Day 42: Monmouth to Chepstow

Distance: 16.5 miles
Time: 6 hrs 50 mins
Weather: Hot and sunny
Cumulative distance: 713.3 miles

Farewell to Offa, several refreshment stops along the Wye valley and a room with a view.

Along with probably millions of people in the UK, the heat prevented me from getting a good night's sleep and at 4am I was still awake. Not ideal for a long distance walker!

After breakfast, I left David to wait for his taxi to Hay-on-Wye to collect his car, and began the steep climb out of Monmouth to The Kymin, a local beauty spot which offered superb valley views. The Round House was once a naval banqueting house, to which Nelson brought his lady friends (according to a local I met nearby).

It was another very hot day with little breeze, but the riverside path did provide some shelter from the sun. I walked for a few miles with Les and Anne, a couple from Thornbury who explained some of the local history and enthused about their visits to Hebridean islands.

At lunchtime my relationship with Offa fizzled out. I'd flirted with other paths in recent days and today the Wye Valley path offered more interesting side shows, including Tintern Abbey and the River Wye itself. Nevertheless, I'd been faithful to Offa for most of the many sunny days since meeting him at the Llangollen canal.

I passed through the Old Station at Tintern, a lively visitor attraction which had accumulated numerous tourist awards. I stopped there for a coke and followed this with another refreshment stop at Tintern Abbey, where I met a friendly couple from Galway, who were fascinated in my walk.

I needed another refreshment stop a few miles down the road, so found a village pub. Unfortunately the coke was not available, so I was forced to have a pint of Reverend James beer instead.

I approached Chepstow via a scenic footpath which passed the castle, the oldest surviving stone fortification in Britain apparently. My hotel, the Castle View, predictably offered fine views from my bedroom window. After a relaxing bath, I wandered down the high street and dined at Mamma Mia's, an Italian restaurant. The food was delicious, plentiful and good value, the service friendly and efficient. Time to return to England.