Blue skies and bluebells

Women arrived through the afternoon in bright sunshine and we all sat around on the lawn outside the hotel overlooking Tintern Abbey, getting to know each other.

After a relaxed breakfast we set off from the hotel by the Abbey to the old railway bridge, which now serves as a footbridge over the river Wye.

Taking care not to get mixed up with the Tintern Half-Marathon up to the Devil's Pulpit, we crossed into England and into the meadows where the May blossom was already in bloom.

Up through Caswell Woods we met our first sea of bluebells, which were to feature so much over the next few days.

Along paths lined with wild garlic to the meadows outside Brockweir for a break sitting by the river.

We wandered through the narrow tracks including a short spell on the Offa's Dyke National Trail before descending through more woods to enjoy our lunch overlooking the river.

Here we watched the stragglers coming back from the Tintern half marathon who had started from the village just after us.

Two mares with their new foals were in one field.

Back along the banks of the Wye, which was thankfully at low tide although we could tell from the mud and debris that it would often flood the footpath.

We went on to the Old Railway Station, which has been converted into a very popular information centre and café and was busy with Sunday afternoon visitors.

A walk on the banks of the Wye took us back to St. Michael's church and the road.

We wandered back through Tintern village to the hotel, stopping off at Stella's second hand bookshop and the craft shops at Abbey Mill.

After supper we chatted in the lounge and played Upwords (a less complicated (?) version of Scrabble).

Jennifer's Geniuses beat Maggie's Marvels by a small margin (not that we were taking it seriously, of course!)

After the busy weekend we had the countryside to ourselves.

We started by going along the track of the old wireworks railway through shady bluebell woods (again) before coming out at the site of the 16th century iron works.

After a coffee stop we followed the swiftly flowing stream (it had once powered 20 water wheels) up to the largest dam.

A steady climb then took us through fields of grazing cows and horses to a viewpoint below Kit's Wood.

We sat in the sun for an early lunch looking out across the Welsh landscape to the Breckon Beacons on the distant skyline.

Up though the bluebells and then a stroll round the lanes before descending the old sunken track for another (!) sun drenched stop.

We reached the road and some women visited the Parva Vineyard.

Much sampling of wine and mead preceded the purchase of various bottles and local chutneys and a walk back to the hotel.

Others had gone to tour the Abbey. Drinks in the bar preceded supper and our coffee and chat in the lounge.

Today we climbed the cobbled path to the ruined church of St Mary's and enjoyed the views across to the vineyard and England.

Delightful sunken tracks past hidden cottages took us up to Glyn Wood and Penterry Farm.

The delightful church at Penterry is quite isolated and it is thought that the village it once served was wiped out with the plague.

The landscape opened out as we climbed Gaer Hill for views down the Bristol Channel and across the Severn estuary to the Cotswolds.

We crossed more fields of sheep and lambs to reach the Wye Valley Walk.

Lunch was taken sitting on the bench at the panoramic Eagle's Nest, a viewpoint originally constructed about 1800 as part of the picturesque landscaping of nearby Piercefield Park.

We looked out over the tidal mud flats of the Wye to the two bridges crossing the Severn.

Our final stretch was through sun-dappled woods carpeted with garlic and bluebells (again!).

We reached the hotel and said our goodbyes in the bright sunshine under the cloudless sky.