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| On Hay Bluff |
Over the weekend, I did two walks in the Black Mountains of South Wales. Here's a map.
NB The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely. You can download the Google map info, as a KML/KMZ file, then convert to GPX using a site like GPS Visualiser.
The first day, Saturday, was a circular walk of 10.4 miles from the Black Hill car park (BLUE line) . I went up the Cat's Back ridge to the summit of Black Hill (640m), then on to Hay Bluff (677m). I returned along the Hatterrall Ridge, following the Offa's Dyke path along the English/Welsh border, before cutting across the Olchon Valley back to the start.
I stayed overnight in Llanthony, in the Vale of Ewyas.
On Sunday (RED line), I parked at the Gospel Pass on the road from Capel-y-Ffin to Hay on Wye, and walked along the Northern scarp of the Black Mountains, bagging Twmpa (690m, aka Lord Hereford's Knob, or LHK for short), Rhos Dirion (713m), Pen y Manllwyn (765m), Waun Fach (811m - the highest summit in the Black Mountains) and Pen-y-Gadair Fawr (800m). This was 7 miles out, and 7 miles back again, 14 miles total.
The Black Hill car park is quite small. Even though I arrived early (about 9:30am), the official car parking area was full, but I managed to find space on the grass. There is also another parking area slightly down the hill. The climb up the Cat's Back was steep but straightforward. Since the ridge is at the Eastern edge of the Black Mountains, there were excellent views out over the Herefordshire countryside. From Hay Bluff, the view opens up to the North, over the Welsh Marshes, and also Westwards, along the scarp, to LHK, and in the distance, Pen-y-Fan. The Offa's Dyke path was mainly made up with stone chippings or flat stone slabs, very easy to walk on, with views over to the West to the Waun Fach - Pen-y-Gadair Fawr ridge.
At the 'Pile of Stones' marked on the OS 25K map, a footpath leads off steeply down into the Olchon Valley. This was the most tiring part of the walk. Lower down, the path went through chest high bracken. The climb back up to the car park was steep through woods. There were several stiles, which were in a poor state of repair, and a gate secured with a chain so tight it could scarcely be unfastened. But overall this is a great circuit.
I stayed overnight in the Half Moon Inn. This has comfortable rooms. Bathrooms are shared, and the place is being refurbished, so prices were very reasonable. The bar is popular, but food limited, so I went to the nearby Cellar Restaurant at Llanthony Priory, which specialises in various stews (lamb, venison ....), excellent to replenish a hungry walker - get there early on a busy weekend to avoid a long wait.
On Sunday, I drove up to the Gospel Pass, at 539m said to be the highest road in Wales. I had the bike in the back of the car, and was intending to cycle back down to the Inn, where I would lock and leave my bike, then walk back along the Cambrian Way along the Western ridge of the Ewyas Valley and Twmpa (LHK). However, the road was very narrow with high hedges and blind bends. A cycle event was taking place, with dozens of cyclist coming fast downhill, and this made me realise how precarious it might be to cycle down this road. So instead I changed plan, and decided to follow the path along the scarp. Having climbed up to LHK, I decided to carry on to the next hill, then the next etc, and eventually reached Pen-y-Gadair Fawr, 7 miles in all, and much further than I had intended, given that I had to walk back as well. The path was well 'paved' for the most part. The views along the scarp and out over the plains were once again impressive, although visibility was limited by a considerable haze, which I think was the aftermath of the terrible wildfires South Wales had had in the past few days.
Out of the breeze, flies were a nuisance, but they soon disappeared once the breeze got up again.
The first part of the walk was quiet, but around Waun Fach, lots of people were coming up from the valley below via the 'Dragon's Back' ridge which rises from the Dinas Castle Inn. It's obviously a popular 'stroll' to bag the highest peak. Relatively few people carried on to Pen-y-Gadair Fawr - a more distinctive double mound summit. On the return walk, lots of paragliders were launching from the bluffs around LHK. Driving back, I called in again at the Half Moon and consumed several mugs of tea before the long drive home.
I was impressed by the Black Mountains as a walking destination, and hope to return soon. It's also relatively easy to reach: drive down the M4, cross the Severn Bridge and turn right. Note that this blog was done in summer conditions after a prolonged drought: it would be a different proposition after heavy rain and in poor conditions.
Here are some photos. The weather was overcast at times, with sunny intervals, brightening in the afternoons. The heather was in bloom. The bracken and fields were parched brown and yellow after weeks of heat and drought (August 2026) and as noted above, a haze, probably caused by wildfires, limited visibility, especially on Sunday morning.
Saturday: Cat's Back, Hay Bluff, Hatterrall Ridge (Offa's Dyke Path), Olchon Valley
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| Black Hill Car Park |
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| The climb up the Cat's Back starts steeply |
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| Looking back down the Cat's Back |
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| Looking across the Olchon Valley to the Hatterrall Ridge (I later descended that steep slope) |
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| Path up to Black Hill summit |
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| Purple Heather and Brown Bracken |
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| Patchwork fields from Black Hill |
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| More fields (parched brown) |
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| Looking across to Waun Fach and Pen-y-Gadair Fawr |
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| Ordnance Pillar on Hay Bluff |
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| Looking down upon the lower car park beneath Hay Bluff |
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| Looking West to LHK, with Pen-y-Fan in the distance |
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| Hay Bluff is a popular launch spot for para gliders |
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| Stepped path up to Hatterrall Ridge |
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| Looking back on path to Hay Bluff |
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| Black Mountain Ponies |
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| The Offa's Dyke path is well paved in parts |
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| Offa's Dyke Path |
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| The non-descript Pile of Stones from which the path descends into the Olchon Valley |
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| Looking over the Olchon Valley to the Cat's Back Ridge |
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| Looking down the Olchon Valley |
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| Looking up the Olchon Valley |
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| Bracken covered path |
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| This gate was secured with a very tight chain |
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| Broken stile (precarious to climb over) |
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| Evening at Llanthony Abbey |
Sunday: LHK, Rhos Dirion, Pen y Manllwyn, Waun Fach and Pen-y-Gadair Fawr (800m).
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