Forest Glade

Taken on a Walk from the old railway station Tintern

The Old Station Tintern is situated in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), 9km north of Chepstow on the A466 (S0 536 006). The site is owned and managed by Monmouthshire County Council Countryside Section and was opened as a Countryside Visitor Centre in 1975.

The Old Station has developed an excellent reputation as one of the area’s top visitor centres and was voted the UK’s favourite park in the 2011 People’s Choice Green Flag Award public poll. The station retained its Green flag status in 2012 when it was again awarded a Green Flag, its fourth in successive years. It also won the prestigious Gold Award at the Royal Welsh Show in the Best Tea Room in Wales category in the True Taste of Wales Awards (see more on this below).

The Old Station also retained its Tourist Attraction Accreditation after being assessed by the Wales Tourist Board.

There are three railway carriages on site. Two new carriages arrived in early 2010 and these contain a souvenir and gift shop, a Destination Wye Valley exhibition area with information about the Heritage of the Wye Valley that will interest all the family, a tourist information point, and a meeting room. The third smaller carriage houses railway memorabilia and a work in progress scale model of the station from the 1930’s. Visitors can sit and relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery, wander along a relaxing one mile circular walk around the site passing along the riverbank, before visiting the Circle of Legends.

It is a perfect spot for a picnic or you can sample the traditional fayre from the Victorian station’s award-winning tea room (voted by Living magazine as one of the top 25 in the UK). Breakfast from 9.30am daily, a wide range of freshly baked cakes, superb strawberry cream teas(when in season) as well as home made soups and the famous Tintern platter are available. The tea room also caters for birthday parties, special occasions and pre-booked groups.

For the younger visitors there is a full programme of activities, including miniature train rides, play area and wooden play train and plenty of open space to run and play in.

There is a meeting room which can be hired in one of the railway carriages and is suitable to seat up to 16 people.