Distance: 11.5 miles
Difficulty of the terrain: hard
Get the route via: Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
Circular walk from Hay-on-Wye, partly on the Offa’s Dyke National Trail, to the Black Mountain, the Midlands highest peak, on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, and the border between Herefordshire and Powys.
The Story
Route Notes
Getting Back
The Midlands Highest Peak, Partially in Wales
Standing 703 metres above sea level the Black Mountain is arguably Herefordshire and the English Midlands’s highest peak, though much of the ridge top and its western slopes lie inside Wales. It comprises the highest point of Hatterall Ridge, whose summit constitutes this section of the Anglo-Welsh border.
For this reason the slightly more easterly Black Hill, rather shorter standing 640 metres above sea level, but still a mountain, is sometimes cited as Herefordshire’s county top and the tallest peak in the Midlands. Unlike the Black Mountain the Black Hill stands entirely inside England, looming over western Herefordshire’s Golden Valley.
Since its creation in the early 1970s the Offa’s Dyke Path, now a National Trail, has crossed the Black Mountain’s ridge top, offering walkers spectacular views across Herefordshire to the west and into the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park to the east.
Offa’s Dyke was created by King Offa of Mercia in the 780s to divide his early medieval English Kingdom from Wales. An indicating that the Black Mountain and the uplands around it have long been part of one of Great Britain’s key frontiers.
These days the Welsh portion of the mountain, whose top is ecologically vital peatland crowned with rare moorland grasses and other plants, is part of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, while the English portion is not currently part of a protected landscape. This may change if occasionally mooted plans for a national park covering western Herefordshire ever come about.
The Black Mountain and the surrounding hills are very remote. Though Hay-on-Wye only a few miles to the north is strikingly cosmopolitan. The UK’s first “book town” with several dozen bookshops and host to one of the UK’s most significant annual literary festivals.
The Walk
Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.
This circular walk from Hay-on-Wye to the 703 metre tall Black Mountain (right on Herefordshire’s border with the Welsh county of Powys but typically considered the Midlands tallest peak) begins from the Hay Castle bus stop. The outwards portion of the walk is primarily along the Offa’s Dyke National Trail, while the return is principally along country roads.
From the Hay Castle bus stop head east walking along the main road through the town, where you pick up the Offa’s Dyke National Trail heading right along a track leading to the edge of Hay-on-Wye.
Leaving the town you follow the well maintained, well waymarked footpath across meadows and through woodland.
Reaching a lane which you walk along for a short distance before heading back into meadows you begin steadily ascending.
Walk along meadows, through woodland and over scrubland you steadily climb uphill. As you go there are some impressive views back towards Hay-on-Wye beneath you.
Passing through a farmyard you reach another steepy scrubby path which you ascend.
Presently the ground plateaus out at around 400 metres above sea level, and you cross open heathland populated with sheep, steadily approaching the mountains of the Bannau Brycheiniog immediately to the south.
Just before you reach Hay Bluff, the nearest of the mountains, you reach a road running across the heath parallelling the ridge rising above you.
Turn right following this road for some distance, leaving the Offa’s Dyke path behind, and passing a car park until you reach a junction.
Here turn left following a path through some scrubby bushes and grass, and along a steady, sometimes steep ascent towards the top of the ridge. Around halfway up you reach a surfaced path running to the right, which has steps to aid traversing the steeper sections.
Once up upon the ridge turn left and walk the short distance across the moorland along a well maintained path towards the old Ordnance Survey trig point on top of Hay Bluff which stands 677 metres above sea level.
Upon reaching the trig point follow the path heading to the right across the moorland towards a short flight of stone steps up onto the northern end of the Hatterall Ridge where the Black Mountain lies. It is here that you rejoin the Offa’s Dyke path.
At the top of the steps the path runs to the right heading south towards the Black Mountain, whose peak is largely imperceptible, the entire moor being roughly 700 metres above sea level. As you walk the path is more or less right on the border between Wales and England. This part of the Bannau Brycheiniog is notable for having many wild or semi-wild ponies. There were several herds near the path on the day I walked the route.
As you walk there are spectacular views down from the Hatterall Ridge towards the Black Hill, the Golden Valley beyond, and lower ranges of hills visible in distant eastern Herefordshire.
Due to the ridge being fairly even in height it is quite hard to tell when you actually reach the summit of the Black Mountain. When I walked the route at about the spot Ordnance Survey indicated was the peak I encountered a rock where a little cairn had been set up. I took this to be the peak.
Upon reaching the summit of the Black Mountain once ready to return to Hay-on-Wye retrace your steps back to the steps up onto Hatterall Ridge.
After descending the steps look out on your right for where the Offa’s Dyke Path descends from Hay Bluff down towards the heathland plateau beneath the mountain range.
Follow this path as it steadily descends back towards the road. Parts of the descent are through England, but the path soon reenters Wales immediately below the Hay Bluff trig point.
Upon reaching the road turn right and begin following it downhill in the direction of Hay-on-Wye.
Initially you can walk along open heath land next to the road, but as you descend along the road into a valley this peters out, and you find yourself pressed against a steep bank. Take care on this section due to there being sharp bends, and a surprisingly large volume of traffic, which at times when I walked the route was travelling quite fast.
Presently on the left there is a stile out into a meadow. Once in the meadow walk straight downhill, and pick up a path through the undergrowth back down onto the road.
On reaching the road again turn right and walk a little way uphill until you are adjacent to a farmyard. Here turn left and head through a large metal gate into a field.
Once in the woodland you come to a stream on the other side of which you can see the top of a white painted cottage.
Head to the left here, and you come to a ford, next to an old concrete footbridge where you can cross the stream.
On the far side of the stream you are back in Herefordshire. Here you pick up a lane paved with tarmac turning to the left and following it alongside the stream.
Follow the shady tree lined lane, passing a series of outlying houses, approaching the little village of Cusop.
Walk through Cusop approaching the main road back into Hay-on-Wye.
Upon reaching the main road turn left, crossing back into Wales and soon reaching Hay Castle once more. The bulk of the town centres lies on the far side of the castle.
This is where the walk ends.
Getting Back
At the time of writing (May 2025) Hay-on-Wye was primarily served by the T14 service between Hereford Railway Station and Brecon. This provided four buses back to Hereford on Mondays through to Saturdays. The last service of the day departing Hay for Hereford at 16:42. Two later services (16:10 and 19:39) did operate to Brecon. On Sundays a less frequent (three times a day) service run by Yeomans Travel the 39A operates. The first service of the afternoon leaving Hay at 14:55, the final service of the day departing for Hereford at 16:15. There was an indication that from June 2025 a more frequent service running later into the evening, taking a different route between Hereford and Hay would be started by First. It was not apparent whether this was an addition solely for the summer or a longer-term commitment to the service. Worth checking before planning the walk.