ANCIENT CHURCHES AND CHAPELS OF THE BLACK MOUNTAINS
Start your day at the Church of Merthyr Issui at Partrishow. Stunningly located on the south eastern slopes of the Gader range with panoramic view. Inside you will find a truly beautiful 15th century oak rood screen and loft and most strikingly on the west wall of the nave is a painted figure of ‘Time’ a skeleton with scythe, hourglass and spade.
Retrace your footsteps and stop at the Cwm Coed y Cerrig Nature reserve. There is an accessible board walk or for the energetic a steepish path leads through the trees to the top. Look out for scattered open hazelnuts- a sure sign of activity by the resident dormouse population.
After the walk, head up the Ewyas Valley to Llanthony – where you can find lunch at the Llanthony Priory Hotel – which sits within and is actually part of the original 12th Century Augustinian Priory.
After lunch have a wander around the ruins of the Priory and the church of St David’s – a spot where worship has been taking place for 1500 years.
Continue up the valley to Capel-y-Ffin – where you will find the tiny church of St Mary the Virgin. St Mary was said to have appeared as a vision in the fields where the church stands. Francis Kilvert the famous diarist, commented it reminded him of an owl and it is also said to be the inspiration for name of ‘The Vision Farm’ in Bruce Chatwin’s famous novel ‘On the Black Hill’. More recently the famous illustrator Eric Gill lived and worked in the village and the graveyard contains two headstones engraved by him.
Return back down the valley and detour to your left to your final church of the day. The Church of St Martin of Tours at Cwmyoy. The church was built on the shifting sub-soil of a massive ancient land-slip. As the ground has continued to settle it has caused opposite ends of the church to lean in different directions in a most bizarre fashion. – The tower leans to a greater degree than the leaning tower of Pisa!
Advice:
The Roads in the Black Mountains are frequently single track with passing places and can be extremely icy in winter conditions. Road surfaces can continue to be icy in the mountains for some time after the ice has melted lower down. Phone signal is generally poor or non-existent. Most road signage is good but it is recommended that a map is carried.
Sample Itinerary
10.00 – 10.45 Visit Partrishow Church.
10.45-12.15 Enjoy a walk in the Cwm Coed-y-Cerrig Nature reserve.
12.15-13.45 Take lunch at the Llanthony Priory Hotel and explore the Priory remains and the Church of St David.
13.45-14.30 Drive to Capel-y-Ffin and visit the tiny church of St Mary the Virgin.
15.30-15.45 Retrace your steps down the valley and visit the church of St Martin of Tours at Cwmyoy.