Whilst less well
known than the Wye Valley the Usk Valley matches it for beauty. From it's
source in the Brecon Beacons National Park the river flows through Brecon
along a broad valley separating the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains.
At Crickhowell it crosses from the county of Powys into the ancient kingdom
of Gwent. From Abergavenny it meanders past quiet hamlets and villages;
the historic market town of Usk; the former Roman fortress of Isca, now
Caerleon, and enters the Severn Estuary at Newport.
The kingdom of Gwent has down the ages been of strategic importance to the
successive waves of invaders that sort to control the borders between the
lowland and highland areas of South Wales. The Usk Valley forges a natural
route into the Brecon Beacons, the Black Mountains and the interior uplands;
its turbulent history attesting to how frequently this area has been disputed.
Some of the strongholds of the Celts, the Romans, the Normans, the Marcher
Lords and the Welsh Princes are seen along the route.
The walk starts at Caerleon. This small town stands on the site of the important
Roman Legionary fortress of " Isca ", originally established and
built to subdue the local Silures tribe but later to become one of the three
principal bases of Roman occupied Britain. Substantial remains of the Roman
fortress can still be seen at the amphitheatre, the barracks and the site
of the bathhouse. A museum in the High Street displays a large number of
interesting Roman exhibits found locally that traces the history of the
Legionary occupation of Caerleon and of Usk, the next town along the route.
One of the oldest towns in Wales, Usk's history is recorded back to Roman
times. They established the legionary fort of Burrium here in 55 AD before
moving to their new fort at Caerleon in 75 AD. The Normans settled in the
area soon after the Conquest and by the 12th century had turned the town
into a stronghold with a castle, a Benedictine Priory and a mediaeval street
plan that largely survives through to this day. The town's location meant
that it was inevitably frequently caught up in the border disputes between
the English and the Welsh. Destroyed during the Glyndwr Rebellion in 1402,
the townspeople subsequently, in 1405 witnessed the defeat of Glyndwr's
forces at a site just above the castle. From the late18th century and through
to the19th century Usk became well known for the quality of its Japanware.
In the early 18th century Thomas Allgood developed the process of applying
a lacquer to tinplate that was durable, heatproof and inexpensive and by
1735 nearby Pontypool was famous for its production.
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