'The Gateway To Wales' Is A Charming Medieval Town With Tasty Eats, National Park Proximity, And Mountain Views

Just 13 or so miles from the English-Welsh border, the mountain-ringed town of Abergavenny has long been hailed as a gateway to the Celtic nation. First, it was a gateway for the Romans, who raised forts here during their conquest of Wales to fight Iron Age clans on the edge of their empire. Then came the Normans, who established Abergavenny as a powerful Marcher stronghold, building a castle and eventually enclosing the town with medieval walls. Today, it's better known for its big food festival and wild setting near some of the most alluring landscapes in the country.

The early fall ushers in a big blowout of all things locavore food and creative cooking, and one of the biggest in the United Kingdom, no less! What's more, the 520-square-mile Bannau Brycheiniog National Park sits right next door to the town, beckoning hikers, bikers, and all-round adventurers with the promise of castle-capped hillsides, soaring summits, and more.

True to its nickname of "The Gateway to Wales," Abergavenny rests just a short drive of 25 minutes west down the A40 from the border town of Monmouth. That places it just a touch over an hour's drive from the region's biggest international airport in Bristol, and about the same driving time north from Wales' own main air hub in the underrated capital city of Cardiff. From London, you're looking at a drive of just over three hours in total, taking the M4 westbound to Newport, and then veering off north towards the mountains.

Abergavenny has some pretty hefty credentials on the culinary front. Most notably, it's home to the single largest food festival in the whole of Wales: the Abergavenny Food Festival. The culinary extravaganza takes over the town for a weekend in the second half of September, bringing with it a program of gastronomic lectures and cooking workshops led by luminaries in the field. Drop in when it's on, and you won't go hungry. More than 120 small-scale local producers and food businesses from across the country gather at the event, selling everything from salted Welsh butter to hams from the nearby region of Carmarthenshire to brownies baked on the Gower Peninsula. Later on, the dining will turn into dancing, as the crowds head into the local castle for a party set to energetic live music.

There's also plenty of dining to be done when the big food shindig of September isn't on. Hit Frogmore Street, the largely pedestrianized vena cava of the town. It runs south from a medieval gatehouse that belies just how old the center really is, unfolding in a medley of cafes, bars, and eateries. Stop by Il Gusto — rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google Maps — for refined Italian dining that runs the gamut from classic carbonara pasta to risotto with king prawns. Alternatively, choose Mezze Me for spreads of Turkish small plates that include smoked eggplant dips and spiced falafel.

Resist the pull of the mountains that halo Abergavenny for just a little bit if you can, because you'll want to take some time to see the highlights of Abergavenny town itself. The spot dates all the way back to Roman times, no less, and it's watched over by the ever-present bulwarks of Abergavenny Castle, a late 11th-century fort raised by the Normans that once saw battles between the English and the Welsh. The town's main museum sits within the castle grounds, telling the story of the region through collections that include everything from Roman archaeological finds to recreations of traditional Welsh farm kitchens.

History done and dusted? Now it's time to explore. It's easy from Abergavenny, since the town is touted as a prime stepping stone for getting into the wild and remote Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. It butts right up to the southeastern edge of the reserve, so you only need to travel a short way to hit some trailheads. Elsewhere, there's the 4-mile romp up Skirrid, a mountain that rises from the woods to offer sweeping views of the Usk Valley. There's also the route up Blorenge, the peak that peers over Abergavenny to the southwest. It's steep at times, but big views of the Welsh mountains await at the top.

You could also opt to delve a bit deeper into the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog, the second-largest national park in Wales after the mountain getaway of the Eryri National Park up north. Under an hour's drive from Abergavenny can bring you to the start point of the famed Pen-y-Fan Horseshoe trek. That's a real challenge, taking you on a 10-mile roundabout journey past ancient burial mounds and up barren summits, including Pen-y-Fan itself, the high point of the national park, and all of southern Britain.