Today started off wet. We had to put our waterproofs on to buy lunch. Greggs today, and a flapjack.
Our B&B was great. We stayed at The Three Tuns, who normally do food but not last night as they were having a grill fitted. Breakfast however was pretty darn good. Up there with the Best Breakfasts. And they were very friendly.
We had decided (well I had, Penny left the route choosing to me), to walk along the Wye Valley Walk to Tintern. It would be a short, easy day, to recover from yesterday. It wasn’t though! It was short but the paths were a bit slippery and rocky and we felt as if we had done a lot more than 7.5 miles walking.
Also, in my head I had imagined endless sweeping vistas of the valley, in reality we were walking through a wood with very limited vistas. I don’t mean to sound too negative. It was a nice walk, not too hot, not too hard but it did take us a long time. There were a couple of viewpoints with notice boards giving 18th and 19th century diarists’ descriptions which was quite fun. Particularly the one about the Grotto which was too full of “gay ladies and gentlemen” for said diarist to examine the rock-studded walls. There was a cave as well but no benches. If the Wye Valley Walk team are looking for suggestions for improvement then benches would be mine.
Despite all this we reached Tintern just after two. I had booked tickets for three o’clock but they let us in early. Tintern Abbey is imposing, even as a ruin. To a medieval peasant it must have been mind-blowing. We had a walk round the ruins then found a picnic bench (there were enough dotted around, WVW team take note) and sat with our packs and our shoes off enjoying the feel of mown grass on our feet. And yes, I do know that the Wye Valley Walk people probably aren’t reading my blog.
Feet rested, Abbey explored, we walked the last half mile or so to our B&B. Penny has gone to do more exploring. I am sitting with my feet up, having had refreshments (herbal tea and biscuits), a bath, and examined my burgeoning blisters. Yes, there are more. I have no intention of moving, let alone going for a walk, until it is time to head out for dinner. I will rely on Penny to give me the lowdown on Tintern.
Rose's LEJOG 