58. Whitestone and Trellech Beacon

Parking

From A466 in Tintern take the minor road beside the Wye Valley Hotel signed to Catbrook. At a T-junction (after 1½ miles) the car park is immediately opposite. Park close to the road near the pond.

Directions

1. From the upper car park take the stoned forest road which goes steadily uphill. You will pas three benches with views over the Wye Valley.
2. At T-junction turn right and follow an ancient route with old moss covered stone walls. At junction of paths go straight on and cross Cleddon falls on the right. This may be the place that Wordsworth calls ‘The sounding cataract’ in the Tintern Abbey poem.
3. From the Falls follow the road opposite. In a couple of hundred yards a large house can be seen over the wall to the right. This is Cleddon Hall, the birthplace of Bertrand Russell. Turn right at the kissing gate in the wall and walk diagonally across the meadow to the next kissing gate. Turn right onto the track and follow it uphill into the Forestry Commission woods.
4. Ignore the right turn in the forest road and keep steadily uphill taking the left fork in the road. Go through a gate and past a pond on your right. There are some single dead trees left in the heathland – these provide good song posts for birds. Nightjars have been known to frequent this open area in summer. At the memorial seat to Joan Chivers , turn left uphill to another bridle gate. Go straight over the track and follow the red arrow signs which will tak you to a car park.
5. Go past the information panel. At the track turn left and continue up hill, following red and yellow waymark arrows. There is a picnic table to the left and another information panel. The path veers right down to a bridle gate.
6. Go through the gate into heathland and turn right at the track below. This level track comes to a forest road, go straight over and enter woods . Ignore the routes shown by the red and yellow arrows.
7. The path goes steadily downhill. To the left, the ground slopes down steeply to the River Wye. This old route is stone lined – perhaps it is the way William Wordsworth came when he walked in the Wye Valley in 1793 and was later inspired to write his famous poem ‘Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey’. Keep to the path between two cottages and come to an open area and to the left is the track to Cleddon Falls.
8. From the falls retrace your steps to the car park.

Map