By Lakshmi:  

We had a long weekend ahead of us and browsing through the Lonely Planet book for Wales landed me on a page mentioning one of Britain’s most romantic spots – Tintern Abbey.   The Abbey was a monastery founded by the Cistercian monks in 1136 as a perfect spot to practice their principles of obedience, poverty, chastity, silence, prayer, and work.  The ruins of their place of worship and dedication inspired William Wordsworth to compose his famous poem, “Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey.”  Given the proximity of Chepstow to our home town of Abergavenny (a 35 minute drive), the decision was made to venture out to this spot the very next day.

Of course, the best laid plans rarely work and soon after embarking on our journey, we missed an exit on a roundabout.  Soon, we were thrust from the highways to narrow lane roads barely wide enough to accommodate a single car, leave alone two lanes of traffic.  Thus began our adventure….we navigated through residential areas, tree-lined spaces, farmland and oncoming traffic to finally reach the haunting ruins of the Abbey.

As we parked the car, purchased our tickets and approached the Abbey, all that built-in stress quickly evaporated.  Nestled amongst the mountains in a town on the banks of the river Wye, the ruins formed a stunning backdrop against the azure clouds and green landscapes that surrounded us.  The grassy land on which the spectacular ruins stood provided the perfect backdrop to contemplate on life, love, prayer, beauty and more.

Take a walk with us through this photo journey and tell us if this does strike you as one of the most romantic spots the UK could offer.

You can find out all about visiting Tintern Abbey including directions, entry fees and more at

http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/tinternabbey/?lang=en