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Leisure in the Wye Valley

On the river bank, Llandogo

The Wye Valley or Dyffryn Gwy is often referred to as ‘the birthplace of modern tourism‘ in Britain and, with the wonderful range of natural and historic attractions, places to eat out, events and activities, it’s easy to see why. Here is a taster of what is on offer today: Food & Drink

Locally we have a fantastic range of restaurants, pubs, tearooms and cafes, some award-winning and with michelin stars, to suit all budgets and tastes. We can provide you with a list of the local pubs and restaurants, and a range of menus to help whet your appetite.
 
For food and drink fans, Caldicot Castle hosts the Welsh Cider and Perry Festival in May and the Monmouthshire Food Festival in June. Also the Abergavenny Food Festival in September is just a 40 minute drive away. We also have the vineyards of Ancre Hill Estate and Parva Farm, and a superb little brewery (with great pizza nights) at Kingstone Brewery just 2 miles down the road. A little further to venture but definitely worth the trip is the Wye Valley Brewery, Westons Cider and the delectable Severn & Wye Smokery. The Penderyn Distillery nestles in the foothills of the nearby Brecon Beacons and is the best little distillery in Wales, producing the smoothest ‘wysgi’ on earth. 
 
Abergavenny Food Festival
Both the nearby Brockweir and Hewelsfield Community Shop (a super, community-run eco-build) and Tintern Old Station (also a tourist information centre) are well worth popping in for a bite to eat and to browse local art exhibits and pick up local information. Taurus Crafts has a rustic cafe, plus artisan shops, crafts and farm shop & deli. For something a bit different, how about stepping back to 1897 at Aunt Martha’s Tea Room, an authentic and very congenial Victorian Tea Room and Emporium, just north of Cinderford. 
 

Attractions & Events

There are many attractions and events here in the Wye Valley all year round. Here are a few to give you a taster:  

Historic Sites:

Tintern AbbeyEvents (just a few of many in 2018):

Interesting places:

Shadows on the River Wye at TinternOutdoor Life

The Wye Valley and nearby Royal Forest of Dean offer a huge range of activities from canoeing, clay-pigeon-shooting, cycling, fishing, fly-boarding, golfing, horse-riding, kayaking and mountain-biking to Tarzan swings, rock-climbing, SCUBA diving, segway, water-walking and wire-zip-slide. And that’s all within a 15 mile radius of Llandogo.   Have a look at these websites for more information:

For some breathtaking hill hiking and beautiful waterfalls the Brecon Beacons National Park is only 25 miles, or a 30 minute drive away, while the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal provides gentle walking with stunning views and great pubs.  And we do have some unbeatable hiking here on our doorstep. Both the Offa’s Dyke National Trail and the Wye Valley Walk can be reached from our door. A favourite walk is the Wordsworth Walk, a 3 mile circular through pretty woodlands, climbing in the footsteps of William Wordsworth to bench viewpoints and a waterfall. We have lots of guide books and maps here to borrow.  

 
For birdwatchers the Forest of Dean and the Nagshead RSPB Reserve is known for hawfinch, crossbill, pied flycatcher and goshawk, and Yat Rock is the place to watch the peregrines hunting. The WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre is an easy one hour drive and makes a truly memorable day trip.  
 
For you super active folk there are some really fun local sporting events too:

City Life

If you would like a day out to taste city life, both Bristol and Cardiff the vibrant Welsh capital, are within an easy hour’s drive from Llandogo. Also Hereford (with its beautiful cathedral) and Gloucester (with historic docks), make great day trips. With unique attractions, historic centres, docks and waterways, museums, restaurants and superb shopping centres they particularly make good wet weather destinations. We have brochures here to help you plan your city day trips.