Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Monmouthshire is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with other towns and large villages being: Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor and Usk. It borders Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north.

The county is rural, although adjacent to the city of Newport and the urbanised South Wales Valleys; it has an area of 330 square miles (850 km²). After Abergavenny, the largest towns are Chepstow, Monmouth, and Caldicot. The county has one of the lowest percentages of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 8.2% of the population in 2021.

The lowlands in the centre of Monmouthshire are gently undulating, and shaped by the River Usk and its tributaries. The west of the county is hilly, and the Black Mountains in the north-west are part of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog). The border with England in the east largely follows the course of the River Wye and its tributary, the River Monnow. In the south-west is the Wye Valley AONB, a hilly region which stretches into England. The county has a shoreline on the Severn Estuary, which is crossed at this point by the Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing.

The name derives from the historic county of the same name, of which the contemporary county covers the eastern three-fifths.

Places of interest • Chepstow Castle • Raglan Castle • Monmouth • Trellech • Abergavenny Castle • Wye Valley • Black Mountains • Brecon Beacons National Park • White Castle • Skenfrith Castle • Grosmont Castle • Three Castles Walk • Offa's Dyke • Llanthony Priory • Tintern Abbey • Usk • Usk Valley Walk • Abergavenny • Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal • Marches Way • Monnow Valley Walk • Caldicot Castle • The Kymin • The Sugar Loaf; Scenic Railway Line: • Gloucester–Newport line.

Geography Much of Monmouthshire is hilly, particularly the western area adjoining the industrial South Wales Valleys and the Black Mountains to the north. Two major river valleys dominate the lowlands - the scenic gorge of the Wye Valley along the border with Gloucestershire adjoining the Forest of Dean, and the valley of the River Usk between Abergavenny and Newport. Both rivers flow south to the Severn Estuary. The River Monnow is a tributary of the River Wye and forms part of the border with Herefordshire and England, passing through the town of Monmouth. The Black Mountains are part of the Brecon Beacons National Park, whilst the Wye Valley is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which straddles the England–Wales border.

The highest point of the county is Chwarel y Fan in the Black Mountains, with a height of 679 metres (2,228 ft). The Sugar Loaf (Welsh: Mynydd Pen-y-fâl or Y Fâl), located three km (two miles) north-west of Abergavenny, is probably the best known hill in the county. Although its height is only 596 metres (1,955 ft), its isolation and distinctive peak shape makes it a prominent landmark for many miles around.