September 21, 2025
Driving to Cardiff from Birmingham, we drove down the Wye Valley National Landscape to Tintern, Wales, location of the Tintern Abbey. Crossing the Wye on an old railway bridge (and reentering England), we began a climb up the steep-sided valley. A short rocky stretch seemed a bit treacherous after last night's heavy rain. After about a mile climb, the trail swung southward near the top of the escarpment. The vista called Devil's pulpit was crowded, but a local hiker told us about smother overlook further down the trail.
The view here was more open, and nobody else was around. We sat and enjoyed the view on this sunny, warm Welsh day. The local man and his dog, daisy, soon appeared. He was chatty, talking about American and British politics, and J.K. Rowling's upbringing in the next town down the valley, Chepstow.
After our descent, we enjoyed a pub lunch in Tintern, and Welsh Cream Tea, with Welsh xakes instead of scones. Total hike about 3 1/4 miles and a 750 foot elevation gain.
One Republic put on another good show in a smaller arena in Cardiff. Off the motorway Mobsay morning down a long series of cpubtry lanes, we had a quick visit to Stonehenge before our late-day flight home to Boston.
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