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Published: September 12th 2023
This blog - the second part of our trip to the Forest of Dean and the Welsh borders - has been a wile in the creative process. Sometimes, the words just flow. Other times, they don't. On this occasion, I can blame neither and life has just quite simply got in the way. There is no high powered career to bother about anymore, but getting the best out of the NHS is in effect a job in its own right. Life is very much dominated by the latter at the moment and even this trip was a last minute plan, squeezed in between the various appointments and blood tests that the Other Half now has in her permanent calendar. The majority spend a significant portion of their lives avoiding the institution and it seems such a shame, that when you come to a point in your life that you require their services, the system has become a political football. Appointments. Cancelled appointments. Industrial action. Right hand and left hand seemingly unable to communicate.
We have travelled down the main road, which edges the historic town of Monmouth on many occasions, without ever venturing into the centre. Cardiff or Swansea bound
Abergavenny Town FC
Pen-Y-Pound Stadium for football usually, there had never been time for such detours. It was always a question of getting through those A40 traffic lights, which inevitably lead to a snarl up of traffic in both directions. Today, was no different - the queue was evident - except this time there was no pressing engagement in the capital or beyond. The town sits at the juncture of the Rivers Wye and River Monnow, which fitted beautifully with controlling influence in the early days, but does nothing for the impatient needs of modern transport. We parked up quite easily for free on the west side of the River Monnow and headed the few minutes walk into town. The Monnow Bridge is a good place to start with Monmouth. It is the only remaining fortified bridge remaining in the UK, although there is something similar in Warkworth, Northumberland that could lay claim to the fact there are two. Vera has now walked over both. Well travelled dog. Once a common stronghold to collect tolls, urban expansion meant most were obsolete and in the way of progress. Whilst the current concentration on travel exclusively at "home" occasionally has frustrations, it never ceases to amaze me
the domestic highlights we often overlook in favour of the glamorous and exotic on these shores. If Monmouth was in Tuscany, the bridge would be much more heralded. I waited patiently for the seagulls to abandon their positions. We might be a fair distance from the coast, but the proximity of the Monnow Fish Bar at the town end of the bridge makes this an attractive haunt for the seabirds. A ready made, high rise observation deck to see who has just purchased cod and chips. It is a bit difficult to conceive that this area was a shipbuilding centre for the Royal Navy, before the new bridge construction at Chepstow cut off the route to the sea. Nelson himself visited in 1802 and was said to be impressed by the quality of the local timber for naval ships. Indirectly, this is how a small rural market town ended up with a Nelson Museum. The permanent site closed with COVID and I read the collection is now housed in the Shire Hall.
We headed up the road towards the town. A Waitrose supermarket indicated that the locals had a bit of coin. The "public" school, originally founded in 1614,
draws a certain type. The Monmouth School For Boys proudly states that it is "recognised as one of the leading boarding schools in the world". It doesn't jump out of the page, who exactly recognises it, but nevertheless you get the point. At boarding fees of £38,500, you would expect so anyway. Mind, kids of forces officers are in for some serious discounts. Schools like Monmouth are obviously quite keen to highlight some of their alumni, as a focal point for future recruiting drives. As always, the devil is in the detail. You would obviously highlight an individual becoming CEO of possibly the biggest growth story in coffee in the UK, but maybe forget to say he started as a delivery driver for a regional pizza chain. The best educated delivery driver indeed. I would also be a bit cautious about highlighting an ex-Minister of Sport, who dreamed up an ID card scheme to stop working class lads following their football team too. We stopped off for a spot of lunch in Salt and Pepper - half way up towards the Shire Hall. We settled for their lovely terrace on the first floor at the back of the building, as
opposed to the outdoor seating on the main street. I read with interest, that there is some local controversy on updating the street, reorganizing the parking opportunities and the like. The dining booths on the footway are referred to by some as "sheds established during COVID", seemed to be getting a bit of stick. I would add regardless, the food was good and I would suggest you consider it as a strong possibility if passing Monmouth. I would have liked a bigger bit of quiche for my money, but then Yorkshire born folk are difficult to please when they part with money!
The Shire Hall is a truly impressive building, outside which stands a statue of Charles Rolls. Charles Rolls .... motoring and aviation pioneer ... he of Rolls Royce fame. Rolls' family pad was outside Monmouth, although he seemed to have lived a privileged life mainly elsewhere. After his initial enthusiasm with the motor business, it was the bug of aviation that drew his interest. He died in flying accident, aged just 32. The statue was erected in 1911 - made by the same foundry as the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus. We walked up towards the Savoy
Theatre - said to be the oldest working theatre in Wales. After that, it was on to the Castle - or more correctly what is left of it. In an area where Castles proliferate, this one is not at the top of your list. The Great Castle House stands opposite - home to the Royal Monmouthshire Engineers. A small Museum next door depicts the role of the regiment in conflict. Vera was technically not admitted, but a blind eye was turned and she waited patiently in the small garden out back. We would be back in Monmouth faster than anticipated. The Other Half left a brolly at the checkout in Salt and Pepper, so we returned to collect it on our way back.
