# Marches Way

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The **Marches Way** is a partially waymarked [long-distance footpath](/source/Long-distance_footpath) in the United Kingdom. It runs for 351 kilometres (218 mi) through the [Welsh](/source/Wales)–English borderlands, traditionally known as the [Welsh Marches](/source/Welsh_Marches), and links the cities of [Chester](/source/Chester) in the north and [Cardiff](/source/Cardiff) in the south.

## The route

The route starts at Chester at [Chester railway station](/source/Chester_railway_station) and then follows the valley of the [River Dee](/source/River_Dee_(Wales)) southwards, before turning east into [Malpas, Cheshire](/source/Malpas,_Cheshire), and down to [Whitchurch, Shropshire](/source/Whitchurch,_Shropshire), before roughly following the B5476 road south to [Shrewsbury](/source/Shrewsbury) via [Wem](/source/Wem). Once past Shrewsbury, the path scales the [Long Mynd](/source/Long_Mynd) before reaching [Church Stretton](/source/Church_Stretton) and [Wenlock Edge](/source/Wenlock_Edge) and then entering [Craven Arms](/source/Craven_Arms), where there are excellent views of [Flounder's Folly](/source/Flounder's_Folly). The path then passes [Stokesay Castle](/source/Stokesay_Castle) as it heads towards [Ludlow](/source/Ludlow). From Ludlow the route winds through the [Mortimer Forest](/source/Mortimer_Forest) as it heads towards [Leominster](/source/Leominster). From here the path climbs [Dinmore Hill](/source/Dinmore_Hill), crossing the [A49 road](/source/A49_road) as it navigates towards [Hereford](/source/Hereford). The path passes through the town centre of Hereford, picking up the [River Wye](/source/River_Wye) before heading towards [Abbey Dore](/source/Abbey_Dore) and [Abergavenny](/source/Abergavenny) where the path skirts the outer edge of the [Brecon Beacons](/source/Brecon_Beacons) National Park, climbing and running along the ridge of the [Skirrid](/source/Skirrid) mountain. The way then follows the [Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal](/source/Monmouthshire_and_Brecon_Canal) to [Pontypool](/source/Pontypool) before heading towards [Caerleon](/source/Caerleon) and [Newport](/source/Newport,_Wales) via the [Llandegfedd Reservoir](/source/Llandegfedd_Reservoir). Finally, the path heads towards its end point at [Cardiff Central Railway Station](/source/Cardiff_Central_Railway_Station) via [Caerphilly Common](/source/Caerphilly_Common) and [Castell Coch](/source/Castell_Coch) at Tongwynlais.

It links many of the most important historic sites on both sides of the border, drawing together the history from [Roman](/source/Roman_Britain) times, passing through two important [Roman forts](/source/Roman_forts) ([Isca Augusta](/source/Isca_Augusta) and [Burrium](/source/Burrium)), and the turbulent [medieval](/source/Medieval) periods when the border lands were contentious power bases vied over by [Marcher Lords](/source/Marcher_Lords), Welsh princes and the scenes of rebellions, bloodletting and political power-broking by many of the region's historical characters.

The terrain of the footpath varies greatly as it proceeds from Chester to Cardiff, passing through the flat [Cheshire Plain](/source/Cheshire_Plain) to the steep [Shropshire Hills](/source/Shropshire_Hills) and the mountains of [South Wales](/source/South_Wales). The path passes through many woods, forests, riverbanks and farmland along its journey.

The route is waymarked only in Cheshire, with black and white waymarker discs.[1]

## Linked footpaths

The route crosses many different trails along its length, including:

- The [North Cheshire Way](/source/North_Cheshire_Way) (Chester Spur) at Chester railway station
- The [Baker Way](/source/Baker_Way) at Chester railway station
- The [Sandstone Trail](/source/Sandstone_Trail) at Tushingham (going past Old St. Chad's Chapel)
- The [Maelor Way](/source/Maelor_Way) and [South Cheshire Way](/source/South_Cheshire_Way) at Grindley Brook
- The [Shropshire Way](/source/Shropshire_Way) at various points in Shropshire
- The [Mortimer Trail](/source/Mortimer_Trail) in the Mortimer Forest, Herefordshire
- The [Black and White Trail](/source/Black_and_White_Trail) at Leominster[2]
- The [Herefordshire Trail](/source/Herefordshire_Trail) at various points in Herefordshire
- The [Offa's Dyke Path](/source/Offa's_Dyke_Path) and the [Beacons Way](/source/Beacons_Way) at Pandy
- The [Taff Trail](/source/Taff_Trail) at Tongwynlais, Cardiff

## Mapping

The Marches Way was removed from the Ordnance Survey map series in 2004 after being detailed on these particular maps for approximately five years. The Ordnance Survey maps that included the Marches Way between 1999 and 2004 were:

- OS Explorer OL13 – Brecon Beacons National Park (East)
- OS Explorer 151 – Cardiff and Bridgend
- OS Explorer 152 – Newport and Pontypool
- OS Explorer 166 – Rhondda and Merthyr Tydfil
- OS Explorer 189 – Hereford and Ross-on-Wye
- OS Explorer 202 – Leominster and Bromyard
- OS Explorer 203 – Ludlow, Tenbury Wells and Cleobury Mortimer
- OS Explorer 217 – The Long Mynd and Wenlock Edge
- OS Explorer 241 – Shrewsbury
- OS Explorer 257 – Crewe and Nantwich
- OS Explorer 266 – Chester and the Wirral
- OS Landranger 117 – Chester and Wrexham
- OS Landranger 126 – Shrewsbury and Oswestry
- OS Landranger 137 – Church Stretton and Ludlow
- OS Landranger 138 – Kidderminster and Wyre Forest
- OS Landranger 148 – Presteigne and Hay-on-Wye
- OS Landranger 149 – Hereford and Leominster
- OS Landranger 161 – The Black Mountains
- OS Landranger 171 – Cardiff and Newport

## See also

- [List of recreational walks in Cheshire](/source/List_of_recreational_walks_in_Cheshire)

## References

1. ["Other Walks in Cheshire"](http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Walking/other_walks/other_walks.htm). Cheshire County Council. 2009. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090601212433/http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Walking/other_walks/other_walks.htm) 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 April 2022.

1. Lumsdon, Les & Upchurch, Pam (1992). *The Marches Way: A Long Distance Path from Chester to Cardiff*. Sigma Leisure. ISBN 1-85058-269-6.

## External links

- [The Ramblers Association – basic info on the Marches Way](https://web.archive.org/web/20071212021329/http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/paths/marches.html)
- [Photo of the trail near the Old School, Llanhennock, Monmouthshire](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/92870)
- [Photo on the bank of the River Dee](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/63342)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marches Way](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marches_Way) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marches_Way?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.