Accolade for Gwent’s restaurants

Good Food Guide 2009 One restaurant in the top 50. It is The Crown at Whitebrook at no. 36! Its sister restaurant is the  The Crown at the Celtic Manor, Newport. (cooking score of 5). Restaurants who got a mention are: The Walnut Tree and The Hardwick in Abergavenny. (cooking score of 5 and 4) [...]

Sacred & Spiritual Places 2 Visit Locally

LLanthony Abbey near Abergavenny on the way to Hereford. Tinkinswood near Cowbridge. Twmbarlum at the Cwmcarn Forest Drive. Tintern Abbey near Chepstow. Holy well near Mamilad Pontipool, Goytre Wharf. St Lythams near Cowbridge. If you know of any more sites, please let us know. Obviously the West Usk is also a sacred site,  being on [...]

Walks Nearby

A 4 mile walk from 14 Locks, near J27 to J26 along the M4 motorway and the canal.  About 90 minutes. Very refreshing and at one with nature. The  Cwmcarn Forest Drive to Twmbarlum then a steep walk to the iron fort itself.  Strenuous if you walk that trail but  there is a  less demanding [...]

Activity Trails

1.    Torfaen Trails around the Shell Grotto and the Pontypool Folly. See this site for more information. 2.   Cwmcarn Forest Drive/ Biking Trails/Circular Walks, J28 of the M4 3.   Forteeen Locks off J.27 of the M4. 4.   The Newport 439 hectare Wetlands, with over 200 species. NP18 2BZ www.rspb.org/newportwetlands 5.   Greenmeadow Community Farm in Cwmbran. [...]

Castle Trails

Castles near the Lighthouse.  All worth visiting. Chepstow Castle Raglan Castle Usk Castle Cardiff Castle Caerphilly Castle Castell Coch Caldicot Castle

Physical Activities

1. www.gogc.co.uk They organise wet, dry and high activities, including hiking, canoeing, shooting, diving, you name it and they can fix it for you. Not far from the lighthouse. 2.www.cwmcarnforest.co.uk for bike trails and lots of  walks, including around an iron age fort.

Bluebell Woodland, Wye Valley.

Bluebell Woodland, Wye Valley. Originally uploaded by wentloog Absolutely love this place, not too far away from us at the Lighthouse. You need to catch it at the right time when the Bluebells are out in full. Love this picture. More to follow soon

Places to visit in South Wales

Nr. NEWPORT GWENT Tredegar House and Park- only a few minutes from the lighthouse,  with wonderful staterooms and domestic quarters, lakeside walks, orangery & stable blocks. Tintern Abbey is about 40 minutes away. Cistercian Abbey founded in 1131 in the beautiful Wye Valley. Blaenavon Ironworks and the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre. One of Europe’s best [...]