Skenfrith, White Castle and Grosmont, all in Monmouthshire, are the three castles. They were built as an ‘iron triangle’ by the invading Normans to defend against (and attack) the Welsh of the area, and provide a safe passage for their armies to penetrate further into south Wales.
Victors tend to write history, and it’s the invaders, with their castles and churches, who marked this landscape most firmly. You need to scratch its surface to reveal the past lives of the inhabitants, among the first of the Welsh to be overwhelmed by the Normans. They survive, for example, in the names of villages and farms, often in anglicised forms. ‘Skenfrith’ preserves the Welsh name ‘Ynysgynwraidd’ and the figure of an early medieval local ruler, Cynfraith. The Three Castles Walk passes numerous farms with stories to tell.
The Walk, established in 1991, is a 19-mile circular route that links the castles. I met a person who’d completed the whole Walk in a single day, but it’s more comfortably tackled across two days. Of course, you can start and finish at any point of the circuit. I started at Skenfrith, which is as good as anywhere. Companies like Celtic Trails offer an accommodation and luggage forwarding service.
Public transport in these rural and affluent parts is poor or nonexistent, so, unless you drive yourself, a taxi or a car lift is your only choice to get to your starting point.
This is hilly, rolling and (normally) green countryside. Walking is mainly easy enough. The highest point is Craig Syfyrddin (420m), not a huge peak – though it may seem like that in very high temperatures. There are few settlements on the way – really, just two villages, Skenfrith and Grosmont – and, for the present, just one pub (the Angel Inn, in Skenfrith), and no shops. This means you need to plan ahead for food and drink. Accommodation is similarly sparse.
Route finding is straightforward, on the whole. On its website Visit Monmouthshire has a series of maps and useful navigation instructions. The route is marked on the Ordnance Survey’s app. ‘Three Castles Walk’ fingerposts and (rather inconspicuous) plastic roundels abound along the way. I still got lost at points, but that’s down to my navigational bungling.
You wouldn’t describe the Three Castles Walk as overpopulated. I met very few people on my travels, except at the castles themselves, and no one who was tackling the whole Walk. But it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and ideal for banishing the anxieties of the self and the world, at least for a short time.
The Three Castles Walk day by day
Day 1: Skenfrith to White Castle and Llangattock Lingoed
Monday 20 July 2026
Day 2: Llangattock Lingoed to Grosmont and Skenfrith
Tuesday 21 July 2026
