Day 16: Awed and amazed in Caerwent and Abaty Tyndyrn

It was hard this morning to drag ourselves away from the motorway Travelodge (nr Beckington, Somerset) with its shabby carpet and chipped bath, but it was time to move on.  Ninety minutes later, were in Wales, although we were slugged 6 pounds for the privilege (bridge toll). 

Before I go on, I must say two things I keep forgetting to say.  1.  We have so far seen 12 dead badgers. 2.  I'm sorry if I sound like a know-all, blathering on about the history of every place we visit (eg Bath yesterday). I do know that many of my several dozen blog readers ( ;-) ) have been to all these places but most are new to me and I'm very excitable!  So do forgive me.  (And humour me as well!) 

Our first port of call this morning was the most extraordinary place, just over the Welsh border.  It is called Caerwent and I had only heard of it because it featured on Time Team on the ABC a couple of years ago.   In and around a small farming village are the walls and foundations of an entire Roman city.  The city walls are still 5 metres high in some places.  
                   

It's so low key that none of the local businesses seem to capitalise on it at all - quite refreshing really!  There's not much in the way of public parking and it was quite difficult to work out where to begin our exploring.  Fortunately a helpful local told us where to park and where to start and we walked the entire circumference of the wall - well over a kilometre, and then went through sheep paddocks and lanes to the foundations of Roman shops, houses and temples.

 

 

I often think the word "amazing" is over-used but it is so applicable to this place. Imagine sheep sunning themselves on the portals of a Roman temple.  Imagine your house backing onto a Roman market place.  We saw both those things.  And while there is now some recognition of the importance of Caerwent, it's clear that some locals in the past have been a bit blase about it, using bits of Roman ruins to build their front fences and prop up their carports. 

After our meander around Roman Caerwent we stopped for coffee at the Caerwent pub and the bar-keep came over for a chat.  He said that last week he and his grandson were having a play in the backyard when his grandson kicked a molehill and unearthed a Roman coin.   He said that is quite a common occurence and yes, Caerwent locals are a bit blase about their heritage.

 

 

I mentioned how I had only heard about Caerwent through Time Team and he said a couple of the Time Team archaeologists were back last week, excavating a few kms away, where an ancient Briton tribal chieftan's house has been unearthed.  The bar-keep also reckoned that the Time Team guys were in his pub when a Wales v. France rugby match was being screened and they were surprised that all the Welsh locals were barracking for France, not England.  Haw haw!

  Speaking of rugby (and I am getting ahead of myself but will move on with our adventures soon, honestly!) we are currently housed for the night in a 15th century pub and watching a Six Nations rugby game between Wales and England, being played in Cardiff.  Imagine how startled we were when the Cardiff crowd, many thousands of them, all started singing that Tom Jones ditty, 'Delilah'.  It sure ain't the same as Liverpool FC's "You'll never walk alone".  And what extraordinary gusto they showed when they came to the line "I saw the knife in my hand and she laughed no more"..... Deary me - is that the best they can do?  Even "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" or "What's New Pussycat" (which are both bits of shite) would be better than that misogynist doggerel.   

 

But back to Travels with Geoff and Anne.  A mere spit from Caerwent (about 15 kms) down a winding road and into the Wye valley, was the  magical Tintern Abbey.   I know I'm big on hyperbole, but this is simply the most magnificent building I have ever seen.  And it was absolutely huge!

 

I cannot begin to describe how awesome this place is.  And just one abbreviated sentence of history: Cistercian monks: 13th century.  The end.                                                                     

 

  I cannot do it justice with words, so will just use a few more pics to show its magnificence: 

 

 

.  

Geoffy in the Abbey book room.

 

 

We were so lucky that the weather was kind to us today for both Caerwent and Tintern Abbey.  Both would have been disappointing in the rain. I do feel I was cheated of the full splendour of Avebury yesterday, simply because rain was pissing down. But like Arnold Q. Swarzenburger, I will be back!! 

Half time rugby score: England 3 Wales 9.  Go Wales!