Strata Florida
There is much to captivate at this evocative, historically important site
Is Latin double dutch to you? Strata Florida translates from Latin simply as the Vale of Flowers. Want to try the Welsh? Here you go. Ystrad Fflur.
The Cistercian monks of the Middle Ages were quite the entrepreneurs. They might have sought wild and lonely places to practise their religion but, like eager developers, they took advantage of this rural location near Tregaron to amass vast amounts of land. They needed the space to farm thousands of income-generating sheep. They also built roads and bridges which brought pilgrims and traders to the abbey. A shrewd move.
Strata Florida quickly became not only a site of huge religious significance in Wales but also a natural home for Welsh culture. Dafydd ap Gwilym, one of the best known of Wales’s medieval poets, is buried here under a yew tree.
You only need admire the majesty of the huge carved west doorway to appreciate how impressive this building must once have been. The plan of the church can still be clearly traced and, rather remarkably, some of the original richly decorated tiles from the abbey are still intact. One of them, ‘Man with the Mirror’, depicts a medieval gentleman admiring himself in a mirror!
Opening times
Dates
6 November 2018 - 31 March 2019
Times
Daily 10.00am - 4.00pm
Free entry during this period
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Closed 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January
For yearly opening times please click 'View all visitor information'
Admission costs
Adult - £4.00
Family - £11.60*
Member - Am ddim/Free
Disabled and companion - Am ddim/Free
Student and children under 16 - £2.40
Senior Citizen - £3.20
*Admits 2 adults and up to 3 children under 16
All children under 5 receive free entry.
Prices valid until March 2019
Facilities and information
- 01974 831261
- StrataFloridaAbbey@gov.wales
- A toilet is available for users with a disability and limited mobility
- Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult
- Dogs on leads welcome
- No smoking
- Cadw do not allow drone flying from or over its guardianship sites, except by contractors commissioned for a specific purpose, who satisfy stringent CAA criteria, have the correct insurances and are operating under controlled conditions.
- This site is registered on the No Fly Drone website http://www.noflydrones.co.uk
View all visitor information
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Directions
Postcode SY25 6ES
Road Minor roads from Pontrhydfendigaid, reached from B4340
Rail Aberystwyth 26km/16mls Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth line
Bike NCN Route No.820 (4km/2mls).
For further information, please contact: Traveline Cymru on 0871 200 2233 or National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50