Newport is blessed with many fantastic walks, but a trek up Carningli should definitely be on your to-do list if the weather is fair.
Mynydd Carningli is the ‘mountain’ that watches over Newport with majestic beauty. Formed by volcanic activity (don’t worry, the last eruption was over 450million years ago…), it reaches approximately 347m above the sea, so not really a mountain in my books but it does reward you with stunning views if you walk up to the summit.
Rumour has it that spending the night up on Carningli will either turn you mad or into a poet. I haven’t tested this particular myth, so cannot comment but there is a wealth of folklore surrounding the mountain which adds to its mystique.
How to walk up Carningli
It is an easy walk from Peg-y-Don, with only a couple of steepish sections, one of which is on a road, so very manageable. Actual walking time is approximately 1hr from the house to the summit, although you should allow time to admire the views along the way.
There are several routes up to the top, but this is the route that I followed this morning:
If you want to see all the stats for this route, you can have a look here.
To start the walk, you need to leave Peg-y-Don and walk along Golf Course Road, as though you were walking into the town of Newport. It is very tranquil and you have some great views over the golf course and Newport bay:
At the end of Golf Course Road, drop down on to the the coastal path and turn left to head towards the iron bridge. As you wander down the path, you will soon see the bridge crossing but also a great preview of where you are heading:
Follow the coastal path up to the iron bridge and cross over the river Nevern. Shortly after the bridge, turn right to follow the path along the river. There are some stunning views over the Nevern estuary, especially at 6am in the morning:
Keep walking along the river until you see the tennis courts on your left. Turn left into the bottom of Long Street and walk up the hill towards Newport Town centre.
At the top of Long Street, you should cross over the cross road to join Market Street:
Carry on up the hill and stock up on any provisions that you may want from the butcher or the Spar supermarket before looking up to enjoy a good view of the castle:
You need to turn left into Church Street which, as the name suggests, will take you in the direction of the church. Keep on following this road as it winds up a hill until you get to College Square, where you will need to turn right into the dead end lane:
Head on up this lane. You will start to hear the babbling of the brook, which is lovely, but this is also one of the steepest sections and a bit of a lung buster at times.
You will know that you are on the right track if you past the cottage on your left with and incredibly Welsh name:
I really don’t know how to pronounce that but expect it would be fun after a few pints from the Bluestone Brewery…
At the top of the lane, there is a footpath off to the left. It was a bit overgrown this morning, so not the most obvious, but easy to get through. After about 25m, you join another path and should turn right to head up the hill.
You are in the right place if you come to this gate after another 30m or so:
From this point onwards, you will be in fairly open ground. There is quite a bit of heather at the moment but there is a fairly obvious path heading straight up to the summit of Carningli and you just have to follow your nose up the ascent.
Don’t forget to turn around though, as you will start to see some stunning views over Newport as you gain height:
As you head up the mountain, you may start to feel the heat in your legs but it really isn’t very steep and the path is generally even and easy to navigate. There are a few sections where you are walking over stones (especially at the summit) but it is definitely more of a hike than a mountaineering expedition and you should not be worried about a technical climb.
The gods have been kind and you will find a traditional resting stone half way up the climb:
Once you have got your breath back, keep on heading up the path and you will shortly reach the summit. The path splits in a couple of places, but each strand seems to converge back on the right track and you are just under the peak, so just follow your nose and you won’t go wrong.
Very quickly, you will find yourself at the top of Carningli, where you will be rewarded with some breathtaking views (weather permitting):
This is how we got our day started this morning:
Getting down is pretty much a case of running this blog post in reverse, but there are several paths that you can follow or longer circular routes if you want to explore further.
One thing to note for dog owners is that you are likely to encounter some wildlife on your walk. We had these friends this morning, but have also seen ponies:
They keep themselves to themselves but you should have a lead at the ready if your furry friends cannot be trusted to leave them in peace. Touch wood, Peggy just watches from afar but it is important to respect the wildlife on the hillside.
As you can hopefully tell from this blog post, the walk up Carningli is really enjoyable with some lovely views to enjoy. You can cheat and drive half way up there, but we would encourage you to stretch the legs as it is very doable for most people with basic levels of fitness and you can reward yourself with a nice lunch on the way back through Newport.