RoutesHiking trails & RoutesSouth West EnglandGloucestershireForest Of DeanLydbrook
Welsh Bicknor Church – Coldwell Rocks loop from Lydbrook
RoutesHiking trails & RoutesSouth West EnglandGloucestershireForest Of DeanLydbrook
Welsh Bicknor Church – Coldwell Rocks loop from Lydbrook
Moderate
4.7
(19)
96
hikers
Welsh Bicknor Church – Coldwell Rocks loop from Lydbrook
02:41
9.51km
190m
Hiking
Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: July 19, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
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Waypoints
A
Start point
Bus stop
1
1.05 km
Welsh Bicknor Church
Highlight • Historical Site
2
1.05 km
St Margaret's Church, Welsh Bicknor
Highlight • Historical Site
This Place of Worship was founded before 1800.
The entry for Welsh Bicknor in Littlebury's Directory of Herefordshire, 1876-7 tells us that St Margaret's Church is "a small but exquisitely beautiful building, situated on the bank of the river Wye. It occupies the site of the former edifice, and was erected in 1858 from the designs of Mr. Thomas H. Rushforth, of Regent street, London, at a cost of £2,680, the whole of which was defrayed by the late rector and Stephen Allaway, Esq." It consists of nave (in the Norman style), chancel with vestry attached, south aisle, western porch, and tower (in the Early English style). The interior is adorned with beautiful stained glass by Clayton & Bell, of London, while the pulpit, reading desk, font, &c., are splendid specimens of carving in Caen stone, inlaid with different-coloured marbles and alabaster. The organ was built by Gray & Davison, of London, and is a fine-toned instrument. The altar table and chancel stalls are of carved oak. There are 96 sittings in the body of the church, all free. The only ancient monument is an effigy, supposed to be that of the Countess of Salisbury, nurse to Henry V. It occupies a niche in the east wall of the aisle.
Source: Littlebury's Directory of Herefordshire
The entry for Welsh Bicknor in Littlebury's Directory of Herefordshire, 1876-7 tells us that St Margaret's Church is "a small but exquisitely beautiful building, situated on the bank of the river Wye. It occupies the site of the former edifice, and was erected in 1858 from the designs of Mr. Thomas H. Rushforth, of Regent street, London, at a cost of £2,680, the whole of which was defrayed by the late rector and Stephen Allaway, Esq." It consists of nave (in the Norman style), chancel with vestry attached, south aisle, western porch, and tower (in the Early English style). The interior is adorned with beautiful stained glass by Clayton & Bell, of London, while the pulpit, reading desk, font, &c., are splendid specimens of carving in Caen stone, inlaid with different-coloured marbles and alabaster. The organ was built by Gray & Davison, of London, and is a fine-toned instrument. The altar table and chancel stalls are of carved oak. There are 96 sittings in the body of the church, all free. The only ancient monument is an effigy, supposed to be that of the Countess of Salisbury, nurse to Henry V. It occupies a niche in the east wall of the aisle.
Source: Littlebury's Directory of Herefordshire
Tip by
2.17 km
Thomas Wood
Forest
4
3.36 km
Coppett Hill Trig Point and Viewpoint
Highlight • Natural Monument
Coppett Hill Common, or Coppett Hill, is a nature reserve covering over 100 hectares of land. It is a mix of woodland and open hillside, with a very wide range of flora and fauna. There are marvellous views of the Brecon Beacons, Clee Hill, and the Malverns to be had from here.
Tip by
5
3.39 km
Trail to the River Wye and Ruins, Wye Valley National Landscape
Highlight (Segment) • River
Great trail leading from the top of the hill all the way to the rivers edge. Lots of birdlife along the way and some old ruins to explore too. Well worth it when you reach the river.
Tip by
6
5.87 km
Riverside Meadows at Symonds Yat
Highlight • River
Wide open fields and the cliffs at Symonds Yat (famous for Peregrines and other birdlife) on the other side of the river - Great place to take a swim or just chill. Lots of shade and a load of beaches to choose from.
