Forestry Commission tracks. There was evidence and signs of recent forestry work.

This part could be very muddy on a wet day, but luckily it had been relatively dry beforehand. Heading downhill into the Wye Valley, I spotted the Penallt Viaduct through the trees. I was happy to see this, as I was getting hungry and dinner was on the other side of the footbridge.

We finally reached the village of Redbrook to the north through a lane near the village store.

Redbrook Village

Redbrook is a small village on the River Wye with a village store, a pub called The Bell, and, over the Penallt Viaduct footbridge, The Boat Inn. It is a delightful village with a riverside park with picnic tables, a play area and tennis courts. This is a great place to eat and relax by the river.

People were wild swimming in the river near the bridge, a place I have seen mentioned many times online.

Penallt Viaduct

Trains used Penallt Viaduct to cross the river on the former Wye Valley Railway. This bridge marks the border of England and Wales. The Wye Valley Railway opened on 1 November 1876 and was 14 miles long. This bridge has a single track and connects Redbrook on Wye Station with Penallt Halt station. Passenger train services finished in 1959.

These days the viaduct is open to carry a public footpath over the Wye between the villages of Redbrook and Penallt. We crossed to visit the boat pub.

The Boat

A pub I had visited before on a walk from Monmouth downstream along the river a while back and liked. The Boat was, as remembered, an informal place with a pleasant garden overlooking the bridge. This was Dog-friendly inside and out, and quite a few canine customers were enjoying the boat’s finest dog water.

Sadly, the pub stopped serving food at 2:30 pm, so I couldn’t eat, but I had a pint of local cider before lunch at the Village Stores in Redbrook. The shop was well stocked and offered excellent lunch options.

Walk From Redbrook To Monmouth

The walk then followed the river upstream along footpaths, starting with a 200-metre stretch on the busy main road, then into fields alongside the river. This was a very nice meadow with lots of insect life, including dragonflies and butterflies.

We spotted a shale beach on the banks and decided it was a nice place to paddle and introduce the dog to river water. We all had a great time, cooled down, and took a quick swim. This was a quiet part of the river. The only sign of life was a family in a rubber dinghy rafting through the light rapids.

After drying off, we strolled upstream through more meadows and reached the derelict Monmouth Viaduct, which is missing its river span.

The Monmouth Viaduct, or Chippenham Meadow Viaduct, is a 20-arch, 183m red sandstone viaduct with two 23m steel lattice-girder spans over the river. It carried the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway line across the River Wye at Monmouth, Wales.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monmouth_Viaduct

Also local is the Duke of Beaufort Bridge, which is passable on foot.

The Duke of Beaufort Bridge has 3 spans of steel-lattice girders on paired steel tubular piers with squared rubble abutments. The main span is 46 metres long, and the shorter spans are 18 metres each. Edward Finch of Chepstow built it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monmouth_Viaduct#Duke_of_Beaufort_Bridge

The last stretch took us past the mouth of the River Mon and into Monmouth.

We then caught the last Stagecoach 35 bus from opposite Aldi back to Coleford.