Walks you can reach from Pontypool and New Inn by train

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Rail Rambles.

Flat Wales Coast Path circuit around Cardiff Bay out to the barrage, with views back to Cardiff, Flatholm Island and across to Devon on a clear day.

Waterway: four fifths beside rivers and canals.

Wales Millennium Centre: Landmark bronze-clad arts centre on the Cardiff Bay waterfront.

Pierhead Building: Grade I listed red-brick Victorian dock office on the bay.

Senedd: Welsh Government parliament building on the Cardiff Bay waterfront.

Norwegian Church: White-painted timber church built for Norwegian sailors, now an arts centre.

Captain Scott Monument: Memorial to Captain Scott's 1910 Antarctic expedition, which set sail from Cardiff.

Cardiff Bay Barrage: Tidal barrage closing off Cardiff Bay, with a wide promenade across it.

Time: 3h (1h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Mermaid Quay

Warnings: Lower waterside path is not fully accessible due to its surface.

Walk details: Transport for Wales (tips, photos and turn-by-turn directions).

Recommended: So much to see on this gorgeous walk. A great, relaxing route following the well-signed, well-maintained and accessible Shropshire Way, with a detour west to stay away from A-road noise. There is one steep climb up Stoke Wood near Stokesay Castle, a lovely woodland walk at Aldon Gutter, quiet country lanes and field crossings that may get boggy; fairly easy walking after the climb. Follows the Shropshire Way. The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre has a cafe, toilets and museum. Good train service between Craven Arms and Ludlow.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Cafe and toilets at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre and Stokesay Castle. Ludlow is a great town for foodies and markets.

Warnings: Care crossing the busy A road at Stokesay - the only A-road crossing. One steep climb up Stoke Wood. One field near Wetmore may get boggy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Recommended

Time: 9h (7h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Canal towpath with open moorland and with substantial climbs.

Time: 8h (6h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

Walk details: Railwalks.

Some fantastic scenery. A long, glorious walk through beautiful Herefordshire countryside, mostly off-road on well-signposted named trails, with farmland, vineyards, orchards and the peaceful Haugh Wood. A decent level of fitness is needed for the length, climbs, scrambles, steps and stiles and narrow bridges. Muddy in places after rain; the first 10 km out of Hereford can become boggy. Passes the Mordiford Dragon Trail sculptures and the Lugg Stank raised bank. Few rest stops before the half-way mark at Woolhope, so bring supplies. Well wooded with plenty of shade on hot days.

Time: 9h (7h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

2 lunch spots: the Moon, or the Crown

Warnings: Parts can become inaccessible following heavy rain and flooding, particularly the first 10 km out of Hereford where the Wye and Lugg can burst their banks. Some climbs and scrambles are not suitable for less able walkers; there are stiles and narrow bridges. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Awesome views across the Severn estuary and Gwent Levels. A long, mostly off-road coastal walk along the Wales Coast Path, with sweeping views across the Severn Estuary and Gwent Levels and plus a few stretches along busy roads going in and out of the two cities. Very exposed to the elements throughout. Mostly follows the Wales Coast Path. Wildlife includes kestrels, curlews and grass snakes; 7,000-year-old footprints have been found on the estuary shore. The Lighthouse Inn at St Brides Wentlooge is currently closed.

Coastal: two thirds along the coast.

Time: 8h (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: There are no places to get food or water on the route, so bring everything you need.

Warnings: A fifth urban. The route is very exposed, so wind, rain or heat will be strongly felt. There are no refreshment or water stops the whole way, so carry everything you need. A few stretches along busy roads at the city ends.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

A walk across low-lying boulder-clay farmland with relatively little variety, much of it on the Herefordshire Trail; some fields are difficult to cross because of mud, standing crops or ploughing right up to the hedge line. Takes you high in places for good views; badly maintained stiles and boggy bridges and one tricky traveller's-site crossing. Follows the Herefordshire Trail for much of its length. The route is shadowed by a railway line and a village bus route, useful for splitting the walk. Passes nationally significant glacial landforms (moraines) from the last ice advance.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A shop in Richard's Castle; the Castle Inn there does not appear to be open.

Warnings: Several poorly marked and confusing sections, especially around Moor Park School and Burnt House Farm, with no working gates (climbing required), little signage and awkward boundary crossings. Crosses the Manchester–Cardiff railway line twice. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Stunning 360 degree views. A long, scenic route with great variety - woods, ridges, commons and farmland - and excellent far-reaching views, but much of it is genuinely seasonal: low-lying sections and woodland tracks become deeply flooded and boggy after heavy rain. Climbs through Wellington Wood and onto Westhope Hill are steep and with one wooded path turning to a slick of red clay mud; arable field paths can be hard to find when in crop. A seasonal route, best in dry conditions. Brierley features a man-made lake with wildfowl and a hill fort with intact ramparts. Local bus transport allows point-to-point walking. Wellington's pub has closed but the community shop/post office has drinks, snacks and a toilet.

Time: 9h30 (7h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

1 lunch spot: the Wellington Post Office and Community Shop

Warnings: Low-lying sections near Broadward Bridge and the gravel works north of the A49 flood severely and become impassable after prolonged rain - effectively a dry-season route. Steep, slippery clay climbs through Yoke Wood and to Westhope Hill. A stile with barbed wire across it before Wellington Wood. Indistinct arable-field paths. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Fantastic. Woodland paths.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 12h30 (10h walking, 1h30 lunch, 1h break)

Warnings: Short stretch on a fast-traffic road with limited verge.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Impressive stretch; impressive.

Coastal: two thirds along the coast.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Railwalks.