If Monmouth Castle was nothing to write home about, Raglan was a worthy stop. If you are looking for an archetypical model Castle with a dramatic entrance, moat and all the bells and whistles, this is the one. Armed with our CADW pass, entry was free. Of course, as a military installation Raglan bit the dust in the Civil War. Occupied by Royalists supporting Charles 1, Cromwell's forces made sure it was beyond being capable of
Tudor Brewery
Black Mountain Stout ..... liquid coal from Abertillery future military activity once they had occupied the Castle in 1646. Raglan was certainly popular, so I would recommend a visit earlier in the day. We also visited a couple of other minor Castles in the nearby vicinity. Both White and Skenwith were a little bit off the beaten track and certainly missed by the masses at Raglan. The roads up to White Castle involved a lot of single track roads, so perhaps if you are traveling in a camper - think about an off season day. We had blue skies at Raglan, but the following day at White and Skenwith the low cloud and rain had descended. We were the only visitors at both! I would highly recommend the CADW Pass we purchased. It was valid for 3 days in any 7 following the first use and gave free entry. We had already been to Chepstow Castle and also fitted a side trip yo the very impressive Tintern Abbey. We grew up on school trips to Fountains and Rievaulx in North Yorkshire. Tintern was every bit as impressive.
We headed to the "Gateway to the Brecon Beacons" - Abergavenny. In other pieces, it is also termed the "Gateway
to Wales". The weather was still less than satisfactory, so perhaps the vistas of surrounding hills and mountains were not shown to their best. If it was easy to park in Monmouth with a bit of planning, Abergavenny offered no such opportunities. Monmouth might be having a few internal conversations about the redesign of their main street and parking arrangements, but it appears these have already occurred in Abergavenny. We strolled along the main shopping street without finding too much to entertain or distract us. I popped in a well stocked, second hand vinyl record shop. A good selection was available, but prices were a bit steep for random purchasing. I picked up a couple of bottles of liquid coal - stout from a local microbrewery. As with Monmouth, the Castle is a non event in terms of all the others you can visit in the area. It was both closed and not dog friendly anyway.
We climbed out of town and into next valley to the Blaenavon. The rural market town of Abergavenny swaps to the South Wales we would normally associate with - heavy industry. The Big Pit is close by. A coal mine that you can
Abergavenny Town FC
Pen-Y-Pound Stadium still descend into, as an educational tool to highlight the rich, industrial heritage of the area. I have been down the similar one in West Yorkshire. Let us just say, you can have nothing but admiration for those who toiled underground to make a living. We were heading for Blaenavon Ironworks. Once again, the CADW pass granted us free entry. In 1788, the Blaenavon area was at the forefront of industrial revolution and the site is preserved as a UNESCO heritage project. The drizzle and rain continued and added to the atmosphere.
It was the reverse climb back over the hill towards Abergavenny for the evening entertainment. Firstly, we needed food and a venue that was dog friendly. I had a few places in mind in Abergavenny itself, but a surprising number didn't serve on a Tuesday and others not until, after 6 pm. We settled for a pub in Pantygelli, where we got a table in the dog friendly bar. The restaurant was out of bounds. After a fairly decent meal, it was a short drive back to the Pen-y- Pound Stadium. I would anticipate some readers will have been familiar with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, but I
doubt that the Abergavenny Thursdays Football Club will ever have registered. The club were 2 times champions of Wales, as recently as 1992. They slipped into oblivion and the local Gwent League, before finally going bust in 2013. The unusual name of Thursdays derives from the traditional half day in this part of Wales and the formation of social clubs to entertain the workers. Abergavenny Thursdays revived and merged with another local club to form Abergavenny Town and it they that we were here to see on a soggy Tuesday night. The Pen-y-Pound might not be staging top flight football anymore or seeing titles won, but Abergavenny are on the rise again .... well at least to the Cymru South Division 2nd tier. It was £5 on the gate for the visit of Llantwit Major. The Stadium still has a big feel to it, although renovation work is much needed. The impressive looking Main Stand remains out of bounds - asbestos in the roof, I believe - but there is scale. Alas on the pitch, promise didn't deliver the 3 points. All too often, neat approach play had no end product. Llantwit sneaked off with the victory, after the home
team missed a penalty late on.
Appendix 1 JD Cymru South Abergavenny Town FC 0 Llantwit Major FC 1 Venue: Pen-y-Pound Stadium, Hill Road, Abergavenny. Monmouthshire. NP7 6EH
Date: Tuesday 8th August 2023 @ 1930 Hours
Attendance: Est 400
Scorers: R Jones 79 Mins (Llantwit Major)
Abergavenny Town FC: C Clarke, G Clarke, Bowkett, Evans, Dinham, Alderson, Watkins, Davies, Thomas, Marengi, Schwank Subs: Williams, Ellaway, Paton, Methven, Holmes, Wesson
Llantwit Major FC: Goodwen, Tweedy, Invernizzi, Evans, Bell, Kimmins, Dixon, Woolfenden, Hansen-Taylor, Lillico, Edwards Subs: Jones, Miller, Allen, Hayman, Morgan, Pearce
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Welsh Castles
How wonderful to see your pen guiding you to share your pics of three Welsh Castles that convey mystic of glory and battles past. I have posted some of your pics in TB's "Palaces & Castles" thread in the Photography Forum. Check 'em out as well as our fabulous collection from around the World.