Following on from a one day adventure to Tetbury and Westonbirt I found myself with the ability to create a free Saturday to have another local one day adventure.

This adventure started with a pootle in the car across the Severn crossing into the Wye Valley; an area of outstanding natural beauty within 30 minutes drive of central Bristol. Parking up in Tintern we could have walked in any direction and walked in beautiful countryside but being a mountain lover at heart I had decided to head uphill to the deliciously named Devil’s Pulpit.

Legend from the days of yore has it that the Devil himself pitched up on this rock and tried to cajole the monks who were living in the abbey below to come and join him in his devilish crusades. It seems the monks weren’t very keen on this idea as they proceeded to continue building what is hands down one of the most spectacular abbeys I have visited despite it being in a ruined state.

Having taken a map we easily created a circular route using the many long distance foot paths that cross the area including Offa’s Dyke and the Gloucestershire Way.

Returning from our circuit, lungs full of countryside air and heads well and truly cleared from the stresses of the week we had a closer look at the ruined Tintern Abbey. It was a truly unique place to visit, made all the more atmospheric with the mist and rain that had followed us all day. To think that we were walking around a building that was nearly a thousand years old yet still standing strong and proud was really quite something.

All told as a one day adventure it was a fantastic day out, within easy peasy reach of Bristol, full of legend, folklore and beautiful countryside. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe a couple of rays of sunshine…