Thursday 17 August. Tintern Parva to Chepstow.

We left our B&B at 9:45 today, a little later than normal as it was a short day. It was bright and sunny as we set off as the first photograph looking back to our B&B shows. We passed Tintern Abbey, before we crossed the highway and headed up to near Riddings farm.

The path was a re-route from our OS map and climbed steeply up what appeared to be an old stream bed. There were no views back to Tintern Abbey.

We eventually came out in farm paddocks with a fence ahead behind which lay an extensive area of forest. We were shortly to walk in that forest for the rest of the day, but first we had to negotiate the boggy gate.

The next photo is taken looking back towards that gate and fence line, you might just be able to pick out Shiel on her way up. The extensive view gives an idea of how far we had climbed already.

When we entered the forest we found the toughest climb of the day before the track eventually levelled out.

The rest of the day was spent walking in forest, the path going up and down, somtimes stony, sometimes very boggy. In fact it was very much like an NZ bush walk but with deciduous trees rather than evergreens. Most distant views were restricted but there was the odd spot, like The Eagle's Nest, that provided majestic views over the river  Wye to the Severn beyond.

The path went through a tunnel, constructed in Victorian times to improves acces to the great views, such as the limestone crags on the far

 side of the valley.

The forest has matured since Victorian times, as the location of this "viewpoint" shows.

We reached the last viewpoint, of Chepstow, just after 2:30pm and were in pur B&B, The George, by check in time (3pm).