About

A bustling border market town, Chepstow is the gateway to the Wye Valley. Spend some time exploring the winding back streets with a variety of shops, restaurants and cafés, and take in the old town walls and the 15th century gatehouse. The first stone castle to be built in Britain following the Norman Conquest still stands guard over the River Wye as it nears its confluence with the Severn Estuary. And the town that grew up around it has been an important port and market centre ever since.

There are regular race meetings at nearby Chepstow Racecourse, home of the Welsh National, which is situated within the grounds of historic Piercefield Park. Famous views from the Wye Valley Walk section from Chepstow lead you along th Piercefield Walks and stunning viewpoints such as The Alcove and Eagles Nest.

Chepstow’s past includes shipbuilding and salmon fishing, the export of timber and oak bark and the import of wine. And in the 18th century the town became popular with visitors following the Wye Tour, Britain’s first tourist trail, which attracted the wealthy and the idealistic in search of the picturesque. Amongst them were the artists Turner and Sandby and the poet Wordsworth.

Chepstow Museum tells the story of the Wye Tour, and is a short walk from the Regency iron bridge over the Wye. Until the Severn Road Bridge opened in 1966, this provided the most direct road access from Bristol to South Wales.

Today, the two Severn crossings at the edge of Chepstow are regarded as amongst the most iconic and recognisable sights in southern England.