Exploring Chepstow Castle

We were recently invited by Cross Country Trains to take a day trip anywhere along their routes and with my youngest being obsessed with castles I thought why not Chepstow. Only just over half an hour from Cardiff this historical Welsh Town really feels much further away as you travel through some beautiful countryside to get there leaving the face paced city quickly behind. It's been a few years since we were last in Chepstow and I also invited my mother to come along which and it was lovely to spend the day with her and my very excited 2yr old. 

Chepstow has a wonderful feel to it, the colourful row of houses that lead down to the castle are so pretty as well as all the ivy covered pubs. We stopped in to a little bakery to pick up a few pastries before heading to the castle which is also near the small but perfectly formed Chepstow museum. We also past Th Castle View hotel which we actually stayed in when my eldest was the same age as my youngest is now, so nearly five years ago, it's a really rustic hotel with a fantastic restaurant and great views, I highly recommend it if you are looking somewhere to stay in the area and do check out my blog post. While we were there last time they were doing essential works on the castle and we couldn't go in so it was finally time to explore this cliff top fortress.

My youngest was all rearing to, he had been in his knight outfit since 9am and with sword and shield in hand he couldn't wait to explore each and every nook and cranny of this place. What I was really surprised by was just how vast this castle is and this is due to it's history as century after century it expanded across the cliff top and so much of it is still in tact. If you do visit you need to allocate a few hours to really take it all in and your not rushed, the castle also boasts the older doors in Europe with one beautiful wooden door dating back nearly 800 years. The walk up the tower is also recommended as the views across Chepstow from there are amazing and well worth the walk, there is also a few sculptures doted around the castle which my youngest loved.

As there is no cafe on site as of yet we decided to head back into town square with has a variety of cafes and bistros. As it was just past lunchtime and still fairly busy we went for the easy option of coffee one which was nice and relax and had a small kids area with some nice books and toys. There are some really interesting little boutiques and vintage stores dotted around the town and I really want to come back with a little bit more time and have a look at these although with it being only 30mins from Cardiff and the trains are fairly regular I may even do this when my eldest is in school and have a child-free wander around as well really enjoyed our time on our little day trip to the area.

I have to say having grown up in South Africa where public transport is pretty much non-existent the UK has a fantastic train network making nearly every major city and town accessible and it's something I really like to take advantage of. Train travel is probably one of my favourite ways to go as you can really sit back and take it all and I really believe in the journey being as fun and interesting as the destination. We are hoping to do a few more train trips in the coming months and possible even an overnight one which is very exciting. Make sure to check out my You Tube channel and little vlog of our time in Chepstow.