Abergavenny - Y-fenni

Abergavenny is a popular gateway to the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Black Mountains, which provide an majestic backdrop to this pretty market town.

Abergavenny was once the site of a Neolithic settlement, by the stream Y-fenni, the town’s Welsh name. Like many other towns along the border one of Abergavenny’s main features is a Norman Castle. This one was established around 1090 by the Hamelin de Ballon and in 1175 saw one of the most infamous deeds of the day when the Marcher Lord invited the leading Welsh Lords to a banquet on Christmas Day, then massacred them.

Beside the Victorian Town Hall on the main street is a bustling indoor market, which extends at weekends into a lively cattle market. But this market town really comes to life at the annual Abergavenny Food Festival,

which spills out from the market hall through the town and up to the castle with an impressive array of local and international foods, attracting a huge crowd of amateur, professional and top name chefs from all over the world.

The main all year activity Abergavenny is known for is walking and the nearby hills of Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and Blorenge present moderate hikes, they’re all under 600m high and offer enchanting views of the Usk Valley and the Beacons.