Wye Valley
Added on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
South Wales is too big an area to cover in just one day’s ride, but any exploration of the beautiful Wye valley, or the Eastern edge of the Black Mountains, can’t be recommended too highly.
With all sorts of roads, from sweeping dual carriageways, to tiny farm tracks, this part of the world is perfect for motorcycles. The many historic towns, like Brecon, Hay-on-Wye and Monmouth are also much more accessible - and a bit easier to park in - when you travel on two wheels as well.
With impressive scenery around almost every bend and a reasonably low number of Gatso peppered roads, this part of the UK has got to be worth visiting on a regular basis no matter what type of motorcycle you ride.
The Route
Chepstow - Tintern - Monmouth - Crickhowell - Brecon
Start in Chepstow, which is easily accessible via the M4/M5 and the spectacular Severn Bridge. Go slowly across the Severn if it’s a windy day by the way, it can be a bit tricky on a bike.
Take the A466 Northwards from the town, going past the racecourse and climbing into the hills which surround the river Wye. This first section of A road is pretty tight and twisty, with some potentially slippy parts under the trees and lots of blind corners.
If you have travelled a long way to arrive at the Wye valley and fancy a break, then pause at Tintern if you like, which is on the A466 and has the very impressive ruins of the Abbey open to the public. Go slowly through the village because this is a tourist hot spot all year round and a 30mph limit.
Moving out of Tintern the A466 continues to prove highly entertaining, with some amazing sections of fast sweepers underneath the tree canopy. There’s a traffic light controlled bridge just a few miles out of Tintern, which can have a long queue of standing traffic backed up around the blind right-hander as you approach it.
Perfect for a sportsbike, the A466 then opens out as it hugs the Wye, heading for Monmouth, but again, watch out for the odd damp patch of tarmac under the trees if there has been rain recently.
When you reach Monmouth, cross the Wye and head straight on into the town centre if you want to stop in this lovely old market town. If not, take the ring road for Abergavenny South West via the A40.
The A40 is a fast dual carriageway, with services located just a few miles West of Monmouth. It has better than average views however as you approach Abergavenny and the Black Mountains. A series of roundabouts takes you around the town centre, following signs for Brecon via the A40. If you fancy a bike related break, drop in at the Black Mountain Yamaha shop, which is a few miles West of Abergavenny, after a great section of fast corners.
The A40 then dips and curves its way along towards Brecon, with some wonderful views to your left across the valley. Sugarloaf mountain is on your right if you fancy a scenic hike. Slow down for Crickhowell, which is a 30mph limit and take a left turn here onto the B4558 if you fancy an alternative, slow speed route to Brecon. This twisty single-tracker leads you through lovely villages like Talybont-on-Usk and Pencelli, both of which have tourist friendly pubs if you fancy a bite to eat and a rest. It’s largely a traffic free sort of road, but lined with high hedges, so take care.
Brecon is the journey’s end on this route, which is a quaint old place, attracting thousands of jazz and bookish types throughout the summer season. From here, you can head back along the A40 East towards the Severn, or Northwards along the A470 and A438 towards Leominster, depending on where home is. If you get the chance, stop off at Hay-on-Wye, the town of many bookshops, or explore the backroads in the Golden Valley which will take you back to Ross-on-Wye. You can look across the Golden Valley from the amusingly named point of local interest; Lord Hereford’s Knob near Hay-on-Wye. Outstanding.
Police File
The area is relatively Gatso free at present, although local Police forces are well aware that motorcyclists like to use certain roads at weekends and do mount regular campaigns aimed at catching speeders.
In tandem, Dyfed-Powys Police are running a Bike Safe scheme aimed at prevention rather than cure, with ride assessments offered and the usual stand presence at local shows. PC Shane Davies from Dyfed-Powys Road Division told insidebikes;
“Anyone is welcome to ride with us, depending on our commitments, as we are one of the smaller forces in the UK, with many operations during the summer months. We are also doing assessment rides at Pembrey race circuit this September which are open to all bikers.”
Biker Beds
The Hobby Horse Inn at Brynmawr is just a few miles from Abergavenny. Further South, Upper Sedbury House is 1 mile from Chepstow, has a swimming pool, camping facilities, TV lounge and can arrange forward luggage transport to your next night’s accommodation - handy for bikers that. If you fancy some scenic views, try The Old Rectory at Tintern, set overlooking the Wye valley and famous for its Full Works breakfasts.
Pitstops
Whatever your taste buds are tickled by is available here, from a Little Chef Olympic breakfast on the A40 Westbound between Monmouth and Abergavenny, to a serious evening feast, washed down with real ales, at the 17th century Punch Inn, Agincourt Square, Monmouth.
All the towns mentioned en route; Chepstow, Monmouth, Abergavenny and Brecon have plenty of basic cafes, chippys, pizza places and the like. In addition, the area is packed with country inns, most of which specialise in bar and restaurant meals.
