Denbighshire 17 - Llangollen/memories of a two man tent, a tin shed for a toilet and no shower/a peaceful spot to contemplate Valle Crucis Abbey

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What a difference a week makes. This time last week the weather was pretty miserable with 4" of snow covering the ground. Spring seemed a long way off. This week the clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and finally it does feel as if we are heading for some decent weather. We were heading for Wales to get a final hair cut before our holidays. Feet have been pampered and Gabby has her seats and table in together with some of the things we need for a holiday. First the holiday is on, then through unforeseen circumstances it was off. This week it is back on again although in a shortened form. Probably two weeks in France rather than the usual 4 weeks. We probably wont make the sun of the south rather we will have temperatures similar to those back home. We wont come home suntanned but we should manage a relaxing holiday in Brittany and Normandy. Far enough to sample cidre and crepes, to eat in lovely French restaurants, walk along lovely beaches and see what we want to see. We hit the maps and have found places to visit we hadn't even considered. The crit aire is ready to on Gabby and we have booked a ride on the elephant at Nantes. Go on, you know you want to know what that is............have a look on t'interweb.

Today we headed off for Abbey of Valle Crucis in Llantysilio just outside the pretty town of Llangollen. We have been many times but it is one of those places that sit in the valley and draw you back time after time. Standing outside the closed and locked gates we had the choice - climb the gate or give up and go away. Having come so far there was no way we were going home without seeing the abbey. It sits next to a caravan park now. Let me take you back about forty years. I was young and unmarried. We had bought a small two man tent. A tent with no room to swing a gerbil let alone a cat. A tent where clothes felt damp all the time and if it rained then we had to be careful not to brush ourselves against the side. If we did brush up against the side the rain would rush in. We had no air bed. We slept on the hard ground. After two days our backs were punctured with stones. We had sleeping bags but made of nylon they were too cold in the Autumn and too clammy in Summer. We cooked using a one gas burner. A kettle first so that we could have a hot cup of tea. Toast made over the flames. Eggs or beans cooked afterwards. We got up in the light and went to bed when it was too dark to see. The camp site had no toilet. Just a shed with a bucket in it. No shower. You didn't bother for a few days. How things have changed. The site now has become larger and more organised. What did I think of it? It rather spoils a lovely spot in the valley if I am honest about it. The white boxes look stark against the mellow stones of the abbey walls.

After we climbed the gate we had the place to ourselves. There was no warden on site. This gave us the chance to spend as long as we liked walking around the ruins. The setting is magnificent even in Spring when the trees are leafless. The hills surrounding the abbey are stunning. Standing in front of the abbey we started to compare it with abbeys in France. Valle Crucis compares well with them. In fact in some ways it is a better ruin if that is the right word. It is impressive.

It was founded in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor on the site of what was a temporary wooden church. It was the last Cistercian monastery to be built in Wales. Its name comes from the Pillar of Eliseg just up the road which was erected four centuries earlier by the King of Powys Cyngen ap Cadell. We should have gone to see this pillar but left it for another day and another trip. Madoc was buried in the completed abbey on his death in 1236. Around the abbey are a number of graves. All monks but none with any name to identify them. It seems that the location was established by twelve monks from Strata Marcella an abbey situated near to Welshpool. If this was the case then they must have rattled around the place. It is larger than you would expect for such a few monks. Eventually the number of monks increased ending up with sixty brethren, 20 choir monks and 40 lay members.

It wasn't hard standing in front of the great East Windows to imagine the beauty of the place. The stained glass that must have graced the windows letting in coloured light. The walls would have been covered in colour, niches filled with statues and there would have been the sound of plainsong, of chanting, bells ringing , incense and the sound of silence at times. The kitchens would have smelt of bread baking, meat cooking and the sounds of clanging utensils. The gardens full of monks digging and planting. Each room told a story. We could imagine the monks walking around the cloisters.

In 1537 the abbey was dissolved as it was deemed prosperous compared to the wealthy English Abbeys. Then Henry VIII turned up and completed the destruction of the abbey. The site fell into disrepair and was given to various local dignatories. The Eastern range was turned into a manor house. Much of the stone was robbed by the local farms who used it to build their homes and outbuildings. Leaving the shell the way it is today.

Outside is the only monastic fishpond in Wales. We stood by it. The peace and quiet of the place began to have an effect on us. No sounds of traffic. No sounds from the camp site. It wasn't hard to work out why the monks chose this spot.

Krishnamurti wrote "With the clouds hanging in the air above the trees and the birds falling silent before the storm, this morning brings forth serious reflection ,bringing into question the entirety of existence, the gods themselves and all human activity"

Those words made us realise what the life of the monks must have been in this quiet place. They must have watched the clouds gathering over the distant hills. They must have heard the birds singing and hearing nothing at all when they were quiet. They must have stood in serious reflection, they must have questioned their existence. This is a wonderful place where its not hard to fall in love with the surroundings and the abbey itself.

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