"Border Town of England and Wales" a Chepstow Travel Page by M0B1US

Chepstow is an attractive little walled town at a strategic location on the River Wye on the border of Wales and England, and as such was fortified by the Normans less than a year after they conquered Britain.

The name Chepstow is Old English for 'Marketplace', and indeed it does hold a large (and very tacky!) market at the racecourse every Sunday. Its Welsh name of Cas-Gwent means literally the port of Gwent.

One of the best features of this charming town is its impressive and historically very interesting castle (whose keep is the oldest stone fortification of a castle in Britain) standing guard dramatically on limestone cliffs towering above the Wye.

Visit the castle! It was in continuous military use for over 600 years and as such is a fine example of the advances in castle building technology from 1067 to 1690...

Check out the quirky Chepstow Museum, one of those interesting little town museums packed with over a thousand years of history!

Go to the races at Chepstow Racecourse, home of the Welsh National.

Chepstow also respresents and excellent starting or finishing point if you're visiting the Wye Valley with Tintern Abbey only about a 15 minute drive to the north.

It is also at the southern end of the Offa's Dyke Trail and as such offers a great number of characterful hotels, guesthouses and places to eat and drink.

Chepstow has easy bus and rail connections to Bristol and all of South Wales. It is on the London to Cardiff National Express bus route as well.

The best way to get around easily and see all the sights is by car, but there is a comprehensive public transport network in this area...

For something different, why not try taking a boat trip up the Wye to Tintern Abbey on the Severn Princess.

Or there are two excellent walking routes including the start (or end) of the World famous Offa's Dyke Path on the English side of the Wye and the Wye Valley Path on the Welsh side - a popular walk is to visit Tintern Abbey using the two walks as a circuit...

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