Teifi Valley
Strata Florida
The ruins of the abbey that was the intellectual heart of medieval Wales, in an empty valley on the western edge of the Cambrians.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr 10
- Ascent
- 180 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
From the abbey, tracks and field paths climb into the hills behind towards the monks’ trail, returning by the valley. The abbey itself takes half an hour to walk round.
Worth knowing
- The west doorway is the great survival: an elaborate Romanesque arch standing almost alone in the grass.
- The Brenin Llwyd track behind the abbey is the old monastic route east over the mountains to Abbeycwmhir.
- Dafydd ap Gwilym, the finest of the medieval Welsh poets, is traditionally buried under the yew in the churchyard.
What you’ll see
The doorway and tiled floors, the churchyard yew, and the empty hills behind.
Background
Founded in 1164 and patronised by the Lord Rhys, Strata Florida held the Welsh chronicles and buried the princes of Deheubarth. It was dissolved in 1539.