weekend in chepstow

mindovermatter

Hi,
My OH and I are staying at the Marriott at Chepstow this weekend.
I don't know the area at all and just thought that I would ask if anyone knows of any places to visit in the vicinity?
We are keen walkers but having looked at the weather forecast, I think we will leave our walking boots at home!!
We like poking around antique shops, stately homes etc - any of the towns in the area worth visiting?
Best wishes
Mindovermatter

lisyloo

The castle is good and there are inside exhibitions so you can stay inside at least part of the time if the weather is bad.

Tintern is quite a nice village and the wye valley is scenic.
You can visist the abbey but it's not very well protected weather wise (the wind does whistle up the valley a bit).

TJ27

I quite often go for a bike ride up the Wye Valley and it's one of my favourites. I usually go from Chepstow up to Symonds Yat, which is around 25 miles. There are some fantastic pubs and restaraunts along the way. I once turned up at a place in Whitebrook with my mountain bike and covered in cow poo, only to discover that they were going for a Michelin star and had inspectors in! They weren't too happy with me but it has been a source of amusement for my mates ever since.

"The Boat" in Penallt is a nice little stop off for a pint, although it's not as fabulous as it used to be. A mate of mine lives near the "Saracens Head" in Symonds Yat, which is a great place to eat and drink. There are also some great views and walks nearby.

The salmon fisheries are among the best in Britain, if not the world, but it's hellish expensive. If you're into that sort of thing there's a good one at Bigswier I think.

I actually stayed for a week at one of the manor houses near Monmouth last year. Treowen in Dingestow. Not many people visit there and it's more of a place to stay than to visit but I believe that it is open to the public. The werewolf episode of Dr Who was partly filmed there. If you're a fan, it's the one where the werewolf goes up a big wooden spiral staircase.

I'd be taking my boots anyway. It's a fantastic place. As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.