Southeast Wales
This traditional inn – with its old stone fireplace, low ceiling beams and burnished copper bar – has become head chef Stephen Terry's showcase for the best of unpretentious country cooking. Dishes such as braised rabbit with fried polenta are deeply satisfying, but you need to save room for the homemade ice cream. Attached are eight elegant rooms (from £140).
The Hardwick is 2 miles south of Abergavenny on the B4598.
18.12 MILES
You could be forgiven for thinking that Caerphilly Castle – with its profusion of towers and crenellations reflected in a duck-filled lake – was a film…
21.4 MILES
After Welsh marauders torched the original Saxon cathedral, the Norman rulers of Hereford erected a larger, grander cathedral on the same site. The…
23.25 MILES
There's a medieval keep at its heart, but it's the later additions to Cardiff Castle that really capture the imagination. In Victorian times, extravagant…
22.93 MILES
Devoted mainly to natural history and art, this grand neoclassical building is the centrepiece of the seven institutions dotted around the country that…
29.27 MILES
This mighty, innovative steamship was designed by engineering genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843. You get to wander the galley, surgeon's quarters and…
15.31 MILES
The haunting riverside ruins of this sprawling monastic complex have inspired poets and artists through the centuries, most notably William Wordsworth,…
St Fagans National History Museum
24.58 MILES
Historic buildings from all over the country have been dismantled and re-erected in the semirural surrounds of St Fagans village, 5 miles west of central…
23.3 MILES
Flanked by the castle and the River Taff, Bute Park was donated to the city along with the castle in 1947. With Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and…
1. Abergavenny Museum & Castle
1.81 MILES
Abergavenny castle's keep was converted into a hunting lodge during the Victorian era and now houses a small museum. It tells the history of the castle…
1.89 MILES
The large blocky building next to the church is the former abbey's 12th-century tithe barn, the place where people brought their obligatory contributions…
1.89 MILES
Although you wouldn't guess it from the outside, this large stone church has been described as the 'Westminster Abbey of South Wales' because of the…
2.31 MILES
Of the three mountains encircling Abergavenny, Blorenge (561m) is the closest to town – the round trip is only 5 miles – but it is a steep and strenuous…
3.26 MILES
Established in 1992, this vineyard on the northwestern edge of town produces a variety of white and red wines, including an award-winning sparkling. You…
4.27 MILES
Of the glacially sculpted hills that surround Abergavenny, Skirrid (486m) is the most dramatic looking and has a history to match. A cleft in the rock…
4.27 MILES
When it was completed in 1789, this ironworks was among the most advanced in the world. Today the site is one of the best preserved of all its Industrial…
8. Blaenavon World Heritage Centre
4.31 MILES
Housed in an artfully converted old school, this centre contains a cafe, a tourist office, a gallery, a gift shop and, more importantly, excellent…