Come and join us on our Walks and Talks Programme for 2026, free of charge, guided by experts who will lead you around a selection of walks in different areas of Wales, covering many different periods and types of historic and archaeological sites. Some of the eight walks may be subject to change in details/dates so be sure to keep your eye on the website. Each walk will be advertised on social media and with members’ email notifications in due course.
Date: Saturday, April 25th : Mynydd Drumau Prehistoric ritual landscape, Neath, West Glamorgan
Leader: Edith Evans
This upland walk will explore some recently discovered cupmarked stones, along with Cefn Bica standing stone and cairn, components of an important prehistoric ritual landscape. We will take advantage of the spring sunshine (hopefully) and the lack of vegetation and bracken which will help in access to and appreciation of these sites.
For more details about parking, timing and duration, please contact emevans52@outlook.com
Date: Saturday, May 30. The Three Mary’s. A walk around three churches near Tintern.
Leader: Jo McCrum. A joint walk with Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association
Start at 11.00, return to start by 4.00, bring your own lunch.
If you have ever stood on the Devil’s Pulpit to admire Tintern Abbey you may have noticed two other churches further into the Monmouthshire hills. We will walk to these, both dedicated to St Mary and once Celtic Christian sites re-dedicated to their patron saint by the Cistercians, to serve the lay-tenants working in their granges. We begin by going along a steep, rocky path, built by indentured medieval labourers, which, by 1452, was known as Stony Way. We go right towards the open uplands of Penterry, to St Mary’s (Llanbedui) to learn about the history of the church and its abandoned medieval village and plague pits. We then head back to Tintern’s Chapel Hill to a private garden where you can have a comfort break, your packed lunch and, for a donation to the St Mary’s Conservation Fund, an optional cream tea, before moving across to the second St Mary’s (Llanandras). Discover the colourful history of this ruined church and site, the ironmasters buried there, and the Lower Wye Valley Building Preservation Trust’s plans to consolidate her for safe public access. After enjoying the beautiful aerial views of the river Wye, Tintern Village and abbey we will go down the ancient and pretty cobbled pilgrim path to the most impressive of all, St Mary’s, Tintern Abbey.
This route takes in difficult and steep ground and a couple of stiles. It is not suitable for pushchairs or anyone with mobility issues.
Meet in the Tintern Abbey car park (paying) outside the abbey shop.
Bring Cadw cards for free entrance to the abbey.
Book (requesting optional cream tea if desired) with secretary@maa.wales
Date: Saturday, June 13th Roman and Post Roman Caerleon, Monmouthshire
A joint walk with Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association
Start at 11.00, return to start by 4.00. Bring your own lunch, or purchase at the Hanbury Arms
Leaders: Jeremy Knight and Gwilym Hughes
This walk will take in the impressive Roman remains for which Caerleon is world famous, but will give equal importance to the town’s fascinating post-Roman history, visiting other less well-known sites often overlooked by visitors. Caerleon is the subject of a new collaborative project between Cadw, Amgueddfa Cymru and Newport City Council aiming, with community involvement, to enhance and interpret the town’s archaeology. Gwilym, one of the leaders of this project, will explain how it is evolving. Jeremy will lead the walk from the Hanbury car park and explain the siting of Caerleon, river crossing and bridges, the castle, the post-Roman port and the martyrium of Julius and Aaron. We then walk to the angle of fortress with its World War II relics., and follow the Roman wall to the amphitheatre ‘King Arthurs round table ‘, the Bearhouse field and vicus.
We will then see the house of Elizabeth Pritchard, pioneer woman archaeologist at Caerleon, the Museum, church and lych gate and on to the Bull Inn carpark – where Jeremy will talk about the pioneer archaeologist John Edward Lee, and the celebrated Caerleon author Arthur Machen and his story of the mysterious Angels of Mons, before returning to the Hanbury Inn.
Carparking in town.
Meet at 10.30 at the Hanbury Arms NP18 1AA.
