After exploring the grounds, I headed to The Bell at Skenfrith for the night, a former 17th-century coaching inn where my room offered a lovely view over the bridge and up to the castle. Having worked up rather an appetite, I indulged in a warming, seasonal feast, gratefully devouring pumpkin soup and mushroom gnocchi, then turned in for the night.
The next morning was cool and crisp. I sat down to another hearty breakfast, then set off on the next leg of the walk.
From Skenfrith, the trail leads through more magnificent countryside to Grosmont, where the last of the three castles stands. Though in ruins, Grosmont Castle’s octagonal chimney gives it a romantic, almost fairy-tale quality, and views from the battlements across to St Nicholas Church are well worth the climb up its narrow stone steps.
From here, it’s another three hours or thereabouts over undulating farmland criss-crossed with babbling brooks, until you find yourself back at White Castle. How peaceful the past two days had been, I mused, and how wonderful to have found such peace and beauty in the woodland trails and open fields of my grandmother’s homeland. The Three Castles Walk may not be the region’s most well-known or talked-about trail, but if you’re seeking tranquillity off the beaten track, I can think of no finer way to find it.
Essentials
Louise Ottewell was a guest of The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny (rooms from £185 B&B; angelabergavenny.com) and The Bell at Skenfrith (rooms from £185 B&B; bellatskenfrith.co.uk).
Paths along the Three Castles Walk are well signposted, but it’s worth downloading a guide from the Visit Monmouthshire website (visitmonmouthshire.com) and also carrying a map, as mobile signal can be patchy in remote areas.
The castles are open from 10am to 4pm daily and are free to enter. White Castle has a donation box with a suggested amount of £3.