Abaty Ystrad Fflur / Strata Florida Abbey

Frequently mentioned in reviews: Top-rated.online cuts through the clutter, highlighting only the reviews that are most helpful, earn the most likes, or come from the most active contributors. Great day out for a historic in Wales So much work is going into restoring the Abbey and grounds..I can't wait to again when it's refurbished. The exhibition was exciting and informative. Staff friendly. Entry is free. There is good parking toilets gift shop where you can get coffee etc. nice to wonder around Wonderful setting...beautiful Chapel to the left of the Monestry dedicated to Mary. Fabulous Yew Tree here. Interesting location. Oddly you have to enter and leave through a gift shop that clearly isn’t wheelchair accessible, while there are plenty of locked gates which are. An additional and almost hidden treat is a creek side walk up the Cambrian Way - the entrance of which is via a gate just before the car park. We visited Strata Florida on a warm and sunny day and incredibly had the place to ourselves, just about. We got a sense of it being a special place from the drive from the village, through the woods, and finally arriving. We felt we were in for a treat, and we were. Parking in the carpark, we visited the museum, which gave us the history of the Abbey, the monks who lived and worked here, from the 11thC until the Dissoloution of the Monestries during Henry V111's reign. With funding from various sources, the has restored a building into the museum, and plans are afoot to upgrade the adjoining buildings, including the house. The volunteer was busy trimming flowers to make the museum look inviting, and it worked. We spent a while looking at the exhibits and reading the information. We saw a pair of children's shoes in a doorway, and they were left where they were found during restoration. They were glass covered as you walked over them to look in the next room, laid out as someone's home, with an open fireplace, writing desks, and other pieces of furniture. From here, we walked to the and especially the huge archway, which is all that is left standing. Walls depicting the size of the Abbey surround you, with the outer ones about 3m high and the internal ones about 1m high. Walking around the walls, we were amazed at how large the Abbey was, considering its location, mile's from any town, and in the Cambrian Mountains. Apart from another couple, we had the place to ourselves. We sat at picnic tables for our lunch before walking around to the small chapel, which still holds services today. We went inside and felt at peace. Afterwards, we walked along the river up through the woods, along an ancient cart trail to a gate into open countryside. Due to the wet and boggy ground, we returned to the car, stopping on a bridge to play Pooh Sticks. It has to be the fastest games we have ever played, as the bridge was narrow and the river fast flowing!! From here, we drove half a mile to a carpark, which was close to the main gate to the Abbey when it was first built. The Abbey was believed to be one of the largest clerical estates in the UK, at 12,000 hectares. We walked around the two short wooded walks, Aspen and Birchwood, before walking along a trail up a long hill, with interesting views over the countryside. Along the trail, we read the notice boards depicting what wildlife could be observed. We saw a couple of Red Kites circling on the thermals and lots of dragon flies. The weather had been glorious all day, and after blowing bubbles amongst the trees, we set off home. I had read up about Strata Florida Abbey online and was fascinated to the for myself, and we were not to be disappointed. My wife and I felt very "at home" here, a place to come to for relaxation, for mental calming and be at one with nature. This is definitely worthy of a visit. We were driving from Llanberis to Hay-On-Wye and it only took a small detour to pay a to Strata Florida. Oh boy it was worth it…it was the middle of Autumn and we had the whole place for ourselves. We wandered around in silence, enjoying these amazing ruins. Would we have liked to have the little museum open during our visit? Well, yes, perhaps, but still, we enjoyed immensely the solitude of the place and to be there alone. If you are lucky enough to be there on a day like this, you will remember the experience for years to come. A fascinating place to in stunning countryside. There's a newly updated visitor centre. The staff are friendly and informative. A thanks to the trust for looking after this and making it accessible to visitors. Lovely Abbey to if close enough to detour. Staff are really lovely & helpful. Tranquil and gorgeous setting for a picnic on the lush grass or the various picnic tables. The little church next door is very sweet and worth making sure going around the back to see the ancient cross originally from the abbey. This is our second trip here. Love the peacefulness and the history here. The centre has things from the old, now empty cottage that was once owned by the Arch family. Strata Florida was once an Abbey built and lived in by monks before Henry VIII dissolved all monasteries during his reign. On the hill overlooking Strata Florida and the church next door is a statue called The Pilgrim. Unfortunately you are not allowed to walk up to it, even if you wanted to as it is on private land. The centre has lots of as well as artefacts to look at. The person who was working there the day we visited was very friendly and informative. Take a picnic and enjoy the surroundings. The are free to enter and are looked after by The National Trust, but unfortunately they do not have any staff on site. I was a re-enacter here and the location is peaceful and unique. It is surrounded by stunning welsh scenery and is local to a village. There is plenty of car park spaces for visitors. There are also toilets provided and a mini shop. The staff here are extremely friendly and very helpful. There is plenty of explaining the and the different parts of the Abbey. This is dog friendly. The were as expected- interesting and picturesque. I would have liked more about how the abbey was built and used- the small amount of was very much primary school level. I resented having to enter and leave through the gift shop, especially when the other gates which were specifically designed for accessible entry were locked. There is a pretty picnic area near the car park and some footpaths with some beautiful scenery. Free entry during open hours and toilets in the car park. Friendly and informative staff. The and ground are well kept with signs explaining the history. Would recommend if you’re driving past but not much to do. Quite a trek to the middle of nowhere to visit, which will appeal to some but to most is only worth visiting if you're already passing. It's ruins. You know what you get with ruins. A couple of info plaques and a sense of history The small visitors kiosk seems permanently closed although advertised as open. The looks locked up but the big iron gate was unlocked when we visited. Website change monitoring Monitor any webpage for changes – get instant email alerts when prices drop, new jobs are posted, products come back in stock, or competitors update their sites. See how the number of reviews and average review scores have changed over time.