A circular route of just over 6 miles taking in the Sirhowy Valley Community Woodland for very peaceful walking with some views of the surrounding valleys.
Parking is free just before you getto the cattle grid, room for about 3 cars, but there is other offroad parking not far away as well. The walk starts down an old track, which is lined with trees and feels particularly nice for an autumn walk or a shade on a hot summer’s day. You then take a right turn, continuing along a good track until you turn right into the woodland.
At this point you’ll see some cast iron posts marking the beginning of the Sirhowy Valley Community Woodland, and most of the walk will now be in this woodland with more cast iron markers along the way. This section of woodland walking is the narrowest of the whole walk, with sections feeling a little overgrown, but still perfectly passable.
Eventually you’ll get down to a wide forest track – a logging road – and from here it is easy walking down to a lower track, which can get muddy in places with some sizeable puddles, but you can skirt around the edges without too much trouble.
Passing through an old spoil tip / quarry you drop down to a disued railway line – you’ll occasionally see the sleepers – and then taking a left up through a very peaceful valley on a lovely track. When this brings you back to a quiet country lane you’ll see more cast iron signage as you leave the community woodland. You can follow the country lanes back to the first section of tree-lined track you walked early and you can follow this back to your car.
This is a really nice walk and would be very nice on a snowy day – provided you could get to the starting point safely! Definitely a hidden gem in this part of the South Wales Valleys.
