Driving the Wye Valley — A Very Different Landscape from the Cotswolds
We began the next leg of our journey with a drive from the Cotswolds to Cardiff, where we would return our rental car and continue our venture into Wales.
The route was not without its challenges. Road construction and a few unexpected detours sent us on several U-turns, crossing the same bridge over the Severn river three times in Wales.
Our first stop was Tintern Abbey (Abaty Tyndyrn) on the River Wye.
Founded in 1131, Tintern Abbey was once one of the great Cistercian monasteries of Wales. Although much of the complex now stands in ruins, the surviving Gothic architecture still conveys the scale and craftsmanship of the medieval monastery. It fell into ruin in the 16th Century.
Visiting the remains, it was easy to imagine the Abbey in its prime. The soaring walls, graceful arches, and weathered stone are a remarkable reminder of the skill and ambition of those who built it many centuries ago.
Tintern Abbey was an unexpected discovery along the road to Cardiff. Its weathered stone, dramatic arches, and quiet surroundings made it a place worth stopping for—and one we were glad to have visited.
We taxi to Paddington Station, beneath its magnificent Edwardian glass ceiling, stopping for a croissant and an Americano before locating the train platform for the train ride for Cheltenham Spa. There is something wonderfully British about the beginning of the journey, the warm smell of coffee and buttery pastry mingling with the faint metallic scent…
We squeezed into Winchcombe’s narrow streets, learning to pull over in a drive or onto a sidewalk, so another car can pass. Then almost suddenly, the buildings fall away. The road opens. Fields stretch toward the horizon. Hedgerows line the lanes. Rolling hills appear in the distance. We have left the village behind. Then we…
Finally our cottage in Dingle The drive eventually brought us into the crowded streets of Dingle, a busy tourist town. Outside Dingle, the roads narrowed even further. We took a wrong turn adding about 30 minutes to our route. We did not expect for most roads to be single lane, with bushes directly adjacent to…
Getting to Fishguard, however, turned into an adventure of its own. At the station, we were given some unfortunate advice about which train to take and found ourselves having to change our plans. Instead of traveling directly toward Fishguard, we took a later train to Swansea and then transferred to a bus for the final…
The Cotswolds Day 6 Lower Slaughter is the home place of so many postcards. I decided to take an Uber this morning. The Cotswold villages can become crowded, and driving and parking can be uncertain at best. It was, in retrospect, the best decision. I could simply sit back and watch the Cotswold villages emerge…
A night in Wales After a long travel day — and a rather unexpected change of plans — we finally arrived in Goodwick, where the little harbor town beside Fishguard would be our home for the evening before the ferry to Ireland the following afternoon. We were especially glad to have arrived. By the time…
