Wye Valley

This place we are staying is called the Broome at Peterstay near Ross on Wye. It is a 300 year old farmhouse that has been in the family of the current owner for generations. The farm is a cider farm and whe we arrived last night she brought us a jug of cider and heaps of cider cake which was just delicious. The house is full of old furniture and is just beautiful. The breakfast was superb and the owners are very friendly and helpful. We decide it is so good we will book in for another night. It is bleak and freezing today and raining on and off so it is tempting to curl up on the lounge and stay in our little haven here

But we press on instead. First stop is Ross-on - Wye Another interesting medieval village with a very old church and castle. Tis was the birthplace of the British tourist industry when the rector in 1745 started taking friends on boat trips down the valley. A book was published on this and demand grw until there were several boats making regular excursions down the river.

The church is St Mary's the Virgin. It was erected mostly around 1280 on the site of previous buildings on the headland from which the town takes its name. There is a very old stone cross at the entrance to the yard that marks the graves of the 315 plague victims of 1637.

The beautiful spire is 14th century, but was rebuilt (using old materials) in 1721. The stone inside the building looks so old.

Next stop was Goodrich castle. This is the ruins of a large Marcher castle. It stands on a high spur of land commanding great views and with great strategic importance above a ford which was an important ancient crossing point of the river Wye. The castle was started around 1101. It was destroyed in the civil war. Very interesting background.

Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds Yat. The castle was begun in the late 11th century, by the English landowner Godric who gave it his name. A generation later the splendidly preserved square keep which still forms its core was added, probably in the time of Richard 'Strongbow' de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Goodrich 1148-76. Under King Richard the Lionheart, Goodrich was granted along with the earldom of Pembroke to the famous William Marshal, a great castle builder. During the Civil War, Goodrich was held successively by both sides, Sir Henry Lingen's Royalists eventually surrendered in 1646 under threats of undermining and a deadly Parliamentarian mortar. The famous 'Roaring Meg', the only surviving Civil War mortar, has been recently returned to the castle.

Then we explored the Wye valley. The weather alternated between drizzle and sunshine. The road followed the river Wye for many miles switching from one side to other.

Abbey Tintern Furnace is ruined furnace site which dates back to 1590. This site apparently probably chosen as the location for ironworks due to the availability of water power, charcoal (from the surrounding woodland) and iron ore. This is one of the earliest examples of industrialisation in Britain.

Tintern Abbey was founded in 1131 by the marcher lord of Chepstow. It was only the second Cistercian foundation in Britain, and the first in Wales.

The highlight of the day was a visit to Symonds Yat Rock which overlooks a spectacular gorge through which the River Wye snakes. This is the quintessential view of Britain.

Great views all around from here

On the way back to our digs we had tea at Monmouth. Then it was back to Broome farm for the evening.