The Old Station Tintern, one mile north of Tintern on A466. There is a visitors’ centre, café and toilets (open April – October) and a charge for parking.
(S/E) Starting from the Old Station platform, facing the river, turn left and follow the old track of the Wye Valley Railway. The railway ran from Chepstow to Monmouth and closed to passengers in 1959; taking the steam train along this scenic valley must have been delightful. The track gently curves and after a short distance reaches a road bridge across the river.
(1) Climb the steps, turn the right and cross the bridge into the village of Brockweir. As you cross the river, you leave Wales and enter Gloucestershire. Brockweir is the highest point on the Wye for deep water vessels and in the 18th and 19th centuries was the centre of riverside commerce; shipbuilding and transhipping of goods from coastal boats to small barges able to go further upstream.
(2) Pass the Brockweir Inn on your right and turn left into Underhill (2). Follow this quiet lane for
a short distance and then branch left just before a house on your right called Herries. After about 200 yards, go through a gate, join another lane from the left and continue in the same direction parallel with the river. The valley opens up with good views in all directions.
(3) After about ¼ mile, look for an old-fashioned metal stile in a wooden fence on your left. If you reach the double gates of Brockweir House, you have gone too far. Cross the stile and make your way to the riverbank. Turn left and follow the bank back towards Brockweir. You will go through one gate, with a bridge and a stile to its right, before reaching the Old Quay. (A)
(4) On reaching the bridge, turn left and at the Brockweir Inn, turn right. Pass the Malthouse and the 14th century Monks Hall and then turn right into a narrow path, signed to the Brockweir Moravian Church. With its riverside trade, Brockweir had a poor reputation in the early 19th century; it had 16 inns but no church. In 1832 the Moravian Chapel was built on the site of a former cockpit. The chapel is a simple but peaceful place and is still used. The Moravians had their roots in Slovakia and believed in equality within their community. You will notice this equality in the churchyard where there are only simple markers and no ornate headstones.
Close to the church at Gregory Farm is a horse and pony sanctuary (including a café) which is also worth a visit. Make your way back to the bridge, cross into Wales and go down the steps to the railway track. Rather than following the track back to the station, go through a gate (signed Tintern via Riverbank) to the left onto the riverbank following it until you are close to the old signal box . Turn right through a gate into a wildlife area including a willow tunnel and then through two more gates and climb steps to return to your start point at the Old Station platform.(S/E)
