23 Hereford – Abergavenny – Pontypool – Cwmbran – Newport

The Stagecoach 23 is one of the great cross-border bus rides of the Welsh Marches, a long, unhurried run that threads the rich agricultural countryside of south Herefordshire into the foothills of the Black Mountains, then drops down through the old industrial valleys to Newport on the Severn estuary. From a window seat the landscape changes character several times in a single journey, and the route takes in cathedral city, market town, mountain pub and post-industrial valley in turn.

Leaving Hereford Country Bus Station, the bus crosses the River Wye and climbs gently out of the city through Belmont, with glimpses of Belmont Abbey set in its parkland. The road then strikes south west across open Herefordshire farmland, a patchwork of red ploughed fields, cider orchards and grazing Hereford cattle, passing through the scattered hamlets of Allensmore, Didley and Wormbridge. The villages are small and stone-built, with churches half-hidden behind hedgerows.

At Pontrilas the bus joins the A465 and the scenery sharpens. To the right the long ridge of the Black Mountains rises steeply, with Hatterrall Hill marking the English-Welsh border. The route hugs the foot of these hills through Pandy and Llanvihangel Crucorney, passing the famous Skirrid Inn, reputed to be one of the oldest pubs in Wales. The conical peak of Ysgyryd Fawr, the Holy Mountain, dominates the skyline before the bus rolls into Abergavenny, a handsome market town beneath three mountains.

South of Abergavenny the road follows the Usk Valley through Llanellen and Llanover, with the river occasionally visible between the trees. Penperlleni and Goetre give way to the outskirts of Pontypool, where the landscape thickens with terraced housing and the remains of ironworking heritage. The bus loops through Pontypool town centre, then runs down the spine of the eastern valley through Griffithstown, Sebastopol and Pontnewydd to Cwmbran new town.

The final stretch from Cwmbran into Newport passes through Llantarnam and Malpas, the urban fabric tightening all the way until the bus drops into Newport itself, terminating beside the castle ruins on the bank of the River Usk. It is a journey of around three hours end to end, but it stitches together a stretch of countryside and townscape that few single routes manage to cover.

The 23 makes a properly satisfying full day out, with the option to break the journey at any of three very different towns. Starting from Hereford Country Bus Station gives you the luxury of an early morning wander around the cathedral city before the bus heads south.

Begin with an hour or two in Hereford itself. Hereford Cathedral is a short walk from the bus station and is home to the Mappa Mundi, the largest medieval map of its kind in the world, and the Chained Library. The riverside walks along the Wye and the Old House on High Town, a striking Jacobean black-and-white building, are also a quick stroll away. Grab a coffee in one of the independent cafés around Church Street before boarding the bus.

As the bus arrives at Abergavenny, hop off at the bus station for the obvious centrepiece of the day. Abergavenny is a foodie town, known for its annual food festival, and is ringed by the Sugar Loaf, Blorenge and Ysgyryd Fawr. Visit the small but excellent Abergavenny Museum in the grounds of the ruined castle, then have lunch at one of the town's well-regarded pubs or delis. If you have the legs for it, the lower slopes of the Sugar Loaf are accessible from town.

Continuing on, you reach Pontypool, where the Pontypool Museum tells the story of japanware and the local iron industry. Pontypool Park itself is worth a wander, with its grand gates, the curious Shell Grotto on the hillside above, and views back across the valley.

Further south the bus runs into Cwmbran, a planned new town with a large covered shopping centre if you need a break, before pressing on to Newport. Here the highlights are the Newport Transporter Bridge, one of only a handful left in the world, the Roman remains at nearby Caerleon, and the Riverfront arts centre on the Usk.

A long single ride or a leisurely hop-on, hop-off day, the 23 is one of those routes that rewards taking your time.