Wye Valley & the Brecon Beacons
The Wye River marks the England/Wales border between Hay-on-Wye and the Severn Estuary. The Wye Valley is often your first stop in Wales if you are travelling by car.
The main attractions are Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey at the south of the valley and the book lovers' town of Hay-on-Wye at the valley's north.
Chepstow (Cas-gwent) & Tintern
Chepstow is the first town in Wales after crossing the Severn Bridge. It is a nice place that is dominated by the ruins of one of Britain's oldest stone castles.
Tintern and the impressive Tintern Abbey are located 8km north of Chepstow. Tintern is a much smaller town without the choice of shops and pubs that you can find in Chepstow, but there are some lovely walking trails around town.
Practical Information
Tourist Information Centre
Castle Car Park, Bridge Street, Chepstow
Tel (01291) 623772
Website www.visitwales.com
Open winter 10am-4pm daily; summer 10am-5.30pm daily
Coming & Going & Local Transport
The main train line linking Cardiff with Birmingham runs through Chepstow and National Express coaches stop here on their Cardiff to London route.
Stagecoach bus routes 65 and 69 run between Chepstow and Monmouth, stopping en route at Tintern.
Accommodation
Although there is no backpackers accommodation in Chepstow or Tintern,
the excellent St Briavel's Castle youth hostel in England is just 6.5km across the border from Tintern.
St Briavel's Castle YHA
St Briavels, Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 6RG
Bus 69 Chepstow-Monmouth, then 2.5km walk
Tel (01594) 530272 or 0870 770 6040
Sights
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle is one of the oldest stone castles in Britain and went through extensive renovations during the Middle Ages and the mid-17th century. Although it is now in ruins, it is still an impressive site and worth a look if you're in the area.
Chepstow
Tel (01291) 624 065
Admission £3 (£2.50 students)
Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; 1 Apr-1 Jun 9.30am-5pm daily; 2 Jun-28 Sep 9.30am-6pm daily; 29 Sep-26 Oct 9.30am-5pm daily; 27 Oct-31 Dec Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm
Tintern Abbey
This Cistercian abbey was founded in 1131 and rebuilt in the 13th and 14th centuries but began to fall into ruin during Henry VIII's reign. There is an exhibition centre on site and audio tours are also available.
A466, Tintern
Tel (01291) 689 251
Admission £2.50 (£2 students)
Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; 1 Apr-1 Jun 9.30am-5pm daily; 2 Jun-28 Sep 9.30am-6pm daily; 29 Sep-26 Oct 9.30am-5pm daily; 27 Oct-31 Dec Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm
Hay-on-Wye (Y Gelli)
This tiny town has the surprisingly claim to the title of the book capital of Britain, or perhaps even the world. The town has over 40 bookshops, mostly specialising in second hand books. Most of the bookshops are small but there are a few biggies including the original Hay bookshop, Booth's Books, which has 400,000 titles making it the world's largest second hand bookshop.
Hay boasts an annual literary festival each June when thousands of visitors descend on the town to see famous authors read their work.
Practical Information
Tourist Information Centre
Oxford Road, Hay-on-Wye
Tel (01497) 820144
Open Easter-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Easter 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm daily
Brecon Beacons National Park
(Parc Cenedlarthol Bannau Brycheiniog)
The Brecon Beacons National Park is one of Wales' major visitor attractions. It is a scenic area with lakes, mountains and rolling hills. There are some good hiking trails and several hostels in the park.
Brecon is the main town inside the park, but many travellers stay in Abergavenny and Llandovery, which are located on the edge of the park's boundary.
Practical Information
Brecon Tourist Information Centre
Cattle Market Car Park, Brecon
Tel (01874) 622485
Website www.visitwales.com
Open winter Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; summer 10am-6pm daily
Craig-y-nos Country Park Information Centre
Craig-y-nos, Brecon Road, Penycae
Tel (01639) 730395
Website www.breconbeacons.org/english/visitor-cyn01.html
Llandovery Tourist Information Centre
Heritage Centre, Kings Road, Llandovery
Tel (01550) 720693
Website www.visitwales.com
Open winter 10am-4pm daily; summer 10am-5.30pm
Libanus Mountain National Park Information Centre
A470, Libanus, Brecon Beacons National Park
Tel (01874) 623366
Website www.breconbeacons.org/english/visitor-mc01.html
Open Jan-Feb 9.30am-4.30pm daily; Mar-Jun 9.30am-5pm daily; Jul-Aug 9.30am-6pm daily; Sep-Oct 9.30am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 9.30am-4.30pm daily
Accommodation
BRECON
With around 8000 people, Brecon is the biggest town within the park and it makes an obvious base for people hiking in the Brecon Beacons.
