Local Area
Our area
Llansantffraed Court Hotel provides the ideal base for exploring South East Wales and the border with England. Natural beauty is abundant with the Wye Valley, Black Mountain, Brecon Beacons and Forest of Dean all within easy reach.
Wye Valley - oustanding natural beauty
Hailed the most romantic valley in Wales, artists and poets like Turner and Wordsworth sought to capture the beauty of the Wye Valley in their work. Almost three centuries later the scenes are just as splendid. The valley is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and world-famous Tintern Abbey is a crowning glory within it. Built by Cistecian monks in the 12th Century, its grace and serenity still impress. It is easy to understand how the monks found solitude here.
The river is one of Britain's cleanest and a first class salmon fishery. Ancient woodlands on the valley sides have created a haven for wildlife, with varied species of trees, wild flowers and birds. Walks through the woods are a great way to explore, and to discover the most spectacular views - Wyndcliffe, Eagle's Nest lookout and Devil's Pulpit.
Off the beaten track you'll also make surprising finds - vineyards, waterfalls and faint reminders of an important industrial past.
Brecon Beacons and Vale of Usk
The dramatic landscapes of the Brecon Beacons National Park are a stark contrast to the Wye Valley. Here the sweeping views are of rugged escarpments, mountains and untamed moorland. Panoramas that stretch into the distance and take your breath away. This is the source of the River Usk, with walking and fishing par excellence.
Like Tintern, Llanthony Priory was a site of religious solitude and another proud subject of the artist Turner's work. Built by the Augustinians, the Priory has a stunning setting in the shelter of the Black Mountains.
As the River Usk moves southwards, the vale opens out into gentle countryside and a patchwork of fields and meadows. Less well known than the Wye Valley, its visitors are often firmly converted.
Chepstow, Raglan and Caldicott castles lie within the Monmouthshire boundary, as do the magnificent ruins of Tintern Abbey which inspired one of Wordsworth’s most famous poems. The delightful riverside towns of Abergavenny, Monmouth and Usk are less than ten miles away.
Monmouthshire, with the highest concetration of golf courses of any Welsh county, offer a challenge for novices and expert golfers alike.
Things to do
Big Pit Mining Museum
Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains National Park
Brecon Jazz Festival
Cardiff Bay
Castle Coch
Cheltenham, Chepstow and Hereford Races
Dan Yr Ogof Showcaves
Hay on Wye Town of Books, Antiques, Literary Festival
Hereford Cathedral
Llangorse Riding Centre
National Birds of Prey Centre
National Hang-Gliding Centre
Raglan Castle
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Tintern Abbey
Wye Valley
Vale of Usk
Salmon and trout fishing on the rivers Wye and Usk
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
