"Up The Dyke" Day 2 - July 14th 2002, Chepstow to Monmouth "Obscured by Trees!"
Day	Date	Start	Finish	Approx. Miles	Hours	Accommodation
2	Sun. 14th July	Chepstow	Monmouth	~18 (including detours)	8	Iris Jones, Verdi Bosco, 65 Wonastow Road, Monmouth NP25 5DG, Tel. 01600 7144411

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I was going to call today's walk "Jalapeno's Revenge" after the feeling of my early morning "essential" following last night's pizza. But that department seemed to settle down nicely! You'll see later why I called it "Obscured by Trees". Anyway, after a great night's sleep and a pretty good breakfast I left Chepstow at about 09:45 for what I had believed to be the 15¾ mile walk to Monmouth. The weather was still excellent with not a cloud in the sky and I walked in just shorts and T shirt all day. To get back to The Path meant walking alongside the busy A48 again and over the architecturally very uninspiring bridge.

The first couple of miles are along paved or tarmaced paths often at the backs of houses but it soon took me across fields eventually reaching the B4228 where, rather disastrously, The Path is poorly and misleadingly marked and I took a wrong turning (the first of at least three). About 20 minutes later and a mile out of my way a kindly gardener put me back on the right track and along the top of the cliffs high above the River Wye. Wonderful views were promised but, as yesterday, the dense tree canopy prevented any significant vistas until I reached the area above the Lancaut Peninsula.

Later on the B4288 I came across a house called Little Chase where the owners had thoughtfully put water out for walkers. What a kind and lovely idea. Shortly after The Path resumes its route along woodland trails and I actually stopped a foreign couple (Dutch?) taking a wrong turning - me, the great navigator! I soon got the only view I had of Tintern Abbey complete with scaffolding and car park full of cars. The setting is wonderful but the magic was taken away for me.

Shortly after I met another couple of day walkers, pointed them in the right direction for Tintern and continued past the limestone outcrop called The Devil's Pulpit. At this stage I had to decide whether to take the longer route alongside the River Wye or the shorter path over the hills. It was such a lovely day that I chose the former. Earlier I'd passed two guys walking and when I passed through Brockweir and alongside the river they passed me as I stopped for a butty. I soon overtook them once more as they stopped for their own food and to try to repair a blister that one of them had. I christened them the Blister Boys for the time being. The walk alongside the Wye is exceptionally beautiful, especially in weather such as that day. However, the whole effect was a little spoilt by the traffic noise from the A466 running on the other bank. In fact it seems that there was hardly a moment free from traffic noise during this day's walk.

Along the river bank I met a guy out walking on his own for the day and heading along the Wye Valley Way to Monmouth where his partner was to pick him up (he hoped). At Bigsweir a rather attractive iron bridge takes the A466 over the Wye and the high level route joins the riverside path. The Path was one again. After going across a couple of fields it was into the gloom of woodland paths once more. Soon The Path left Offa's Dyke and it left me also as I got lost again - only about ½ mile wrong this time, but frustrating nonetheless and I was rapidly running out of water. I'd taken a litre of water, two cartons of orange drink and a ½ litre flask of coffee. The last of these was never a wise move as the weather was far too hot to drink it.

Eventually The Path left the trees and descended to Redbrook, a very nice village (despite being on the A466) with three pubs all with four letters in their name and all beginning with B (I found the Bell and the Boat and I think the third had been the Bush but now converted into an Osteopath's clinic). The book said to turn by the Little Chef in Redbrook and I walked quite a way before asking a lady (actually in the garden of the Bush Osteopathy Clinic which I reckon was the third Redbrook pub - the aforementioned Bush) where it was. She said that it had been back the way I had come but had been closed for a couple of years. I backtracked (for the third time in the day) and got back onto the route leading to The Kymin, a beautiful natural wooded park, high above Monmouth. Noelene phoned me as I was way behind schedule as a result of my "detours". I reached the naval Temple and Round House viewpoint, getting the most wonderful view of Monmouth.

From The Kymin I walked downhill through Garth Wood and eventually down to the A4136 and into Monmouth. Then it wasn't so easy to find Iris Jones' B&B but when I did I was met by her and Noelene and got a fine welcome as well as about a litre of water, a bath and we drove back to the Bell at Redbrook for a couple of good beers and a fine meal.

Day 2 Impressions

The title "Obscured by Trees" is so appropriate because, although fine views are promised, they are constantly hidden by the tree canopy. I may sound like a "moaning Minnie" but the constant walk along forest tracks, pretty as they are, and the traffic noise that was there most of the time spoilt the day for me. However, the walk along the River Wye was wonderful and even though it added a mile onto the day it's well worth taking. Tomorrow's walk promises less woods, more fields and better views.

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