Tintern - Not Just the Abbey, There's More!

Tintern Abbey is such an iconic place and it is easy to spend a whole day there. The Tintern Village web pages describe it as "the jewel in Britain’s beautiful Wye Valley" and yes, I agree!

I really enjoyed my walk amongst the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Despite the fact that there were other people around, it felt very peaceful. With the sun on my back and all day to spare I meandered around reading the information boards at my own pace.

It has had an interesting history. I could imagine a time when it was home to the monks who lived and laboured there.

Having had my fill of history, it was time for lunch. There are several pubs and cafes to choose from. I was there on a busy Sunday. It was Mother’s Day and there were families picnicking amongst the ruins of the Inner Court.

I chose to have a sandwich in the courtyard gardens of the White Monk Tea Rooms. To be honest it was my second choice as I had originally fancied the Filling Station Cafe, but the queue was too long and I was too impatient. It was tasty and filling and you can’t ask for much more than that!

The weather was fabulous and after lunch I walked a little way along the river. If you felt so inclined, you could go much further. The path I was on is part of a long distance path from Chepstow to Plynlimon. It is a walk of 136 miles in total and Tintern is at mile 6.

There have been some very famous walkers along the Wye Valley, including Turner the painter and Wordsworth the poet. It did amuse me when I went into the toilets to see that someone had left a copy of the Wordsworth poem by the basin. The title of which is Lines Composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey. The painting by Turner is called Tintern Abbey from the River Wye!

Do you have any ruins near where you live? Can you spend a whole day there enjoying the scenery and maybe even doing a Treasure Trail? We’d love to hear from you if you have, through the usual channels - Facebook or Twitter.