England–Wales border after Harold's death at the Battle of Hastings, Wales was again divided without a leader to resist the Normans. Immediately after the Norman conquest of England, King William installed one of his most trusted confidants, William FitzOsbern, as Earl of Hereford. By 1071 he had started the building of Chepstow Castle, the first castle in Britain built of stone, near the mouth of the Wye. It served as a base from which the Normans continued to expand westward into south Wales, establishing a castle at Caerleon and extinguishing the Welsh kingdom of Gwent. William also installed Roger de Montgomerie at
Wye Valley Walk Wye Valley Walk The Wye Valley Walk () is a long distance footpath in Wales and England following the course of the River Wye. In 1975 the Wye Valley Walk opened with a stretch between St. Arvans and Monmouth. Further stretches were added, leading to it becoming a 34-mile (55 km) footpath by 1981. During the 1980s, gaps between Ross-on-Wye, Hay-on-Wye and Rhayader were integrated into the pathway, forming a walk reaching from near the river's mouth at Chepstow in Monmouthshire, to Rhayader in Mid Wales. In September 2002, the route was finally extended to start or finish in Coed