So On To Chepstow, Tintern Abbey, Wild Camping And A Welsh Chapel In The Morning.

We had our breakfast in a pub chain that always gives us good value for our money.   Yes Wetherspoons.  

 We decided to move to a far away table because some one was shouting on his mobile phone and how he was explaining by swearing how violent he was going to be to the person on the other end of the phone.  It was very unnerving and the bar staff expertly removed the man from the pub.  

These bar staff and kitchen staff are so brave and handle things so efficiently.

After an hearty breakfast we headed back towards the train station.  Someone  told us there a lot of ex soldiers  with mental issues and many are homeless.

My friend very shrewdly asked the ticket seller at Taunton railway station how much the fare was to Chepstow and Shroud.  By buying a ticket to both towns individually,  we saved 18 Pounds  collectively.

The Tourist Information office in Chepstow told us about the bus station location.

So we walked up the hill to the bus station.  We passed a poster advertising Hawkwind at Chepstow on the 28th of August.  Very kindly and wisely the castle proprietor had given permission for Hawkwind fans to camp in a field free of charge.  

This reminded me of when I went to Ballyshannon Rory Gallagher Rock Festival in June.  People camped on grass verges in the centre of the town and the Garda let people enjoy themselves and camp.  People are on holiday let them enjoy themselves.

So we waited for the bus and eventually set off to Tintern Abbey:

Another place where the Wordsworths visited. I bet they never had to pay the admission price?

We didn't pay to visit  the site of the Abbey.  We did discuss which is the most beautiful Abbey in England and Wales and the rest of the UK.  My choices would be Fountains Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral.  What's yours?

We couldn't find anywhere affordable  to stay or one single campsite.  So we retired up a bridleway and pitched one tent for free.  I used my sleeping bag in its bag for a pillow.  It soon went dark and cold and we were slept on the side of an hill.  We kept sliding down the hill.  About 4 in the morning my friend realised he had lost his wedding ring.  I gave him my torch and after about twenty minutes he found the gold ring and some pound coins glistening in the torchlight.

We left no trace and I woke up in the morning shivering.  Twigs cracked, leaves fell on to the top of the tent and strange birds 🐦  made weird early morn noises.

My friend went for a walk to catch breaking Dawn Tintern Abbey photos.

At about 7 in the morning I heard something or someone running past the tent.  About ten minutes later my friend came back and said he had met the runner and he thought it was brilliant that we had wild camped.  I thought it sad that Welsh or English tourist boards couldn't provide a few basic camping facilities 

The jogger told my friend about a beautiful Welsh Chapel up from where we camped.   It was half seven in the morning and we found the beautiful old chapel.

We caught the bus back to Chepstow and settled for a breakfast .  I had a pint of Doombar and my friend had three or four cups of milky coffee.  Next train stop was Gloucester and on to Stroud and Laurie Lee Country.

I will tell you  more tomorrow .👍