Your tour: Welsh borders
Andria Massey tours the historic and scenic area of Chepstow, Monmouth and the Wye Valley
It was the usual time in the year for us to think about booking a trip out in our motorhome, Hilary. But, of course, most of 2020 had been anything but normal, so we kept looking out with frustration at our immobile motorhome sitting on the drive going nowhere.
Living in Wales, we were treated more harshly than those living in England, with a five-mile travel limit imposed for months. But eventually we were released, as the travel limit was lifted and campsites were opened – albeit without facilities being available.
Because we were self-sufficient this wasn’t a problem for us, so we booked a site near to Chepstow, loaded up and away we went.
As we prefer to set up on site and travel around by car or public transport, we decided to hire a car from a company in Chepstow. But we hadn’t realised that the Beeches Farm Campsite we had booked was almost seven miles away from Chepstow, across the border in Gloucestershire, with no public transport anywhere near. However, there were no problems as the owner kindly agreed to pick us up to take us to the premises to collect the car. We were really glad we’d chosen this option because the roads around the Wye Valley are narrow and windy – not ideal for a motorhome, even one as small as ours.
Magical Monmouth
Once all the paperwork was completed, we decided to visit Monmouth, because it was a rather wet morning. It was an easy trip along the main road, with plenty of parking in this charming historical Welsh town. We wandered up the high street, with all shops limiting customers entering
their premises because of social distancing. The main issue we had was that coffee shops could only serve takeaways, or take the option to sit outside (in the rain). But as the morning went on, the rain subsided and we were able to sit outside, without our drinks and lunch being watered down!
Situated where the River Monnow meets the River Wye, Monmouth is in the lower reaches of the beautiful Wye Valley, a popular tourist centre since 1780. It is perhaps best known for its iconic 13th-century gatehouse, Monnow Bridge and the Norman-built castle. It is a very easy town to walk around and see the many attractions.
The Great Castle House was built on part of the castle. It was completed in 1673 for Henry Somerset, the third Marquis of Worcester, and is one of 24 sites on the Monmouth Heritage Trail. It later became an Assize Court until the court moved to the new Shire Hall in 1725; it’s also been the Headquarters of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers since the mid 19th century, and contains the Regimental Museum.
The main exhibits relate to this the most senior regiment in the British Territorial Army and the museum also maintains the records of the regiment.
Enjoying clearer weather
Having seen all we wanted in Monmouth, and as the weather had improved considerably, we headed back, stopping off for afternoon tea at the Tintern Old Station café before wandering around the spectacular roofless ruins of Tintern Abbey – a national icon founded in 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. The original abbey was built of timber, and in 1269 the Cistercian monks created this British Gothic architectural masterpiece.
“As the weather improved considerably, we headed back, stopping off for afternoon tea in the Tintern Old Station café”
The great west front, with its seven lancet window and the massive arches of the nave, is still prominent for all to see.
Situated close to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye – which forms the border with Gloucestershire – the abbey declined following King Henry VIII’s dissolution of monasteries in 1536, and began to turn into this majestic ruin. Unfortunately, due to lockdown regulations it wasn’t open to visitors at the time of our visit, but was set to open in late August.
More magnificent views
The next day, we decided to explore the
Wye Valley, first stopping off at St Briavels in Gloucestershire to photograph the impressive moated Norman castle; it was originally built between 1075 and 1129 as a Royal Administrative centre for the Forest of Dean. The castle, a Grade I-listed building, now houses a Youth Hostel.
Our next stop was at Coleford, an attractive market town which is the administrative centre of the Forest of Dean district. Because we were now in England, we were able to go into a café for morning coffee before wandering around the town centre.
The clock tower in the marketplace is all that remains of a church that was too small for its congregation and pulled down. The White Hart Inn, meanwhile, dates back to the 17th century, and the Angel Hotel housed an excise office for many years. In the 18th century it was the town’s main coaching inn, and was also used for public meetings and assemblies.
Sufficiently refreshed, we drove on to Symonds Yat Rock; it was extremely busy, but with wide open spaces it was easy to social distance. With spectacular views along the
River Wye it’s well known as one of the best places to watch peregrine falcons, as well as goshawks, buzzards and sparrowhawks.