Bikes & Hikes
The Elms, 10 The Struet, Brecon LD3 7LL
Tel (01874) 610 071
Brecon (Ty’n-y-Caeau) YHA
Groesffordd, Brecon, Powys LD3 7SW
Tel (01874) 665 270 or 0870 770 5718
Cantref Adventure Farm, Riding Centre & Bunkhouse
Upper Cantref Farm, Cantref, Brecon, Powys LD3 8LR
Tel (01874) 665 223
ELSEWHERE IN THE BRECON BEACONS
Absolute Adventure
Rhongyr Isaf Centre, Pen-y-Cae, Upper Swansea Valley, Powys SA9 1GB
Tel (01639) 730 518
Craig-y-Nos Castle
Brecon Road, Pen-y-Cae, Powys SA9 1GL
Tel (01639) 730205
Cwm Uchaf Bunkhouse
Cwm Uchaf, Crai, Brecon LD3 8YN
Bus Stagecoach 63
Tel (01874) 636703
Llangattock Mountain Bunkhouse
Wern Watkin Hillside, Llangattock, Crickhowell NP8 1LG
Tel (0187) 3812307
Star Bunkhouse
Brecon Road (A40), Bwlch, Powys LD3 7RQ
Tel (01874) 730080
White Hart Inn & Bunkhouse
Talybont-on-Usk, Nr Brecon, Powys LD3 7 ID
YHA Danywenallt
Talybont-on-Usk, Brecon, Powys LD3 7YS
Tel 0870 770 6136
YHA Llanddeusant
The Old Red Lion, Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire SA19 9UL
Tel 0870 770 5930
YHA Llwyn y Celyn
Libanus, Brecon, Powys LD3 8NH
Tel 0870 770 5936
Abergavenny (Y Fenni)
This town of 10,000 lies at the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons and it is an accessible base for exploring the park and the nearby Blaenavon World Heritage site.
Practical Information
Abergavenny Tourist Information Centre
Swan Meadow, Monmouth Road, Abergavenny
Tel (01873) 857588
Website www.abergavenny.co.uk
Open winter 10am-4pm daily; summer 10am-5.30pm daily
Coming & Going
Abergavenny has a train station that lies on the main line that links Cardiff with Strewsbury and Liverpool. There are also frequent buses to Brecon, Cardiff and Hereford.
Accommodation
Black Sheep Backpackers
The Great Western Hotel, 24 Station Road, Abergavenny NP7 5HS
Train Abergavenny
Tel (01873) 859 125
Middle Ninfa Farm
Middle Ninfa Farm, Llanellen, Abergavenny N7 9LE
Tel (01873) 854662
Smithy’s Bunkhouse
Lower House Farm, Pantygelli, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 7HR
Tel (01873) 853 432
Sights
Abergavenny Castle
The ruins of the Norman Abergavenny Castle offer scenic views of the adjacent countryside.
Abergavenny Museum
This museum has exhibits on local history the Brecon Beacons and the Abergavenny area.
Tel (01873) 854 282
Admission £1
Open Jan-Feb Mon-Sat 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm; Mar-Oct Mon-Sat 11am-1pm & 2pm-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Sat 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Blaenavon
Many people visit this World Heritage site as a day trip from Abergavenny, which is only 15km away.
Practical Information
Tourist Information Centre
Blaenavon Ironworks, Stack Square, Blaenavon
Tel (01495) 792615
Website www.visitwales.com
Open summer 10am-4.30pm daily
Coming & Going
It is easiest to reach Blaenavon with your own car but if you're relying on public transport take bus X4 from Abergavenny to Bryn Mawr and then transfer to bus 30 to Blaenavon.
Sights
Blaenavon Ironworks
This site includes the ruins of five blast furnaces dating from 1788. There is also an exhibit on site that explains its significance.
A4043, Blaenavon
Tel (01495) 792615
Admission £2 (£1.50 students)
Open Apr-Oct 9.30am-4.30pm daily
The Big Pit National Mining Museum
The Big Pit National Mining Museum is part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site, 15km south west of Abergavenny. It is set in a coal mine that was operational for over 200 years and which once employed 1300 miners. The highlight of a visit is the underground tour that takes you 90 metres below the ground to the heart of the mine.
Blaenarfon
Tel (01495) 790311
Website www.nmgw.ac.uk/bigpit/
Admission free
Open Mar-Nov 9.30am-5pm daily, underground tours run 10am-3.30pm
