Some monasteries begin with a grand plan.

Llanthony Priory, however, owes its origin to a knight who lost his way.

Nestled in the Vale of Ewyas beneath the Black Mountains, the priory is a 900-year-old Augustinian ruin.

History has it that a Norman knight, William de Lacy, stumbled upon a ruined chapel dedicated to St David while hunting.

Captivated by the solitude, he abandoned his military life to become a hermit, leading to the foundation of the monastery around 1100.