A well-preserved Cistercian abbey in a green side-valley near Llangollen, named for the ancient cross-pillar that stands just up the road
Open to visitorsa Cadw site, free to enter — check opening times before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
A couple of miles up the Horseshoe Pass road from Llangollen, tucked into a quiet valley, Valle Crucis is one of the best-kept medieval abbeys in Wales. Cistercian monks — the order that settled in out-of-the-way country to live plainly — founded it in the early 13th century under Madog ap Gruffydd, a prince of Powys. The Latin name means valley of the cross, after the Pillar of Eliseg, a weathered stone cross-shaft set up centuries earlier by the kings of Powys, which stands in a field a short way north. The west front with its rose window survives well, and so does the east range, including the vaulted chapter house where the monks met each day. After Henry VIII closed the monasteries in the 1530s the buildings were left to decay. Cadw looks after the ruin now. It sits within the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley; Llangollen, the Llangollen Canal and the hilltop Castell Dinas Brân are all close by.
