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Llandrindod & RadnorshireAbbeycwmhir and Llywelyn’s Grave
The ruins of a Cistercian abbey in a deep, quiet valley, holding the grave of the last native Prince of Wales. One of the most affecting places in the county and almost always empty.
- Distance
- 3.4 mi / 5.5 km
- Time
- 2 hr
- Ascent
- 190 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Start at the abbey ruins and take the field paths that climb out of the valley to the north, joining forest tracks on the higher ground before circling back down to the village. Glyndŵr’s Way passes through, so waymarking is decent.
Worth knowing
- The granite slab over Llywelyn’s grave was laid in 1978. The abbey itself was wrecked long before that.
- This is a valley people speak quietly in. Go on a weekday and you may well have it entirely to yourself.
- The nave here was one of the longest in Britain when it was built, which is hard to credit standing in the grass.
What you’ll see
Abbey foundations, a lake, and the steep oak-wooded sides of the Clywedog brook valley.
Background
Founded in 1176 and never finished as planned. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s body was brought here after he was killed at Cilmeri in 1282; his head went to London. The abbey was ruined during Glyndŵr’s rising and finished off at the Dissolution.