Gospel Pass has to be one of the most stunning roads around. Cutting through The Black Mountains the views are breathtaking before the lane winds its way down towards Llantony and the ruined Abbey. There are different speculations about the name. It's perhaps dating all the way back to when the early Christian monks in Celtic times walked this way, settling in small hermitages and prayer cells. St David, patron saint of Wales is known to have been at Llantony for a while and there is evidence of other 'llan' in the valley, including St Issui. It's known that the monks were under the protection of King Brychan who held his court further back in the mountains at Talgarth. There's a route between St Issui and Talgarth which still exists today over 1000 years later! The whole valley feels permeated by prayer and the atmosphere 'thin'. If you want to encounter God then a pilgrimage here is highly recommended.
