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Blorenge from Abergavenny walk

Initial brutal ascent then gentle contours along a tramroad, past ruins of the industrial past to Blorenge's upland plateau. Fantastic views of Usk Valley and Black Mountains

Brecon Beacons

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Fri, 12-Apr-24 Friday Walk - Blorenge (Abergavenny/Y Fenni Circular) [Abergavenny Trip] 12 sunny with a cool breeze
Tue, 28-Sep-21 Tuesday Walk - Blorenge, from Abergavenny [Abergavenny Trip] 4 dry periods but mainly wet
Thomas G
Length: 19.6 km (12.2 mi) [shorter and longer walks possible]
Ascent/Descent: 723 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10

09.30 Start at the Train Station, group passes the café at the Bus Station at 09.40.

This expedition through parts of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site up to one of Abergavenny’s mountains, features some stunning views and interesting industrial heritage elements. From the pretty town centre of Abergavenny walk along the curtain wall of Abergavenny Castle and through the Castle Meadows along the River Usk to cross over into Llanfoist and start the ascent up the Blorenge. You go through the Llanfoist tunnel under the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal and commence the quite brutal ascent up through Glebe Wood to the Cwm Craf along the three former Llanfoist Inclines of the tramway linking the canal to some ironworks and quarries on the side of and beyond the Blorenge. From the top of the inclines, a further, very gradual ascent around the side of the Blorenge and through the fascinating former site of the Garnddyrys Forge leads you up a tightening Cwm to the hill’s summit plateau, on a fine weather day with superlative views to the Bristol Channel, the Malverns and Cotswolds and – across the Usk Valley – to the Black Mountains.

The descent follows clear – but at times steep – paths across the heather moorland and down bracken-covered slopes past The Punchbowl pond, set serenely in a very picturesque glacial bowl. From there, follow footpaths through pastures-with-views down to and along the canal for a short stretch back to Llanfoist Wharf, from where you retrace the outbound route to Abergavenny and its many tea options.

An interesting but long extension leads down the far side of Blorenge into the Cwm Lwyd and past many core sites of the Blaenavon Industrial Heritage site

Walk Options
A start/finish at Abergavenny Bus Station cuts 750m each way and 30m ascent at the end of the walk. Pick up the directions at the end of the second paragraph.
A start/finish from the Llanfoist Crossing car park on the outskirts of Llanfoist/Llanffwystcuts 3.1 km each way and 50m ascent/descent.
The same start point can be reached by taking buses A3 or 78 from Abergavenny, direction Brynmawr, to the Llanfoist Inn stop and continuing for a few hundred metres along the road.
An Extension dips down the far side of Blorenge into the Cwm Lwyd to the core part of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, famous for many relics of the heavy industrial history of the Welsh Valleys, including The Big Pit National Mining Museum. This highly interesting detour adds 9.9 km and 250m ascent though!
A Shortcut on the Extension cuts 3.6 km and about half of the ascent.
A Short Diversion off that Extension leads to The Whistle Inn tea stop.
Buses from Blaenavon take you to Cwmbrân or Newport for the train line back to Abergavenny.
Lunch Main Walk: Picnic.
Lunch/Tea Blaenavon Extension: The Whistle Inn & Campsite is located 12.6 km into the walk, The Castle Hotel (16.7 km into the walk) or The Lion Hotel & Restaurant (16.9 km into the walk).
Tea all options: The Bridge Inn in Llanfoist is located 2.2 km from the end of the walk and 1.5 km from Abergavenny Bus Station. Open daily 12.00-21.00.
Plus plenty of places in Abergavenny’s Town Centre. See the walk directions for details.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.372
  • 12-Apr-24

    5 walkers met at the train station, picking up 5 more at the bus station, and then surprisingly another very determined 2 walkers at Usk Bridge that came up just for the day before joining another SWC trip tomorrow, ie 12 .

    The weather was sunny with a cool breeze all day. On across the Usk and up to the brutally steep incline ascent, which split the group, but we reassembled at the start of the less steep stretch. At Keeper's Pond, 8 followed the main walk route, while 4 chose the extension. The views were marvellous, over surrounding hills and ranges, to the Bristol Channel, into valleys and river meadows. Kites and buzzards (and a suspected hen harrier) were circling, swallows, wheatears, skylarks and meadow pipits spotted nearer the ground.

