All walks › Caerphilly and the Eastern Valleys
Caerphilly and the Eastern ValleysRhymney Valley Ridgeway
Long ridge route round the hills enclosing the Rhymney valley, walkable in sections, with woodland, common and old quarries throughout.
- Distance
- 5.6 mi / 9 km
- Time
- 3 hr
- Ascent
- 300 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 full circuit is around thirty miles; the stretch between Machen and Caerphilly Common makes a good day. Follow the waymarks in either direction.
Worth knowing
- Designed as a circular long-distance route round the valley, so any section can be walked and returned by bus.
- Machen quarry and the limestone workings are visible from the ridge.
- Well waymarked but the ground is rough in places.
What you’ll see
The Rhymney valley, Caerphilly castle from above, and the Severn estuary south.
Background
The ridgeway was created in the 1980s to link existing paths round the valley and was one of the first routes of its kind in the valleys.