Tip by
7
6.02 km
Coldwell Rocks
Highlight • Gorge
Parking on side of the road for two cars. Although a steep climb their are lots of places stop and worth it for the views.
Tip by
8
6.59 km
John Whitehead Warre Memorial
Highlight • Historical Site
The memorial is dedicated to the memory of John Whitehead Warre who drowned in the nearby River Wye 'The Deceitful Stream'.
The inscription reads:
'Sacred to the memory of JOHN WHITEHEAD WARRE, who perished near this spot, whilst bathing in the river Wye, in sight of his afflicted parents, brother, and sister, on the 11th of September, 1804, in the sixteenth year of his age.
GOD'S WILL BE DONE
Who, in his mercy, hath granted consolation to the parents of the dear departed, in the reflection, that he possessed truth, innocence, filial piety, and fraternal affection, in the highest degree. That, but a few moments before he was called to a better life, he had (with a never to be forgotten piety) joined his family in joyful thanks to his Maker, for the restoration of his mother's health. His parents, in justice to his amiable virtue, and excellent disposition, declare, that he was void of offence towards them. With humbled hearts they bow to the Almighty's dispensation; trusting, through the mediation of his blessed Son, he will mercifully receive their child he so suddenly took to himself.
This MONUMENT is here erected to warn Parents and Others to be
..........they trust the deceitful Stream and particularly to exhort
them .........and observe the directions of the Humane Society for the
recovery of Persons apparently drowned. Alas! it is with the extremest Sorrow here commemorated what anguish is felt from the want of this knowledge.
The lamented Youth swam very well, was endowed with great bodily Strength and activity and possibly, had proper applications been used, might have been saved from his untimely Fate. He was born at OPorto in the Kingdom of
............14th of February 1780. Third Son of JAMES WARRE of
...........of the County of Somerset, Merchant and Eleanor
........of THOMAS GREG of Belfast Esqr.'
The inscription becomes harder to read at the base but describes the memorial's purpose as a warning to others.
There was a poem written by Robert Bloomfield after the tragedy, who was touring the area. Here is an extract from the poem:
'The Banks of the Wye
Close on the bank, and half o'ergrown, Beneath a dark wood's sombrous frown,
A monumental stone appears, Of one who in his blooming years,
While bathing spurn'd the grassy shore, And sunk, midst friends, to rise no more;
By parents witness'd--Hark! their shrieks! The dreadful language horror speaks!
But why in verse attempt to tell That tale the stone records so well?'
Robert Bloomfield (1811)
As a result of the tragedy the local church at Coldwell set-up a Humane Society for water-related trauma.
There are railings around the memorial and a stone urn on the top. It is surrounded by vegetation.
Source: waymarking.com
The inscription reads:
'Sacred to the memory of JOHN WHITEHEAD WARRE, who perished near this spot, whilst bathing in the river Wye, in sight of his afflicted parents, brother, and sister, on the 11th of September, 1804, in the sixteenth year of his age.
GOD'S WILL BE DONE
Who, in his mercy, hath granted consolation to the parents of the dear departed, in the reflection, that he possessed truth, innocence, filial piety, and fraternal affection, in the highest degree. That, but a few moments before he was called to a better life, he had (with a never to be forgotten piety) joined his family in joyful thanks to his Maker, for the restoration of his mother's health. His parents, in justice to his amiable virtue, and excellent disposition, declare, that he was void of offence towards them. With humbled hearts they bow to the Almighty's dispensation; trusting, through the mediation of his blessed Son, he will mercifully receive their child he so suddenly took to himself.
This MONUMENT is here erected to warn Parents and Others to be
..........they trust the deceitful Stream and particularly to exhort
them .........and observe the directions of the Humane Society for the
recovery of Persons apparently drowned. Alas! it is with the extremest Sorrow here commemorated what anguish is felt from the want of this knowledge.
The lamented Youth swam very well, was endowed with great bodily Strength and activity and possibly, had proper applications been used, might have been saved from his untimely Fate. He was born at OPorto in the Kingdom of
............14th of February 1780. Third Son of JAMES WARRE of
...........of the County of Somerset, Merchant and Eleanor
........of THOMAS GREG of Belfast Esqr.'
