Monmouth Bee Town Walk 2021
On Saturday 31 July 2021, Monmouth residents opened their bee-friendly gardens for viewing. Bees for Development have designed a Bee Walk around the beautiful town, taking in these gardens on the way. MBF 2022 map and information will be available soon.
Proudly sponsored by:
Monmouthshire Building Society are proud to sponsor Bees for Development, supporting community wellbeing and encouraging sustainable environments. Branch Sponsorship given by Monmouth Branch.
Printed copies of the Bee Town map are available in the Bees for Development shop.
*Private gardens will only be open between 10am and 4pm on the day before the Monmouth Bee Festival.
1. Bees for Development
1 Agincourt Street, NP25 3DZ. Open 9am – 5.30pm
Visit Monmouth’s unique Bee Shop, featuring all things bee related! Honey, candles, chocolate, mead, gin, cards, skincare, and a wide range of standard and specialised beekeeping equipment. 1 Agincourt Street is headquarters for the international charity, Bees for Development.
Turn right out of the shop and follow the road around to the T junction, turn left to Glendower Street. Follow the road right to the end, past the police station and bend right towards the park. Turn right up the footpath between the houses and the bank. Look out for the gate off the path into the bee garden.
2. St John’s*
St John’s Garden remains virtually unchanged since it was laid out in the 1860s. The tennis lawn was probably originally set as a croquet lawn. Over the last ten years the ‘unkempt’ herbaceous borders have been developed with bees in mind. The garden is grade II listed with the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, and registered with the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust.
From Glendower Street follow St James Street past the square and on to Old Dixton Road, turn left past The Burgage to Monmouth Comprehensive School Kitchen Gardens and Wildflower Meadow.
3. MCS Meadow and Kitchen Garden*
The Kitchen Garden at the front has been under development by Transition Monmouth since May 2020 using the No Dig method of organic growing, with most plants kindly donated by members and neighbours. This leads to the wildflower meadow beside the Leisure Centre seeded in May 2019 and, despite major problems, this very young meadow is developing well.
From the school gardens the walk takes you up the Hereford Road. Turn right on to The Gardens and follow the road (blind corners, beware of traffic) past 11a to No. 11 on the left hand side.
4. 11, The Gardens*
The garden makes the most of existing mature trees and hedges, developing potential habitats to provide homes for wildlife, with a meadow lawn, wildlife pond, sheltered wild spaces and pollinator friendly flower filled borders.
To reach this next garden head back to Osbaston Road and take the footpath through Vauxhall Fields towards the Rockfield Road. On the way, venture right for 100yrds at the crossroads to see a colonised Bees for Development Bee House situated on a tree adjacent to the path.
5. 37, Brook Estate*
37 Brook Estate is a wildlife garden giving a space to insects, especially bees. In four years the owner has identified 49species of bee in his garden and nearly twice that number in the surrounding countryside. Explore the range of green spaces in Monmouth including both community driven conservation areas as well as natural habitats teeming with wildlife.
To reach this next garden head back to Osbaston Road and take the footpath through Vauxhall Fields towards the Rockfield Road. On the way, venture right for 100yrds at the crossroads to see a colonised Bees for Development Bee House situated on a tree adjacent to the path.
6. Drybridge Park
7. Herb Garden, The Bus Station
8. Two River Meadow Community Orchard
See the fruit trees, bees and wildlife of the meadow where the Wye and Monnow meet. Since 2009 the two acre site has been planted with an orchard of 60 apple, pear, plus, gage, damson, medlar, crab apple, sweet chestnut, almond and hazel trees by volunteers organised by Transition Monmouth.
9. Community Orchard at Claypatch Wood, Wyesham
A wonderful community project of managed woodland with paths.
10. Dixton Riverbank
The banks of the Wye provide excellent habitat for bees. You may be lucky to see communities of solitary bees nesting in the sandy banks.
11. Lancaster Way
Transition Monmouth planted woodland in 2017. In addition, there is a community orchard of 10 almond, apple and crab apple trees.
12. Footbridge over the Monnow
Solitary bees of several species nest in the sandy banks of the Monnow.