Book with secretary@maa.wales
Walks and Talks: Date: Saturday, August 1st. Penmon Priory and a walk to nearby prehistoric settlement, Anglesey.
Leader: Andrew Davidson
We will start by visiting the priory at Penmon, the early monastery established by St Seiriol that later joined the Augustinian order. Its holy well, the church with its 10th century cross and the 15th century dovecot are impressive monuments. We will then walk west to visit the two settlements with prehistoric round houses and the village at Caim before heading back to the Priory.
Meet: at Penmon Priory carpark (charge), LL58 8RR. NGR: SH630807
At the finish of the walk we can drive to the café at Trwyn Du for refreshments if desired.
To book: contact andrew.davidson55@protonmail.com for further details and meeting time.
Date: Saturday, August 15th. A Walk around historic Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.
Leader: Judith Alfrey and Sian Rees
Start 2pm finish 5pm
This walk explores the rich architectural legacy of Aberystwyth as a seaside resort in the nineteenth century and traces the imprint of an intricate social and economic history in its building types and styles. It also delves beyond the architectural surface to the medieval urban structure that lies beneath. We start at the fine medieval castle built by Edward I atop a castle rocky headland overlooking the sea, where the story of the town began, and walk its medieval streets to discover how a modern resort inhabited a historic settlement pattern. We’ll also look at how the town grew beyond its medieval confines as it celebrated a new relationship with the sea.
Meet at the war memorial, SY23 1DZ (1923, designed by Mario Rutelli). There are several public carparks off Park Avenue and the Boulevard de St Brieuc, including a park and ride.
To book, contact Sian Rees on richardavent@hotmail.com
Date: Saturday, September 5 2026 A walk to Rossett Roman Villa, NE Wales
Leader: Stephen Grenter
Start: 10.00am, finish c. 12.30pm
A guided walk to visit the ongoing excavations at the Roman villa at Rossett. The villa was discovered in 2020 following the report of the discovery of Roman material in the field. Subsequent geophysical surveys revealed a complex Roman landscape of tracks, field boundaries and at its focus a winged corridor villa, the first to be discovered in North Wales. Initial excavations in 2021 by Chester University and Wrexham Museum revealed half of the villa structure complete with a hypocaust heating system, together with a possible bathhouse and a medieval building.
The 2026 excavation season will begin in late August, and the visit will provide you with a unique opportunity to see the work in progress.
Meeting details will be provided upon booking, parking is available in a field adjacent to the site. Access will require a walk of around half a Kilometre across rough but flat farmland, so appropriate footwear will be required.
To book, please contact Stephen.grenter@sky.com
Saturday September 26th. A Walk around St David’s, Pembrokeshire
Leader: Wyn Evans
Start at 2pm, return c.4pm
This walk will circumnavigate the extensive medieval precinct of St David’s, taking in the Bishop’s Palace, the precinct walls, the Bell Tower/Gatehouse and the cathedral. The walk is designed to complement the lecture about the magnificent cathedral screen delivered to the Cambrians in March by Matthew Reeve.
Meet at Quickwell Hill Car park (charge), St David’s SA62 6NT
Book with jwynevans.evans@gmail.com for further details.
Date: Saturday 24 October 2026. Snailbeach Leadmining Landscape, Shropshire
Leader: Henry Owen-John
Start 1pm, finish c 4pm
This walk, very close to the Welsh border, will explore the surface remains of one of the most complete surviving lead mining landscapes in the UK. Most of the structures date from the late 18th to the late 19th centuries, when Britain was a world leader in the production of lead. Shropshire County Council undertook a major programme of conservation in the 1990s and the site is cared for by the Shropshire Mines Trust.
The walk is approximately 3 miles long and involves the ascent and descent of a steep hill and is not suitable for those with mobility issues.
Meet at Snailbeach village hall car park (SJ 3731 0229 – voluntary donations).
To book, contact henry.owenjohn@btinternet.com