# UK Dopers: Is Abergavenny a popular tourist area (as in the 1969 song)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 8, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647 "2025-07-08T23:53:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647/1 "2025-07-08T23:53:04Z")

</div>

I’ve always liked the 1969 song **ABERGAVENNY** by Marty Wilde, and I was wondering, is Abergavenny, Wales a popular place to go, as in the song?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647/2 "2025-07-09T10:11:24Z")

</div>

Stayed there a couple nights many years ago. The B&B had a parrot that greeted us in Welsh. It’s a good area for walking and the town has good pubs and restaurants. The big draw is the food festival in September - [https://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/](https://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647/3 "2025-07-09T12:59:39Z")

</div>

According to Wilde, it was just the melodic name of the town that first got his attention. He had already started writing the song before he actually visited the place.

> **[Marty Wilde reflects on the song that immortalised Abergavenny](https://www.abergavennychronicle.com/news/marty-wilde-reflects-on-the-song-that-immortalised-abergavenny-675146)**

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-is-abergavenny-a-popular-tourist-area-as-in-the-1969-song/1020647/4 "2025-07-09T13:56:41Z")

</div>

It’s a pretty standard market town, just over the border from England. Apart from the food festival, there isn’t a lot to attract visitors.