The inscription becomes harder to read at the base but describes the memorial's purpose as a warning to others.
There was a poem written by Robert Bloomfield after the tragedy, who was touring the area. Here is an extract from the poem:
'The Banks of the Wye
Close on the bank, and half o'ergrown, Beneath a dark wood's sombrous frown,
A monumental stone appears, Of one who in his blooming years,
While bathing spurn'd the grassy shore, And sunk, midst friends, to rise no more;
By parents witness'd--Hark! their shrieks! The dreadful language horror speaks!
But why in verse attempt to tell That tale the stone records so well?'
Robert Bloomfield (1811)
As a result of the tragedy the local church at Coldwell set-up a Humane Society for water-related trauma.
There are railings around the memorial and a stone urn on the top. It is surrounded by vegetation.
Source: waymarking.com
Tip by
9
7.60 km
Halifax V9977 Crash Memorial
Highlight • Historical Site
V9977 was an Handley Page Halifax II that had been sent to the Telecommunications Research Establishment at RAF Defford to be used as a flying testbed for the H2S radar.
On the afternoon of 7 June 1942, one of its Rolls-Royce Merlin engines caught fire and led to the aircraft crashing near the England-Wales border, killing all eleven crew-members. Among the dead was Alan Blumlein of EMI, who was well known as the inventor of stereophonic sound recording and the 405-line television system used in the UK until 1985.
Investigators determined that improper engine maintenance/assembly procedures caused the accident. It remains the deadliest crash in the history of military test flight in the UK.
The crash
On the weekend of 6 and 7 June, Lovell and the team met with Alan Blumlein and two of his associates from EMI to examine the system with an eye to beginning production. After the EMI team left to return to their hotel, Lovell flew in V9977 and received strong returns from Gloucester, Cheltenham and several other towns at previously invisible ranges.
The EMI team decided they should see this for themselves, and took off in V9977 at about 2:50 pm on the 7th heading for the Bristol Channel. At 4:20 pm the aircraft was seen over the Forest of Dean with its outboard starboard engine on fire. Shortly after, the left wing broke off and the aircraft rolled over and crashed in a field on the Courtfield estate in Lydbrook near Welsh Bicknor on the north side of the River Wye. All aboard were killed.
News of the crash did not reach Defford until 7:35. At 9 pm, Lovell and O'Kane were driven to the site to retrieve the top secret cavity magnetron from the wreckage.
Source: Wikipedia
On the afternoon of 7 June 1942, one of its Rolls-Royce Merlin engines caught fire and led to the aircraft crashing near the England-Wales border, killing all eleven crew-members. Among the dead was Alan Blumlein of EMI, who was well known as the inventor of stereophonic sound recording and the 405-line television system used in the UK until 1985.
Investigators determined that improper engine maintenance/assembly procedures caused the accident. It remains the deadliest crash in the history of military test flight in the UK.
The crash
On the weekend of 6 and 7 June, Lovell and the team met with Alan Blumlein and two of his associates from EMI to examine the system with an eye to beginning production. After the EMI team left to return to their hotel, Lovell flew in V9977 and received strong returns from Gloucester, Cheltenham and several other towns at previously invisible ranges.
The EMI team decided they should see this for themselves, and took off in V9977 at about 2:50 pm on the 7th heading for the Bristol Channel. At 4:20 pm the aircraft was seen over the Forest of Dean with its outboard starboard engine on fire. Shortly after, the left wing broke off and the aircraft rolled over and crashed in a field on the Courtfield estate in Lydbrook near Welsh Bicknor on the north side of the River Wye. All aboard were killed.
News of the crash did not reach Defford until 7:35. At 9 pm, Lovell and O'Kane were driven to the site to retrieve the top secret cavity magnetron from the wreckage.
Source: Wikipedia
Tip by
8.86 km
Park Wood
Forest
B
9.51 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
4.11 km
3.53 km
800 m
688 m
355 m
Surfaces
4.39 km
2.90 km
797 m
764 m
636 m
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Highest point (190 m)
Lowest point (20 m)
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Monday 5 October
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12°C
21 %
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