TWF2026-433 Drovers Roads (3 Boot, Monday)

Grading: 3 Boot

Drovers’ Routes of the Black Mountains

The walk starts in the shadow of Hay Bluff and joins an old drovers’ route heading south-east for destinations such as Monmouth and Hereford.

Ancient drovers’ tracks and hollow ways bring us to Craswall and the historic drovers’ inn, the Bull’s Head. The route visits St Mary’s church with its roots back in the 13th century. Our return uses part of the old Cefn Road, a ridge route of the type often preferred by the drovers. For the drovers, the views looking over to the Malverns and across the Bristol Channel would have been filled with the prospects of the profits to be made at English markets.

Our route passes the 13th century Grandmontine ruins of Craswall Priory noted for its remote, high altitude location – in keeping with the Grandmontine austere ways. Scots pines, the drovers’ signposts, pepper our route and guide us back to our starting point.

The walk crosses several shallow streams and the terrain can be both muddy and rocky at times.

Sponsored by: The Star Bunkhouse

Maximum walking group size is 16 (+ leaders)