Parking is available at Hamstreet Village car park (TR0015 3329). There is a nice pub and a good village shop here as well as a Garden Centre with a nice café and toilets.

Left out of Hamstreet car park onto The Street. At the cross roads take the right turn onto Ruckinge Road past the Dukes Head. Take the left turn into Bourne Lane – the footpath signs for the Greensand and Saxon Shore paths indicate the way.

At the entrance to Hamstreet Woods – follow the indicated path for the Greensand Way/Saxon Shore Way. Continue to follow these signs out of the woods, follow the Saxon Shore Way north up Gill Lane and turn right past a few houses. As indicated by the Saxon Shore way markers, turn left into the driveway and then carry on past a house with a balcony on three sides, stay on the path to join the lane Ash Hill. Take the path opposite, cross two fields onto the byway between Norland Wood and Pierland Wood. Stay on this track – ignore the sign for the Saxon Shore Way which goes off to the left.

The track turns and heads south, down hill to Herne Hill on the Hamstreet Road east of Ruckinge, turn right onto this road and in about two hundred metres take the footpath on the left across from Marshside Farm, heading down to the Military Canal.

At the lane gate by the canal, turn right up the lane, cross the road at the T junction and take the footpath opposite, across from the The Blue Anchor. Keep heading north, this path runs parallel to Ash Hill for about 1km. When the path joins Ash Hill, immediately cross the road and follow the path heading west and at the footpath crossing point below Gill Farm, head south west, cross the byway back into Hamstreet Wood. When this path reaches the field at the gate, cross the field to the lane, drop down the lane to Ruckinge Road, turn right and take this as far as Cock Lane, turn left here and back to The Street and the village car park.

This is about 7 miles and in anything other than summer it is bound to be muddy so be warned!

There are a couple of places to start from in Tintern – the Abbey car park, Tintern Station or (on the English side) there is a car park close to the route at Tidenham.

Starting at the Car Park in Tintern Station - £2.50 for the day in 2008.

Have a look around this start point – there are interesting wood sculptures and old carriages from the GWR days.

From the station – take the river path North (Wye Valley Way) to Brockweir bridge, cross the Wye here. Immediately over the river, take the first turn on the right and within 50 metres you will see the footpath sign ahead, pointing right. Follow the path South, past the Moravian Church through the gate to the field alongside the river, follow the river until the first sign takes you left up to a stile and left here to join a track headed in a southerly direction. Follow this track to the next T junction, take the left turn, a wide track signposted Offa’s Dyke and The Devil’s Pulpit up and back parallel above your original path, stay on the left path where it splits in 50 metres. This is quite a climb and it leads you to another T junction where you turn right – again on a wide track. You are now walking in a southerly direction parallel and below Offa’s Dyke path. In about one Km you will join Offa’s Dyke path – keep going South until you reach The Devil’s Pulpit.

There are interesting rock formations here and it is a good time for a break.

From the Devil’s Pulpit – stay on Offa’s Dyke Path until you reach a T Junction just a short distance past the car park at Tidenham. Turn right at the track and follow the footpath signs into and out of the wood, cross the track to the rocky downhill path down the slope. Take the path to your right 100m before the track goes into a tunnel. Follow this path up the slope and at the junction, take the left hand fork downhill, this path will lead you to the old railway path which takes you back north to Tintern – the Abbey Mill is where the bridge crosses the Wye.

Before you get to the bridge – there is a footpath which will lead you down to a meadow across from the Abbey – a perfect spot for photographs. If you follow this path it will take you back to a spur off the old railway line and across the river bridge to Tintern.

There are cafes, pubs and public toilets here.

Turn right on the road and follow the road in a northerly direction until you reach the turn to Catbrook at the Wye Valley Hotel (highly recommended). Take the signed path right, past the Church and onto the river side – the trees here are full of mistletoe – and follow the river back to Tintern Station.

Total route around 9.5 miles.

Allow 4 hours – it is hilly in places.