In Wales: Chepstow and Tintern Abbey
Greetings from Wales! Well, the drive from the M25 motorway over to South Wales was a breeze this morning. Motorways are our equivalent of Interstates, and the drive from Heathrow to Wales is dead easy, taking the M4 all the way… it’s well sign-posted, and the journey took just two hours from Heathrow Airport to Chepstow.
Most flights from America to Britain drop into London Heathrow Airport. Whenever I’m telling American friends how easy it is to drive to Wales from London, I suggest visiting Chepstow and Tintern Abbey if they’re headed toward Cardiff. Chepstow is just over the border from England in Monmouthshire, and it’s a really interesting town. I parked up by the castle which dominates the town, and walked alongside the walls into the town center. There are plenty of cute tea rooms for a sandwich or, even better, a scone with jam and clotted cream! The buildings and streets display historic architecture, so it’s enjoyable just wandering around. I ended up by the River Wye where there are several pretty riverfront restaurants. At one time, Chepstow was the largest port in Wales - - hard to imagine now, today offering a much more rural setting with small boats on the river and riverside hiking trails taking the place of docks.
From Chepstow, I drove ten minutes to visit Tintern Abbey. Wow, it’s impressive. Maybe it’s the unique setting in the Wye Valley, or perhaps the majestic ruin itself that dramatically soars upward as you stand within the beautiful stone walls. The abbey has inspired poetry by William Wordsworth and Alfred, Lord Tennyson; paintings by J. M. W. Turner; and a music video by Iron Maiden (‘Can I Play With Madness’).
So, having been to both Chepstow and Tintern Abbey today, I can reinstate my claim that they are both “must-visit” places as you head into South Wales.
The weather here in Wales is gorgeous today. Sadly I’m about to go into two days of meetings in Cardiff before heading up to North Wales where I’ll be showing some American journalists and tour operators around our stunning country. Fingers crossed that the weather stays nice into next week!
