The Old Station Tintern — Attraction in Wye Valley

We have intended to revisit for a long time and eventually managed to do so when we found it impossible to park in Tintern. As we arrived late afternoon we were disappointed, as last time, to find that the car park still closed at 4.30pm. As I indicated in my previous review there are a couple of train carriages and one old station building. However, in addition we found there is a small cafe and this time the toilets were open and we experienced them as reasonably clean. The train carriages are a tourist information centre but this was closed when we visited on the Monday Bank Holiday after Easter, which seemed quite odd given that it is a time when a lot of tourists might require a lot of information. Having said this it is likely that the pandemic could still mean some services in Wales are slower to open than in England, which is in no way a criticism or even a comment on different strategies but rather a potential reason for its closure at present. When we visited last time I felt that there was 'nothing very inspiring'; I have learned that this has changed or more likely I was plainly wrong. Yes it still appears to be a bit of train memorabilia and some walks, but some of the latter are right next to the river Wye and onwards to Tintern. The path in that direction takes one past the church of St Michael, which is on a site of worship of around 1000 years old. This was such a peaceful and yet simple place of worship that only the most hardened cynic could not fail to feel at peace in the little building. Whilst the time restrictions for parking remain and we only visited hurriedly, I think there was no way the car park can be locked (couldn't see a barrier anyway) so maybe I was simply over cautious and should have taken a chance on staying longer. The uncertainty of the parking is the only reason I didn't increase my rating from 2 to 5 stars rather than 4...

Tintern railway station served the village of Tintern on the Wye Valley Railway. It was opened in 1876 and closed for passengers in 1959 and freight in 1964, when the line was closed completely. It was the second largest station on the line, the most substantial being Monmouth Troy railway station.

The station was opened on 1 November 1876 and was one of the four original stations along the line. It consisted of a signal box, sidings, goods shed, station building, three platforms (two of which were island platforms), and a section of double track to allow trains to pass each other. It was a large station because the railway company hoped to generate much income from tourist traffic visiting the famous Tintern Abbey.

The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1935 to 1939. A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region from 1956 to 1962.

The Old Station Tintern was bought by the local county council for £1,500. It was then refurbished and opened as a visitor attraction. There is a cafe and exhibition on site as well as a movie about the railway in one of the old carriages moved to the station.

Monmouthshire County Council replaced the old railway carriages with two refurbished carriages in Spring 2010. The carriages provide a new shop, tourism information and the Destination Wye Valley exhibition as part of the £2.8m Heritage Lottery funded "Overlooking the Wye" scheme which is conserving various sites in the...

Great place to break a long journey up as we do on our way to Devon. It is just off the main road and sits just above the river Wye. Lovely atmosphere and ambiance. Wonderful carved wooden figures, great food and beverages at the café. There's even a longer loop walk that goes down to the valley bottom right along the river. Down here the views along the valley are stunning and as it's sheltered down here it gets lovely and hot in the summer. The views from the cafe and seating area across the valley are stunning as you look across at the ancient deciduous forest lined banks, hills and cliffs. As a breeze moves along the tree tops it can be mesmerising watching the trees wave. If a shower passes along the other side of the valley and you've got sun then it's breath taking. There's a gallery where you can buy pictures, my wife loved it but I didn't use it. Large car park but can be full on busy summer days. Beautiful place that always brings a smile to the family, especially if it's been one of those journeys that a family with young kids...