Cwmcae two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Cwmcae here.

March 2024. Direction: Cwmbran to Caerleon.

Of the three routes to date between Cwmbran and Caerleon (Cwmcae1, 2 & 3), I prefer this one, as there is less time on roads and it is the most direct.

I`m not sure if the route along Llanfrechfa Way is intended to be on the grass verge alongside the road or through the fields just next to the roads, but I took the path through the fields - the paths meet up at the Newport Road bridge anyway. After the by-pass, the path gets a bit narrow between the railway line fence and the vegetation and similar a little further along just before the first rail crossing. From here, the route is the same as Cwmcae3 and is an excellent walk for the rest of the way. The only other point to highlight is that the bridge over the stream at the bottom of the hill before climbing up the hill into the suburbs of Caerleon is a bit of a mess (Photo 6). It looks like there are flattened signs and a barrier there suggesting the bridge is closed, but the fencing has subsequently fallen over on top of them. It looks a bit unsafe, but I walked over the debris without any problem. Some obliging person has also laid some flimsy planks of wood over the stream close by as an alternative. It`s also narrow enough to jump across at the right place.

The route has several kissing gates on the way out of Cwmbran and then mainly styles through the fields thereafter.

One other minor point - on reaching Ponthir and crossing the railway line for the second time, the route takes Station, which leads directly to the main road through Ponthir, the B4236. A quieter alternative would be to turn right after the train line crossing on to Hafod Road, which then joins the main road a few hundred metres further down. Overall, an excellent walk.

Photo 1 - Northfields Park, Cwmbran
Photo 2 - The River Lloyd, Llanyrafon
Photo 3 - The path under the Newport Road bridge
Photos 4 & 5 - Narrow paths by the railway line fence
Photo 6 - The bridge over the stream before the hill up into Caerleon
Photos 7 & 8 - Views from the top of the hill just before entering Caerleon
Photo 9 - Muddy steps up through the woods into Caerleon suburbs
Photo 10 - The Roman Amphitheatre at Caerleon
Photo 11 - The Roman Barracks at Caerleon.

This is a better route than Cwmcae1 (less road and better-marked paths). Care is needed in a few spots:
1) Leaving Caerleon, there are some steep wooden steps where the footpath starts from Northfield Rd.
2) There are 3 railway crossings. The trains aren't exactly high-speed on this line, but care is needed nonetheless.
Also, the footpath that goes under the A4042 (south edge of Cwmbran) isn't signposted from Newport Rd, but there's an obvious track entrance and then a well-trodden path through the trees.

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