Tawny owls can also sometimes be heard.
Sadly, we were unlucky on all counts, but were blown away by the views and enjoyed the walks. There are waymarked trails to the River Wye, and a choice of circular walks around the forest. There is also a log cabin serving a range of food and drink.
Stunning river walks
Our next stop was Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean. An historic market town, it has been known as the birthplace of British tourism since rector Dr John Egerton started taking friends on boat trips down the valley from his rectory in the town in 1745. The attraction was the River Wye’s scenery, landscapes and numerous castles and abbeys. In 1782 William Gilpin published a book, Observations on the River Wye – the first British illustrated tour guide – and soon eight boats were making regular excursions down the river, with travellers staying in local inns.
The current Market Hall was built between 1650 and 1654, and is now used as the Ross Heritage Centre, with regular markets held under and in front of the Market House. We walked along the Rope Walk which follows the river, named after the rope industry which was located in the riverside area; we found a wonderful viewpoint with an iconic view across the River Wye to the town centre, the Royal Hotel, St Mary’s Church spire, and the 19th century Gazebo Tower.
Along the walk is the impressive Swans sculpture by Walenty Pytel. The path is signposted as The Wye Valley and John Kyrle Buggy route, but is also on the Wye Valley Long Distance Trail, a 136-mile walk from Chepstow to the source of the Wye at Plynlimon. When we visited, canoeists were paddling along the river from Ross Rowing Club close to the viewpoint, and there were a number of walkers accessing the numerous circular routes from the town.
We made our way back to the campsite, stopping off at Symonds Yat West Leisure Park; it’s very popular with visitors for the various river activities, including paddling canoes and taking river cruises.
I enjoyed a delicious cider in the garden of the lovely Old Court Hotel, but Pearl was driving so had a refreshing cup of tea. On the way back, we stopped along the track to the campsite at Tidenham Chase to walk the short distance to the Offa’s Dyke path. At the Devil’s Pulpit, we took in the views down to Tintern Abbey.
Because we had to hand the car back on our final day of the tour, we decided to explore in and around Chepstow, starting with a walk to Beachley Point and back along the shoreline and under the old Severn Bridge. Looking along the Severn Estuary we could see the Prince of Wales (new) Severn Bridge.
We decided to go for coffee, so headed into historic Chepstow town and parked close to Coffee#1. We had to sit outside because, of course, Wales still didn’t allow cafes to be open at that time, but it was warm and the tables were well distanced. The café is opposite the huge and
impressive Parish and Priory Church of
St Mary, which was built mainly in the 11th century and has a very ornate west door.
We walked down Bridge Street past colourful houses, many dating to the 18th century, towards the museum. It has displays of the wine trade, shipbuilding and salmon fishing industries from the past, and information on the ancient town of Chepstow, which was once an important port and market centre.
It’s housed in an elegant 18th century house built by a prosperous Chepstow merchant family, and sits across the road from the entrance to Chepstow Castle.
At the bottom of Bridge Street is the
Old Town Bridge over the River Wye. Built of cast-iron in 1816, it’s the largest iron arch road bridge remaining from the first half-century of iron and steel construction. There is a great view of the castle built on the cliffs above.
An ancient castle
No visit to Chepstow is complete without a visit to the castle, which is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman Lord William FitzOsbern, and it was in use until 1685. Visitors are able to walk along the battlements into Marten’s Tower.
The castle was used for the filming of some scenes in Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary edition, as well as for the film Jabberwocky and the TV series Robin of Sherwood, while scenes from the movie Ivanhoe were filmed in the grounds. Close to the tower is a stone brought from Plynlimon, the source of the Wye, to mark the start of the Wye Valley Path. This is also the start of the Chepstow Circular Walk which includes some of the Wye Valley and the Offa’s Dyke paths, and the All Wales path goes through the town, too.
So we had filled our last day well, before handing back our hire car and getting a lift back to the campsite. We returned home the next day, and looked back on a very busy but fascinating trip across the Welsh and English borders, with different rules to protect us from the coronavirus pandemic. It was great to be able to get out again, and the restrictions caused us few problems – so we’re now looking forward to our next excursion!
“No visit to Chepstow is complete without a visit to the castle, the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain”