W3 - Lower Redbrook to Llangattock Lingoed

Summary
Good weather, great views and a bit of everything on the walk today including some other walkers ! Not many mind you. The only thing that was missing was Offa's Dyke. Heaven knows where it went but where ever it was, it wasn't near us. That didn't bother us. We had plenty to see and do and there wasn't a single stile over the whole 18 miles. A great advert for Wales. This is the Naval Temple, overlooking Monmouth, where Admiral Nelson had dinner in 1802 with Lady Hamilton.







Longer version
As we are getting use to already on Offa's Dyke the day starts with an up. The great thing was that it was sunny with almost blue skies. So up through the quiet by-lanes to the Naval Temple built in the C18th to be a place where Naval officers could entertain. We then headed down to Monmouth. As you probably know it has a very famous boys school. It was also the birth place of Henry V - Agincourt and "Once more to the breach dear friends"; a rousing yarn if ever you want to be introduced to Shakespeare. It is also the county seat - so a lot is going for Monmouth, including a Lidl and a Waitrose. It also has a rather impressive gate house although not surprisingly over the Wye. 
 We could not linger however as we still had 15 miles to go. None of the climbing was truly steep but it was a case of plodding on through Kings Wood and passed numerous small hamlets (all without shops or pubs etc). It was full of nice ups and downs and a lot of cows - I would imagine milk here is a big industry. 


We were very surprised by Sweetcorn (Maize) - there is lots of it. And its not fun to walk through: to me its a bit like being in a car wash - wacked by all the brushes - And before you ask yes I have been on the outside of a car going through a car wash. I suppose walking through a sweetcorn field is a rights of passage that is often in US films BUT not in Wales.
So it was our longest day on Offa's Dyke - 44,500 steps, but less climbing and more fun. I would have loved more cake but without any shops that was difficult. We we arrived at the Old Rectory B&B in Llangattcok however, what was there but fruit cake and copious amounts of tea. The local pub was also good. Overall a great day, if a bit long 😎



Comments

  1. LenAugust 14, 2018 at 12:35 AM

    As informative and atmospheric as your write up is of this leg, I suspect what we would really like a little more information on is with regards this little statement, "yes I have been on the outside of a car going through a car wash" (did you seriously think you could drop that in there and no one was going to ask!?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownAugust 15, 2018 at 9:41 AM

      In the 1980's we were on a wine trip around Bordeaux and after a very hot summer, the car was very dirty so we decided to put it in a car wash. Alas the revolving brushes lifted the arial by about a foot, and I knew on the backward pass it would be snapped off. So I had no alternative but to dive in and hold the arial down. Being flogged by brushes wasn't too bad although I was drenched and the French guys running the car wash (plus my wife) were in fits of laughter seeing a mad English man being spruced up

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