Connect Blaenavon with Slow Ways
We’re creating a network of walking routes that connect all of Britain’s towns, cities and national parks
more walks and reviews are needed to fully connect Blaenavon to the verified network. Can you give a hike and help?
Give a hike!Blaenavon / Blaenafon
Torfaen
Slow Ways linking Blaenavon and Abergavenny - Y Fenni, Abersychan, Abertillery, Blaina, Brynmawr, Nantyglo
Wales / Torfaen / Blaenavon
Blaenavon’s six Slow Ways are 58% checked
Help connect Blaenavon
Many Slow Ways have several route options. Some will be better than others, or good for different reasons.
Our goal is for each Slow Way to have at least one route that is verified and surveyed. To be verified – and get its snail badge – a route needs at least three positive reviews.
Give a hike and help get a for every one of Blaenavon’s Slow Ways.
Walk to Blaenavon from further afield
Slow Way | Route | To do | ||||||||
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Abertillery—Blaenavon
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Abebla one |
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U U |
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Double check | Distance 8km/5mi | Ascent 464m | Descent 373m | |
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Blaina—Blaenavon
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Blabla one |
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U U |
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Review me | Distance 7km/4mi | Ascent 279m | Descent 308m | ||
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Blaenavon—Abersychan
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Blaeabe one |
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U U |
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Survey me | Distance 7km/4mi | Ascent 86m | Descent 218m | ||
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Blaenavon—Abergavenny - Y Fenni
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Blaenabe one |
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U U |
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Verify me | Distance 10km/6mi | Ascent 255m | Descent 508m | ||
Brynmawr—Blaenavon
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Brybla one |
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U U |
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Pioneer me | Distance 9km/5mi | Ascent 249m | Descent 298m | ||
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Brynmawr—Blaenavon
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Brybla two |
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U U |
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Survey me | Distance 8km/5mi | Ascent 120m | Descent 167m | ||
Nantyglo—Blaenavon
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Nantbla one |
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U U |
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Double check | Distance 7km/5mi | Ascent 264m | Descent 319m | |
Nantyglo—Blaenavon
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Nantbla two |
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U U |
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Review me | Distance 7km/4mi | Ascent 283m | Descent 225m |
Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?
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Collective progress
53% of Blaenavon’s six route options are drawn, reviewed, surveyed and/or verified
8/8
7/8
0/8
2/8
4 people have contributed to Blaenavon’s Slow Ways
1 people have pledged to walk and review a route
0 people have surveyed a route in Blaenavon
54km out of 63km have been walked and reviewed
94km of reviews have been shared in Blaenavon
Latest Updates
And just to be clear, at the junction of the road and the railway path going in the Abersychan Blaenavon direction, you jink left after you have gone under the railway to access the path....
Mockymock
I dithered a bit about giving it the full five stars because it could take a better way into/out of Brynmawr with a safe main road crossing on a bridge, and the way into/out of Blaeanavon could also might also be tweaked, but overall, it is a fine route. [A much better way out of town would be to use the cycle route 46, which goes from near the meeting point and crosses the main road over a footbridge, before heading up to join the plotted Slow Way at the bottom of the hill. It’s a sometimes gently undulating, mostly well-signed shared path and cycle route on a mixture of surfaces: metalled lanes, paved paths, gravelled paths, green paths fortified with matting and a couple of short sections of plastic boardwalk. Near Whistle Halt the route crosses a lane where there is a pub, the Whistle Inn, and the Slow Way follows the cycle path around the south of Garn Lakes. At the far end of Garn Lakes the Slow Way takes a tiny but puzzling detour round three sides of a square, which is fine access-wise, but it is best to go straight on along the cycle path ahead. It would actually be more efficient to leave the cycle path a little further along at w3w mandolin.badge.sparkle and go straight down Upper Glantorvaen Terrace....
Mockymock
Also, leaving the open moor, to enter the fields heading towards Blaen yr Ystruth, the gate is tied, so a little gate jumping is needed here....
Paul Chilcott
Paul Chilcott added Nantbla two, a new walk from Nantyglo to Blaenavon
Walk this routeThe path from the top down towards Blaenavon is initially through bracken, and even at this time of year was still a little overgrown, but at least it was a definite path underneath. However, it may be a little difficult to pick out coming up from Blaenavon, even more so in the summer and early autumn, but worth spending a little time trying to find the right path rather than a yomp through the virgin bracken. Photo 2 - Views across to Cwmcelyn from the Blaina mountain path...
Paul Chilcott
I have drawn up another route, Nantbla2 to avoid this and the minor point below. The route into Blaenavon is not very well drawn and there is an access issue on the edge of Forgeside. The route is not clear, but it looks like it indicates a path through some land that is barred, but there is a path through the backs of Forgeside, which takes you through the rugby field and then out onto a track into Blaenavon, but just a minor diversion....
Paul Chilcott
Very usable route with a pleasant mix of scenery....
Steven Coombs
Start of the route could possibly head up to the old railway path a little earlier, but difficult to fault a pleasant, interesting route that climbs up into the heads of the valleys....
Steven Coombs
There are some great views over the Usk Valley from here (Photo 5) as the road steadily climbs up towards the crest. If a yomp through the mountain heather is not your thing, you can follow the mountain road to the end and walk down into Blaenavon. Photo 5 - The Usk Valley from the mountain road...
Paul Chilcott
A steep and rocky path to the right then leads on to a track and somewhere shortly after, there is another turn off onto the mountain track (which I missed). Instead, I continued along the track and followed the contoured path around the side of the mountain overlooking the Cwmtillery valley. I eventually stumbled on another path heading in the right direction, but it veered away and rather than face another yomp, I followed it, but came out above Blaenavon further south than the planned track....
Paul Chilcott
The walk starts off on the main A4043 road, but soon switches to the less busy Ffrwd Road before the steep incline up Lower Harpers Road that takes you on to the railway path....
Paul Chilcott
It follows the old railway line up to the point where it meets the Blaenavon Heritage Railway, which the path then runs parallel to as it nears Blaenavon....
Paul Chilcott
Less enjoyable (but acceptable) tarmac alternative to the toughest section for those less mobile exists - carrying on the road past Middle & Upper Ninfa towards Cefn-y-Coed then heading back towards route on road...
Sam Richards
Roger Webster added Abebla one, a new walk from Abertillery to Blaenavon
Walk this routefatwelshbuddha added Blaenabe one, a new walk from Blaenavon to Abergavenny - Y Fenni
Walk this routeSlow Ways added Blaeabe one, a new walk from Blaenavon to Abersychan
Walk this routeSlow Ways added Brybla one, a new walk from Brynmawr to Blaenavon
Walk this routeSlow Ways added Brybla two, a new walk from Brynmawr to Blaenavon
Walk this routeSlow Ways added Nantbla one, a new walk from Nantyglo to Blaenavon
Walk this route
Blaenavon’s Slow Ways starting point
Grid ref
SO2521808610
Lat / Lon
51.77115° / -3.08519°
Easting / Northing
325,218E / 208,610N
what3words
Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?
If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Blaenavon and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?
This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!
Facilities
Users have reported that the following facilities can be found within 1km of Blaenavon's meeting point
Public toilet
Wheelchair accessible toilet
Supermarket or convenience shop
Restaurant, cafe or pub
Accommodation
Accommodation for under £50 a night
Campsite
Bothy
Free wifi
Mobility scooter hire
Off-road wheelchair hire
Disabled Parking
Train station
Bus stop
Ferry
Official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town
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