    The main walkers would have walked on to AberG without passing any food or drink outlets before the Bridge Inn in Llanfoist, on the extension though, we popped into The Whistle Inn (Rhymney Brewery ales) and later The Lion (nice place) in Blaenavon.

    Punters enjoyed the scenery, with the artefacts and aftermaths of mining, quarrying and iron making activities dominating the hillsides.

    Back up and across Blorenge, with Pen y Fan now visibly in the clouds, and down steeply past the very photogenic Punchbowl. Here we were serenaded by chaffinches, song thrushes, great and blue tits, blackbirds, nuthatches and chiffchaffs.

    Back in AberG at 18.00 hours.

    Some day out!

Thomas G
Length: 19.6 km (12.2 mi) [shorter and longer walks possible]
Ascent/Descent: 723 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
09.30 Start at the Train Station, group passes the café at the Bus Station at 09.40.
This expedition through parts of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site up to one of Abergavenny’s mountains, features some stunning views and interesting industrial heritage elements. From the pretty town centre of Abergavenny walk along the curtain wall of Abergavenny Castle and through the Castle Meadows along the River Usk to cross over into Llanfoist and start the ascent up the Blorenge. You go through the Llanfoist tunnel under the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal and commence the quite brutal ascent up through Glebe Wood to the Cwm Craf along the three former Llanfoist Inclines of the tramway linking the canal to some ironworks and quarries on the side of and beyond the Blorenge. From the top of the inclines, a further, very gradual ascent around the side of the Blorenge and through the fascinating former site of the Garnddyrys Forge leads you up a tightening Cwm to the hill’s summit plateau, on a fine weather day with superlative views to the Bristol Channel, the Malverns and Cotswolds and – across the Usk Valley – to the Black Mountains.

The descent follows clear – but at times steep – paths across the heather moorland and down bracken-covered slopes past The Punchbowl pond, set serenely in a very picturesque glacial bowl. From there, follow footpaths through pastures-with-views down to and along the canal for a short stretch back to Llanfoist Wharf, from where you retrace the outbound route to Abergavenny and its many tea options.

An interesting but long extension leads down the far side of Blorenge into the Cwm Lwyd and past many core sites of the Blaenavon Industrial Heritage site
Walk Options
A start/finish at Abergavenny Bus Station cuts 750m each way and 30m ascent at the end of the walk. Pick up the directions at the end of the second paragraph.
A start/finish from the Llanfoist Crossing car park on the outskirts of Llanfoist/Llanffwystcuts 3.1 km each way and 50m ascent/descent.
The same start point can be reached by taking buses 3 or X4 from Abergavenny, direction Brynmawr, to the Llanfoist Inn stop and continuing for a few hundred metres along the road.
An Extension dips down the far side of Blorenge into the Cwm Lwyd to the core part of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, famous for many relics of the heavy industrial history of the Welsh Valleys, including The Big Pit National Mining Museum. This highly interesting detour adds 9.9 km and 250m ascent though!
A Shortcut on the Extension cuts 3.6 km and about half of the ascent.
A Short Diversion off that Extension leads to The Whistle Inn tea stop.
Buses from Blaenavon take you to Cwmbrân or Newport for the train line back to Abergavenny.
Lunch: Picnic.
Lunch/Tea Blaenavon Extension:
The Whistle Inn & Campsite The Whistle Inn is located 12.6 km into the walk.
The Castle Hotel The Castle Hotel is located 16.7 km in to the walk.
The Lion Hotel & Restaurant Located 16.9 km into the walk.
Tea: The Bridge Inn in Llanfoist. The Bridge Inn is located 2.2 km from the end of the walk and 1.5 km from Abergavenny Bus Station. Open daily 12.00-21.00.
Plenty of places in Abergavenny’s Town Centre. See the walk directions for details.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.372
  • 28-Sep-21

    Down to 4 today, with the weather starting with some drizzle and some dry periods, but then continuing with hours of steady, at times hard, rain. And with a strong wind (from behind on the top of Blorenge). We got back to Abergavenny at 14.45, which left time for a sit-down at The Coffee Pot, before taking the 15.31 train. dry periods but mainly wet