| Marches Way | |
|---|---|
 The trail follows theRiver Usk nearAbergavenny | |
| Length | 218 mi (351 km) |
| Location | Wales &Midlands, England |
| Trailheads | Chester 53°11′49″N2°52′48″W / 53.1969°N 2.8799°W /53.1969; -2.8799 Cardiff 51°29′06″N3°11′02″W / 51.485°N 3.184°W /51.485; -3.184 |
| Use | Hiking |
| Season | All year |
TheMarches Way is a partially waymarkedlong-distance footpath in the United Kingdom. It runs for 351 kilometres (218 mi) through theWelsh–English borderlands, traditionally known as theWelsh Marches, and links the cities ofChester in the north andCardiff in the south.
The route starts at Chester atChester railway station and then follows the valley of theRiver Dee southwards, before turning east intoMalpas, Cheshire, and down toWhitchurch, Shropshire, before roughly following the B5476 road south toShrewsbury viaWem. Once past Shrewsbury, the path scales theLong Mynd before reachingChurch Stretton andWenlock Edge and then enteringCraven Arms, where there are excellent views ofFlounder's Folly. The path then passesStokesay Castle as it heads towardsLudlow. From Ludlow the route winds through theMortimer Forest as it heads towardsLeominster. From here the path climbsDinmore Hill, crossing theA49 road as it navigates towardsHereford. The path passes through the town centre of Hereford, picking up theRiver Wye before heading towardsAbbey Dore andAbergavenny where the path skirts the outer edge of theBrecon Beacons National Park, climbing and running along the ridge of theSkirrid mountain. The way then follows theMonmouthshire and Brecon Canal toPontypool before heading towardsCaerleon andNewport via theLlandegfedd Reservoir. Finally, the path heads towards its end point atCardiff Central Railway Station viaCaerphilly Common andCastell Coch at Tongwynlais.
It links many of the most important historic sites on both sides of the border, drawing together the history fromRoman times, passing through two importantRoman forts (Isca Augusta andBurrium), and the turbulentmedieval periods when the border lands were contentious power bases vied over byMarcher Lords, Welsh princes and the scenes of rebellions, bloodletting and political power-broking by many of the region's historical characters.
The terrain of the footpath varies greatly as it proceeds from Chester to Cardiff, passing through the flatCheshire Plain to the steepShropshire Hills and the mountains ofSouth Wales. The path passes through many woods, forests, riverbanks and farmland along its journey.
The route is waymarked only in Cheshire, with black and white waymarker discs.[1]
The route crosses many different trails along its length, including:
The Marches Way was removed from the Ordnance Survey map series in 2004 after being detailed on these particular maps for approximately five years. The Ordnance Survey maps that included the Marches Way between 1999 and 2004 were:
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