Lord Hereford's Knob, aka Twmpa

John Thorn

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A lovely morning or afternoon walk on the northern edge of the Black Mountains. Starting as a gentle climb along a pleasant valley, spectacular views suddenly open out.

Wales - South Wales - Monmouthshire - Black Mountains

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Great Views, Hills or Fells, Mountains, Wildlife

9/27/2015 - Chris Perry

Many thanks for an excellent walk, John. Plenty of height gained gradually, and wonderful 360 degree views from the top. I would, however, concur with Sarah Freshwater's comment on Nav Point(NP)5 of the walk. It appears that there may not be as many cairns now so we ended up continuing SE beyond point 5 to descend steeply to what appeared to be the end of the trail (at GR 249321). Fortunately it wasn't the trail end and we were able to find the path to our left, heading East through the bracken to zig zag down to NP 6.

9/11/2015 - Stephen Harris

Walked first week of September 2015. An absolutely lovely walk with good directions. The ascent up the valley is gentle and there are surprises of waterfalls and good views. The views over the Wye Valley are stunning as is the view all the way along the ridge. The ground is somewhat boggy but manageable (walking poles are a must on this walk for the boggy section and the descent). The descent looks impossible at first, like a sheer edge, but you soon find the path and zig zag your way down. Word of advice, this is an exposed walk so do not attempt in poor visibility or if there is risk of thunder, it would be a very serious danger. 9/10.

9/15/2014 - Alison Cooper

This is a lovely walk on a clear day. It is varied, with the valley on the way up pretty and quiet and the views on the way back extensive. At point 5, the 'tiny cairn' is not obvious, but there is a prominent little outcrop here and the path then becomes more obvious. The ruined building has been restored as cottages way down at the base of the valley and is a good landmark for giving confidence that you are just about to take the sharp right!

10/14/2013 - Sarah Freshwater

Completed this walk on 11/10/13. Despite a decent weather forecast unfortunately conditions on the top of Twmpa were absolutely atrocious - strong winds and driving rain. It was a shame as the views would have been magnificent - the previous day we climbed Pen-y-fan on a beautiful, dry, crisp and sunny day and the views were spectacular - that's the Brecon Beacons for you! We would recommend packing waterproofs even if the weather seems fine at the start of the walk. The ascent through the valley was more gentle than we were expecting considering the height of the summit and was extremely picturesque. Just a couple of comments. At the summit and waymark 4, be aware that there is a second path to the right which is stony - we took this in error after not distinguishing the broad grassy path described within the directions. The error was soon spotted as we didn't come across any cairns. At waymark 5 there were a couple of places which could be a 'tiny cairn' so we had difficulty identifying how to descend - we wouldn't describe the descent from the platform as gentle but carefully found our way down to meet the level track which led to the tree at waymark 6. We couldn't see a ruined building although our descent followed random stones embedded in the hillside - perhaps the same, not sure? This really is an excellent walk if you pick the right day!!

4/6/2013 - Ian Mapp

Great walk - although getting there is the snow is a little hairy. This is a fantastic way to introduce someone to hill walking - the ascent is easy and gentle and the views are fantastic. The descent is a little more exciting. Superb walk and Hay-on-Wye makes a great place to stop after this half day walk. My photos are at http://mappiman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/060413-make-your-own-jokes-please.html