(A )The thirteenth century St. John the Baptist Church, is one of the three remaining churches which continues to distribute Pax cakes on Palm Sunday.
[1] Walk round the right hand side of the tump, turn left along the path and climb over the stile. Cross the private drive and pause to view the panoramic scene across the river Wye to Sellack church. Climb over the stile and walk across the pasture to the field gate opposite, walk through the kissing gate and turn right onto Sellack Boat road towards the river. After 650 metres you will pass a private house ‘Shieldbrook’ on the left.
(B) Shieldbrook was originally built as an inn to serve the river trade when teams of men towed the barges upstream. This continued until the building of the towpath in the early 19th century. More recently ‘Shieldbrook’ was a nursery which mainly sold shrubs. The owner Mrs E. Taylor wrote a most informative book about the area entitled “Kings Caple in Archenfield”
[2] Walk along the road to where it turns left and at the fingerpost, leave the road, continuing along the footpath to the footbridge over the River Wye. Pause on the bridge to take a look at the river and swans, especially on a fine summer evening. Cross the bridge.
(C) Before continuing, turn right, look under the bridge close to the river and read the memorial commemorating the building of the bridge linking the parishes of Kings Caple and Sellack. The building of the bridge in 1895 brought to an end to the centuries old ferry between the two villages
From the footbridge continue straight on south towards the church at Sellack, 350 metres ahead. Cross the wooden bridge, climb over the next stile and the stile next to a field gate near to the 13th century church.
(D) Sellack church is dedicated to St. Tysilio and claims to be the only English church dedicated to a Celtic saint. There are guides with lots more information about this interesting church.
To visit the church walk on and turn left into the well kept churchyard.
[3] Leaving the church turn right and retrace your steps through the church gate and back towards the stile you climbed over. Before reaching this stile turn left, and walk through the field gate. The footpath goes northwest towards the pond. The ground can be boggy and it may be advisable to keep well to the left of the trees and pond. Continue in a westerly direction for 600 metres to the river bank. Walk towards a group of trees on the river bank, beyond which there is a waymarker.
Walking along the river bank as you approach with trees on the left look up and to the left where the outline of ‘Caradoc Court’ can be seen.
(E) Caradoc Court was built in the late 16th / early 17th centuries, and upgraded to the Jacobean style in the 19th century, a beautiful house but severely damaged by fire in 1986 which is now being repaired.
Continue across the meadows towards the gates and stile, climb over the stile and walk on the track to the end of the wooded ridge.
[4] At the end of the ridge, turn left to walk up to a gate opposite the road leading to Hentland. Climb over the stile, cross the Ross / Hoarwithy road and walk up the opposite road signposted to Kynaston and Hentland for around 800 metres.
[5] Where the road turns sharp left, note the building to the left, which was originally the Hentland village school. Take the track on your immediate right signposted as a footpath and continue along this track for 220 metres. Ignore the track to your left and walk straight on under the electricity wires keeping the pylon on your left. The path bends slightly, ignore the field entrance on your right, follow the path for 150 metres. Climb over the next stile, take the left hand path walking alongside the hedge on your left. Admire the view across the river Wye to Kings Caple. Continue along the hedge for 380 metres crossing one stile, then bear left to cross two stiles each side of a track. Continue walking alongside the hedge for 550 metres admiring the views across the river Wye to Capler Hill. Ignore the footpath on your right.
It is difficult to believe that in this tranquil area there existed northwest across the fields a substantial college during the late 5th and 6th centuries. This is referred to as the Hentland College and was established by St Dyfrig at Llanfrother in the latter quarter of the fifthth century. Remains of this college have yet to be discovered.
[6] The path and hedge curve to the left and descend passing a number of electricity poles. Climb over the stile and follow the path which then bears left, and then descend across a track and past the house ‘Quarry Bank’ on your right Descend down the curving wooded path to the road. Turn left and walk along the road into Hoarwithy. Take care as you walk up the hill as the road can be busy. Walk past the New Harp Inn then continue walking to the Italianate church of St Catherines.
(F) The church is well worth a visit but is not always open. However, there are splendid views from the terrace.The original chapel was built in 1840 by Reverend Thomas Hutchinson, Curate in charge of Hentland Parish. In 1870, Prebendary William Poole, Vicar of Hentland 'beautified' the property he considered 'an ugly brick building with no pretensions to any style of architecture' in Southern Italian Romanesque and Byzantine styles.
Retrace your steps towards the New Harp.
[7] Take the first road turning on your left to Carey, Kings Caple. Ignore the next turning left to Carey and continue towards Kings Caple past the toll house and along the road bridge across the River Wye. After crossing the river, walk towards the ‘Kings Caple’ sign. Just before the sign turn right onto the track indicated as a footpath parallel with the river. Walk along this track which widens to the size of an ancient road and gradually becomes closer to the river, ignoring the stile and footpath sign on your left. After 270 metres the track turns left away from the river. Walk along the track for 200 metres until you reach the road.
[8] Bear right and walk 250 metres to a large house named Mayfield, then take the left fork and continue along the winding, climbing road for 650 metres. Follow this to the next junction. Bear left, you are now on the Roman road.
This would have been a link from the river crossing at Red Rail to the northbound road going to Chester.
Ahead of you is Kings Caple church. Walk towards the church then walk up the steep(ish) bank through the trees to leading to the gate in the church wall.
Stop for a minute to read the stone notice to the right of the gate; this notice was covered by ivy for many years. It is interesting that in the 1980s a message from 1681 inspired parishioners to plant the trees you have just walked through.
Finally if the leaves have fallen, you may wish to walk to the top of Caple tump for a view of the Wye Valley to Ross-on-Wye which is five miles away, or twelve miles by the winding river. As you view the patchwork quilt of today’s fields, imagine the difference when this area was once a major producer of cider, with the apple trees grown in the hedges and strips of fields.