The Chapel of Ease, Glascoed, dedicated to St Michael, was built about 1861 with limestone from a local quarry. During the curacy of Warren Richards, a bell thought to have come from Italy, was found in a scrap-yard at Panteg and installed in the church. Glascoed formed part of the ancient parish of Usk and the Glascoed commons were part of the “waste” of the Lordship of Usk. They are now in the ownership of the Llanbadoc Community Council.

Leaving the church turn right and follow the lane until you reach Hill House. A few metres below the entrance to the yard, at the start of a downhill track, you will see a waymarked path on your right. Follow this path downhill for about 200m until you come to a metal gate and level-crossing over a disused railway track. Follow the waymark signs which will take you over another stile and out onto the parish road leading to the village of Glascoed. A few metres down the road to your left you will see a metal finger post at the bridge over the Berthin Brook.

Follow this sign across the field, over a small wooden bridge and into a copse. At this point you should turn right and after about 100m you will come to another level-crossing over the disused railway line which leads to the Ordnance Factory.

Follow the signs which will take you onto the farmtrack leading to Bryn Farm. Pass between the farm buildings with the farmhouse on your left. A stile and waymark signs will take you uphill with Craig-y-Coed (the Rocky Wood) and the boundary fence on your left.

The pill-box and the metal fencing marks the boundary of the Royal Ordnance Factory built in 1939. By 1940 it employed 13,000 workers producing significant ordnance for the armed services over three shifts. Destruction of a nearby farmhouse, Upper Wernhir (Long Alders) was deemed necessary for “security reasons”. However, before its destruction a detailed historical and architectural survey was carried out by Lord Raglan and Sir Cyril Fox. This initiative and other surveys of historical houses in the county led to the publication of “Monmouthshire Houses” in 1951.

The ordnance factory has been privatised and is now part of BAE Systems.

Follow the waymark signs through a metal-gate, and across two large fields until you come to a stile which will take you on to the Glascoed/ Coed-y-Paen road. Turn right and follow the road downhill towards the village of Glascoed.

After a few hundred metres you will see a road on your right-hand side opposite the memorial woodland to Emanuel Sainsbury.

Follow this road until it merges onto a track leading downhill and onto a road where there are several houses. Turn left and follow the road uphill where it will lead to the main parish road and your starting point at St Michael’s Church.

These small roads lead past old workings of carboniferous limestone, rich in fossils. This limestone was extensively worked in times past and several kilns in this area were used for lime burning.