Peter's Random Travel Blog: Off to the Riviera...the English Riviera that is

Today it was time to say farewell to Carol our host, the quite excellent Blaencar Farm B&B where we had stayed, the village of Defynnog and nearby Sennibridge which is big enough to appear on maps because we were of to have a seaside holiday on the English Riviera.

We set off along the A40 heading back to England. Our plan was to drive to Monmouth and then follow the Rive Wye to Tintern...but not all went to plan with our navigation...something that was going to become a bit of a theme for the day. At the junction where the A449 joined the A40, I found myself in the wrong lane and heading south on the A449 before I knew it. We left the A449 some miles later at the next exit and headed across country on a convenient "B road" to finally get to Tintern and Tintern Abbey.

Tintern Abbey is an impressive place to visit. The ruins of the Abbey date mainly from the 13th Century and it is incredible to think that a building of its size was built by hand with only rudimentary hoists and carts to move the stone blocks around. It is also quite amazing that so much of it is intact when you consider that it closed in the 15th Century when Henry VIII dissolved all monasteries in England and Wales.

Tintern Abbey

After our visit to Tintern it was time to continue south to pick up the M48 to cross the River Severn estuary and then the M5 to bypass Bristol. Using the major motorways are great for getting somewhere in a hurry...provided they are not congested..but not all that good if you want to see the country side. South of Bristol we left the M5 with the objective of visiting Cheddar Gorge. We got there in the end...with a few detours...the road signs are not always that clear and sometimes are just not there.

We drove through the Gorge without stopping...it was really busy and it would have been a long walk back from the available car park...perhaps we will make on another holiday. More cross-country driving through Wells, Glastonbury and Somerton finally brought us out on the A303. From here it was straight forward drive to the A30, on to end of the M5 and on to the A380 for a run into Paignton where we were booked in...once we got through a few miles of solid peak-period congestion around Newton Abbot.

After checking into our room in the Ambassador Guest House, we went for a stroll along the Esplanade and out along the Paignton Pier before going off to find some dinner.