Offa’s Dyke Path: Monmouth towards Pandy

Rolling border farmland between the Wye and the Black Mountains, with the Skirrid coming into view as you go.

Distance: 8.1 mi / 13 km
Time: 4 hr 20
Ascent: 450 m
Difficulty: Demanding
Shape: There and back

Where it is

The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

The route

The Path climbs out of Monmouth through King’s Wood and crosses farmland north-west towards Llantilio and Pandy. Many stiles.

Worth knowing

This is the transition stage from river valley to mountain and the landscape changes noticeably.
White Castle is a short detour and is free and unstaffed.
Plenty of stiles and working farmland; keep dogs on leads.

What you’ll see

Hedged farmland and small woods, White Castle nearby, and the Black Mountains ahead.

Background

This stretch runs through the Monmouthshire castle country, held by the Normans to control the routes into Wales.