4.5 miles through Woodlands and Fields.

Park in the Car Park of Chepstow Leisure Centre 1. Walk to the road (Welsh Street) and turn right. Look for the fingerpost on the right directing you into the wood 2. The track goes left reaching open country, with Chepstow Racecourse on your left.
Follow the track to Piercefield House 3 and passing in front of ruined house proceed to a stile in the wood. This track leads down to the Wye Valley Walk. Turn left along the walk until you reach a flight of wooden steps on the left 4 (approximately 65 yards beyond is the Giant's Cave).

Mount the steps and following the waymarker sign on the upper step, continue along the edge of the woodland to a metal kissing gate. Enter the field which overlooks the racecourse and village of St Arvan's 5. Descend the field to the right and go through another kissing gate to the road. Cross the road, turn left and enter the village. On the right beyond the Piercefield Public House is a lane 6 with the fingerpost "Cophill". Follow the lane, go over the stile on the left and go through the gap. Keep left between the hedge and the wooden fence following the path round to the right until you reach the top, left hand corner. The path winds its way downhill and around to the left, then follow the hedge to the wood. On your right, before the wood is a gate. Go through and enter the field. On your left, in the middle of the field is a hedge 7 . Walk to the right hand side of the hedge and follow the path to the road, passing the house "Rossfield Farm". Cross the road and enter a wide forestry path through "Cockshoot Wood" to another road 8 .
Cross the road to the left and walk carefully to the T junction with a large garage on the right 9 . Cross and go through a staggered metal barrier and join up with the main road, leading you back to Chepstow Leisure Centre.

History of St. Arvan's

The Churchyard and Village of St. Arvan's take their name from the little known St. Arfan. Tradition says he was a fisherman who died when his coracle overturned in the River Wye.
The Church is an old foundation dating back 1000 years. In AD 955 a Deacon claimed sanctuary in the Church after killing a farmworker. The family of the murdered man broke into the Church and killed him before the alter. The violation of the sanctuary was looked upon as a worse scandal than killing.

One of the main features of the village is a fountain, a unique monument in this country, where horses used to stop and drink during their journeys.

Chepstow Racecourse
In 1924 the Chepstow Racecourse was opened in Piercefield Park. This was where Sir Gordon Richards rode eleven consecutive winners!

Piercefield House
The house was purchased in 1736 by Colonel Valentine Morris of St. Vincent, who acquired his wealth in the Windward Isles.

His son, also Valentine, brought his bride to Piercefield where they lived in princely style. About 1753 he began to layout the grounds with several named views: The Alcove, The Grotto, The Double View, The Great Beech Tree, The Top of the Hill, Lover's Leap, The Temple and Wyndcliffe. He allowed tours twice a week and visitors' carriages had to be left at the gate and re-entered at St. Arvan's after a walk to see the views. In 1856 the estate was brought by John Russel who owned collieries in Risca. Then in 1861 he sold it to the Clay family.
During the second world war the house was requisitioned for use by the American army and has since fallen into disrepair.