Tintern

Since taking this photo in 1969 the trees have grown, 
obscuring this view of the Abbey

I clearly remember the day I first saw the ruins of Tintern Abbey. It was early on a Sunday morning in the Spring of 1969, before we were even engaged to be married. We were travelling from Cornwall to Lancashire for a week's holiday in a Pontins holiday camp. Being good God-fearing folk, we'd both promised our parents that we'd have single rooms... though there's much that one may get up to in a single bed!

Anyway, in those days the M5 motorway was incomplete, which raised the prospect driving the notoriously congested A38 between Bristol and Strensham Services on the M5/M50 junction. Instead, we came up with the idea of crossing the recently-opened Severn Bridge, driving up the Wye Valley to Ross-on-Wye, then traversing the M50 to get us back on course.

The glorious scenery of the Wye Valley left us spellbound, beginning an enduring love affair with the Wye that would draw us back time and time again until, 43 years later, we made our home just a few miles away.

Here's an up-to-date view of Tintern Abbey, photographed at the beginning of another walk from my book Lower Wye Rambles, which promised "a fairly strenuous walk, visiting reminders of a rich industrial past."

Beginning our long ascent from the Wye Valley, we were treated to this splendid view of Tintern. The Wireworks Bridge (centre of photo) is part of that "rich industrial past" and featured in a post last May about my walk along the Wye Valley Greenway. (Click this link to see it.) 

On the opposite side of the path to that view stands the shell of St Mary's Church, which was burnt out in 1977.  Unfortunately, thanks to the sun shining on my smartphone display, I've mis-aimed and lopped off the top of the church tower. I shall have to return.

The Victorian church was built on the site of a medieval chapel, which may have been built for Cistercian monks in need of a spiritual break from life in Tintern Abbey.

With warm sunshine, heavy rucksacks, and a long climb ahead of us, thoughts soon turned to lunch. 

This would also have been a lovely spot for a picnic.  The pond used to supply water to wire mills in the Angidy valley.

This was Tintern Abbey Ironworks, where iron was refined for those wire mills. With my inexpert eye, making any sense of the ruins wasn't easy, but I think I've photographed it from the left side of the information board illustration (below).

From the ironworks the path continued to climb, with a brief respite at the hamlet of Fairoak, until after 2½ miles we were 700ft above our starting point at Tintern Abbey. That's hardly mountain climbing, but it was nice, soon after, to have a rest in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Penterry. 

I wish that I'd read the Wikipedia article on Penterry before setting out on this walk, for the church has a fascinating history. It's most noticeable feature is that it's in the middle of nowhere - not a house in sight. Tragically, the community that it was built to serve was wiped out by the Black Death in the 14th century and a nearby grove of trees marks the site of a plague burial pit. 

 

From Penterry Church our path began its long descent to Tintern. The walk book suggested a short diversion up to a hill fort, but the prospect of ice creams at Abbey Mill was too hard to resist and we decided to save the fort for another day.