Radnor Forest

A Landscape of Ancient Hunting Grounds

Radnor Forest is not a dense woodland in the modern sense, but a historic royal hunting forest – an open, upland area set aside for Norman kings to hunt deer. Today, it covers a broad expanse of moorland, rolling hills, and steep, narrow valleys in the heart of Radnorshire. Rising to Black Mixen, the highest point in Radnorshire at 650 metres, the forest forms a wild, windswept backdrop to the surrounding farmland. The name evokes deep history, and the landscape still feels remote and untamed, with Bronze Age round barrows, ring cairns, and hut circle platforms scattered across the summits, hinting at centuries of human presence.

Woodlands and Waterfalls

The forest is now best explored through its managed woodland areas: Fishpools, Warren Wood, and Nash Wood, each offering waymarked walking trails. Warren Wood, near New Radnor, is particularly known for the dramatic Water-break-its-neck waterfall, a cascade tumbling through a steep-sided gorge. After heavy rain, the falls are a powerful spectacle; in dry weather, they reduce to a delicate trickle. The short trail to the falls follows the gorge, while other routes climb above it, offering views down into the wooded ravine. Victorian landowners planted many of the trees here in the Picturesque style, and today huge specimens, including striking monkey puzzle trees, line the paths.

Walking and Cycling in the Hills

Radnor Forest is a walker’s and cyclist’s paradise, with trails ranging from gentle woodland strolls to energetic hill rambles. The Warren Trail, for example, is an energetic route with steep climbs and fine views of some of Radnorshire’s largest trees. Many trails start from Mutton Dingle in New Radnor, Fishpools, or Warren Wood, all with free car parking. The area is also popular with mountain bikers, who follow forest tracks and old drovers’ roads across the plateau, enjoying pine-scented paths and the chance to spot muntjac deer. From the high ground, the views stretch across the Welsh Marches, with big skies and deep ravines opening up around you.

Geology, Wildlife and Quiet Beauty

Beneath the surface, Radnor Forest reveals rocks dating back 425 million years to the late Silurian age, with exposed strata around Harley Dingle and Whinyard Rocks of interest to geologists. The vegetation is equally special: an SSSI protects rare plants like saxifrage, while the summits support heather, crowberry, bilberry, cottongrass, purple moor-grass, sedges, mosses and lichens, all thriving thanks to light grazing and peat pools. The tranquillity of the area supports a rich birdlife, including buzzards, red kites, peregrine falcons, goshawks, merlin, red grouse, curlews, snipe, and dippers along the streams, making it a rewarding place for patient wildlife watching.