National Cycle Route 42

National Cycle Route 42
Route 42 signage
Length	91 km (57 mi)
Location	Wales and England
Trailheads	Glasbury – Gloucester
Use	Cycling
Difficulty	Moderate
Season	All year
Waymark	42
Surface	Mixed (road, traffic-free sections)
Maintained by	Walk Wheel Cycle Trust
Website	Walk Wheel Cycle Trust – Route 42
Trail map Glasbury → Llanthony → Abergavenny → Usk → Pen-y-cae-mawr → Tintern → Chepstow → Cinderford → Gloucester

National Cycle Route 42 is a part of the National Cycle Network running from Glasbury in Mid Wales to Gloucester in England. It provides a north–south link from  8 , (Lon Las Cymru) to  4  and provides an alternative south route for Lon Las Cymru for those starting at Chepstow instead of Cardiff. It is also part of the Celtic Trail.

National Cycle Route 42 begins in Glasbury, Powys, where it connects with  8 .^[1] From there, the route travels south through the Vale of Ewyas, passing through Llanthony and continuing toward Abergavenny. In Abergavenny, it intersects with the Four Castles cycle route and crosses  46 .

The route continues to the town of Usk and then passes through the hamlet of Pen-y-cae-mawr before reaching Tintern. It proceeds to Chepstow, where it links with  4  a major east–west corridor in the National Cycle Network.

Beyond Chepstow,  42  extends eastward into England, following a corridor north of the Severn Estuary. It passes through Cinderford, where it connects with  44 , and continues onward to Gloucester.

• List of National Cycle Network routes
• Walk Wheel Cycle Trust

• "Route 42". Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2025. Official route description including surface types, traffic-free sections, and scenic highlights.
• "National Cycle Route 42". GPS Cycle and Walking Routes. Retrieved 2 November 2025. Provides route length, key towns, and notable landmarks such as Llanthony Priory.
• "NCN 42 – Chepstow–Hay". Cycle.travel. Retrieved 2 November 2025. Detailed elevation and terrain notes, including Gospel Pass and route variants.
• "National Cycle Network GIS Dataset". Walk Wheel Cycle Trust Open Data Portal. Retrieved 2 November 2025. Downloadable GIS data for Route 42 and other NCN routes, licensed under the Open Government Licence.