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Photo: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Accessible from a car park on the road between Tintern and Chepstow, but also accessible from the Wye Valley Walk, are the 365 Steps for climbing up through Wyndcliffe Woods to the Eagle's Nest viewpoint, which gives a magnificent view of a bend in the River Wye and distant views of Chepstow and beyond to the Severn Estuary and Cotswolds.
The Wyndcliff or Wynd Cliff is a steep limestone cliff rising above the western bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, some 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of the village of St Arvans, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Tintern, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of the town of Chepstow, within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The cliff rises to 771 feet (235 m) at its summit, the highest point on the Monmouthshire bank of the Wye. The area is traversed by the Wye Valley Walk, and is also a popular venue for rock climbing. Access is provided by the A466 road which passes along the valley immediately below the cliff face.
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A two-hour climb gets you to this outcrop of limestone rock on the east bank of the Wye with magnificent views over Tintern and the abbey. In legend, the Devil called down to the monks and preached to them in vain trying to tempt them to desert their order.
This 12th century Cistercian abbey has been in ruins since King Henry VIII (the one with all the wives) dissolved the monasteries but it is still impressive after nearly 500 years. A poem by the same name was written by the English romantic poet, William Wordsworth.
Tintern Wireworks Bridge
Built to carry an industrial railway into Tintern to serve a small wireworks. The railway closed in 1935 and was dismantled in 1941. The bridge remains intact as a footpath and it is the only bridge across the Wye at Tintern. The wireworks themselves closed long before 1935 and little evidence remains. Local legend has it that Tintern wire helped make the first transatlantic telegraph cable.
A former station on the Wye Valley Railway from Monmouth to Chepstow, now a countryside visitor site. The station itself aptly demonstrates one reason why the railway closed by being one mile away from the centre of Tintern. The railway to the south of Tintern can be followed by crossing the river near the Abbey and following a wide and generally level (although muddy) path along the side of the hill for a few miles.
Cross over the old railway bridge from Wales into England and walk to the old port of Brockweir. Cross over the bridge at Brockweir back to the west bank of the Wye and then follow the river bank back to Tintern. A pleasant hour-long ramble. Stop at the Old Railway Station picnic site for refreshment.