For centuries visitors to Monmouthshire have been seduced by its
picturesque landscape and breathtaking beauty. Poets, princes, priests,
peasants, painters, politicians, and even pirates have all sung the
praises of this unique little corner of Wales. It is a county with an
elusive nature and a turbulent past, but one whose sublime splendour is
evident in its surrounding hills, scattered castles, sleepy churches,
rolling rivers, rising mists and ancient woodlands. William Wordsworth
once famously described Monmouthshire as the place where 'the heavy and
the weary weight of all this unintelligible world is lightened'. In 50
Gems of Monmouthshire local author Tim Butters takes an illuminating
journey along the high and low roads of one of the UK's most popular
counties in search of the landmarks, the historic curiosities and the
natural wonders that make this little patch of the UK so magical to both
visitors and residents alike. Among the places the author visits are the
romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey, the Skirrid on the edge of the Black
Mountains, the Monmouth and Brecon Canal and the Kymin hill, with its
spectacular views of Monmouth and the eighteenth-century Round House and
temple in honour of British naval victories.
