The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Saturday
LET’S VISIT… CHEPSTOW
With hefty Severn bridge tolls on the way out, this charming (and plasticfree) Welsh border town is braced for an English invasion, according to Tomé Morrissy-Swan
Earlier this year, Chepstow hit the news when a banner was unfurled proclaiming it to be a plastic-free town. Several businesses, local authorities, schools and markets pledged to ditch singleuse plastic. It was noted at the time, not without a certain ruefulness, that the sign itself was made of plastic.
The little town is slap-bang on the border between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire, the Bridge on the River Wye (sadly not its real name) separating the two. It’s a half-hour drive from Bristol, though I’m told the English don’t visit as much as they might due to hefty tolls on the Severn bridges. But these are to be abolished at the end of the year, after which there will presumably be no stopping them.
Monmouthshire’s motto, “faithful to both”, highlights its Anglo-Welsh identity. Roaming round Chepstow, I heard as many West Country accents as Welsh ones. While the town isn’t obviously beautiful, and doesn’t have the foodie credentials of Abergavenny or the lit-chic of Hay, it possesses not just the inevitable castle, but plenty of charm and bags of history.
Take Tintern Abbey, of Wordsworth fame, 15 minutes by car outside town. Come early to avoid the crowds and, rather than squawking tourists, birdsong will soundtrack your visit to the UK’s second-oldest Cistercian monastery (after Waverley in Surrey, since you ask).
Between the abbey and Chepstow itself is the celebrated racecourse, home to the Welsh Grand National and several other meetings throughout the year. If nothing’s on, scoot past and head to town. You’ll see tiny, pretty coloured cottages – and not too many chains.
The best bits lie within the old walls. Chepstow Castle isn’t in quite such good nick as Beaumaris or Caernarfon in the north, or Harlech to the north-west. (On childhood visits to the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia I used to refer to ruins like this as “broken castles”.) It is, however, one of the earliest surviving post-Roman stone defences in Britain, built in 1067 – the Normans didn’t hang about.
Its door is especially noted for being the oldest castle gate in Europe (there are a lot of “oldests” around here). I was expecting a few planks of wood, but found an imposing wooden barricade that looks like a giant shield,
even if it has moved from its original position. The castle hosts concerts, plays, family trails and living history weekends, so check the schedule before visiting.
Opposite, the free museum is worth a stop for curiosities and snippets of Chepstow’s history. They also have a penny-farthing. But if it’s warm enough, head to the riverside, with its picnic area, bandstand for live music on Sundays, wine bar and pub.
A short walk away is the small, pedestrianised high street. As a pizza geek, I couldn’t miss the acclaimed Stone Rock Pizza, which has been
The museum displays curiosities from Chepstow’s history – and a penny farthing
gaining attention and awards since opening last year. Owner Scott Edwards dutifully adheres to Chepstow’s no-plastic policy, and his ingredients – Forest of Dean wild boar salami, Somerset mozzarella, beer from Chepstow’s Baa Brewing – are as local and tasty as they get.
Chepstow’s booming, Edwards tells me. House prices are soaring, people are moving in, and that pesky toll is getting the boot. If you’re a history nut or a hiker (the Wye Valley Walk starts here), or looking for a pleasant day out from your base in the West Country or south Wales, put Chepstow at the top of your list.