Chepstow Castle,Wales

Serendipity – if I hadn’t caught a glimpse of Chepstow Castle from the train on my first visit to Wales, I might never have visited this lovely little town overlooked by a centuries-old castle.

Chepstow Castle sits high on a cliff overlooking a bend in the River Wye. The first castle was built in 1066 and added to at several later stages and again – an extra storey on the great hall, expanded kitchen facilities, greater defences.

The signage helps bring the ruins to life. I could picture the servants bustling about as they prepared and served a meal in the hall, rushing down to the cellar to fetch another barrel of ale or wine.

There’s a terrace overlooking the river that must have been the scene for sharing personal news, arguing with a spouse, or initiating a romance for generation after generation.

Tourists began to visit the site in the 1800s with day trips by steamer from Bristol, and the area was well loved by Romantics. J M W Turner painted the castle, while William Wordsworth wrote a poem about Tintern Abbey, just upstream from the castle.

In the meantime, daily life continues and the residents of Chipstow exercise their dogs on the lawns surrounding the castle.