Yesterday, 11 of us enjoyed a lovely day out on Derek’s “Usk Figure of Eight Walk”. Starting from the attractive town of Usk, we set off from a place with a fascinating past. Usk has roots going all the way back to Roman times, later becoming an important Norman market town, and it still has that wonderful blend of history, charm and countryside that makes it such a great place to begin a walk. We began by heading northwards, soon stopping to admire the impressive gates of Usk Castle. The castle dates back to the Norman period, with the first castle at Usk likely built in the 1070s, and much of the later stone stronghold developed over the following centuries. It was also the setting for one of the darker tales in local history, as prisoners captured after the nearby Battle of Pwll Melyn in 1405 were reportedly executed near the castle. Continuing on, we passed the area associated with the Battle of Pwll Melyn, fought on 5 May 1405 during Owain Glyndŵr’s revolt. The battle took place just north of Usk Castle and ended in a significant defeat for the Welsh forces led by Glyndŵr’s son, Gruffydd. It was a key moment in the uprising and one that still casts a long historical shadow over the landscape around Usk today. From there we made our way through Lady Hill Wood and Park Wood, where Derek had found us an absolutely first-class tea break stop — a pheasant shooters’ shelter complete with plenty of picnic benches. It was a perfect place to pause, chat and refuel. We then headed east, following the Cayo Brook, passing Cwmcayo Farm, before reaching the banks of the River Usk itself. Lunch was enjoyed there with yet more benches on hand, always appreciated, and with a lovely backdrop of the river and Usk Bridge to complete the scene. The weather stayed grey and misty throughout, which meant that the fantastic views from the higher ground were hidden from us this time. Even so, the rain held off all day, and that felt like a real bonus. After lunch we set off on the second loop of the figure of eight, heading south-west as we skirted around and then through Pan-y-cwcw Wood, before turning north again and making our way back into Usk and to the waiting cars. All in all, it was a great day in good company, with a mix of woodland, riverbank walking, local history and plenty of chat along the way. A big thank you to Derek for leading the walk, and to everyone who came along. We hope this gives those who could not make it a flavour of the day and perhaps encourages a few new faces to come and join us on a future walk too. Keep an eye out for details of next Saturday’s walk, which will be published soon.