Monmouthshire

On the walls of Caerwent

Tuesday was a very long day, but probably the closest I’ve had to a perfect day ever. We started early – left Cardiff at 7 am – and drove to an old Roman town called Caerwent. There were some walls left and we snapped a few pictures, but it was a little site out in the middle of the country next to some houses, so we didn’t stay long. Our next stop was Chepstow Castle, right on the River Wye. It’s huge – it took a good two hours to explore, and that was running from room to room – or should I say lawn to lawn. There are only ruins now, but you can definitely see fireplaces built into the walls of the second and third stories. Construction started on it in the 12th century and didn’t really stop until the 17th century. They just kept adding onto it. It was a beautiful castle with a spectacular view of the river and the hills. I even got some time to sit and read for a few minutes and just take in the fact that I was sitting in a castle…

Our next stop was Tintern Abbey. For those of you who know me well, this was the most important site. One of my favorite poems was inspired by these ruins, and to actually stand there was a spiritual experience. I even had the privilege of reading the poem aloud to our group, and the power of reading those words in that place was beyond description.

Following Tintern, we went to Monmouth Castle, or what was left of it. These ruins were not spectacular – there was pretty much one wall standing and then a big modern building next to it that housed a military museum. It was interesting to say the least. The museum obviously did not get very much funding and though it had some really cool artifacts, the entire establishment had the feeling of a sixth-grade history project: green felt shelving in cheap glass cases, computer-printed labels cut out by hand and held in place with thumbtacks. Kind of depressing, really.

The last place we visited Tuesday was Raglan Castle. By this point I was a bit castled out, but the ruins were so fantastic and so expansive that it was still quite impressive. This was the last castle built in Medieval England, so by then they had things mostly figured out. It had a great moat, with lily pads and goldfish and even an alligator or two. Ok, so there weren’t alligators, but the architecture was much finer and the floorplan more intricate than Chepstow, Monmouth, or Carreg Cennen. It had multiple courtyards, one originally with a fountain, and we got to climb to the top of the tower and see for miles.

Great Hall of Chepstow CastleView of the Wye River from Chepstow's wallsMe at Chepstow A view from the outside of ChepstowChecking out the view :)I'm at Tintern Abbey!perfect view of Tintern from the parking lotMore of TinternView of the once-stained-glass windows Great shot of the interiorDon't make me leave!Standing in Tintern Abbey, holding my Wordsworth One last lookAll that was left of Monmouth CastleMe on Monmouth BridgeIn front of RaglanOnly part of Raglan, fron the frontSome of the ruins from the inside of RaglanLooking down from an upper wallView from the top-most tower Side view of Raglan, complete with a lily-padded moat

Tuesday was a great day of dream-fulfilling :)