The boundary of the county that lies near Gloucestershire shares some of
its neighbour's popularity-and a little of its speech; Chepstow, with
its castle and magnificently wooded banks of the Wye, is justly famous,
but the walking country around Newport is often neglected, not only by
its residents, but by passing visitors too. What endless possibilities
there are of walks in contrasting scenery-the hills of the Mynydd Maen
range, "the marshes", lush fields and shady woods, to mention just a few
of the ever-changing scenes. The main rivers of the county are the Wye,
Usk, Ebbw and Rhymney. The Usk and its tributaries will be the main
waterways in the walks described hereafter, particularly the Soar Brook
and the Olway, and the turbulent Afon Llwyd.