Grand Tour of England Day 6

Last night we had a short walk on the Taff Way from our camp site to a pretty waterfall.

We rose to sunshine so quickly drove a few miles from the camp site to look at pen-y-fan, the hill we’d climbed in the cloud and not seen. It did look like there would be nice views.

We planned to drive down the Wye Valley to Tintern Abbey (blipped) then on to Chepstow and across the Severn Bridge to our next site at Cirencester Park. It was such a pretty drive through lovely green rolling countryside. The verges were full of wild flowers - big daisies, buttercups and a red plant. The road down the Wye Valley seemed quiet apart from a lot of cyclists. It became apparent why when we got to the abbey - the road was closed from there and the diversion to get to Chepstow was up a steep narrow road. We decided, after I enjoyed the abbey, to drive back to Monmouth and then to Gloucester. At the abbey we chatted to a man who was cycling from John o’Groats to Lands End. He was a week behind his plan as it had been tougher than expected. What a achievement - he hadn’t done anything like it and had only cycled to work before.

We made good time despite the detour and reached our site about 2pm. We have never stayed in such a place before. It has over 200 caravans and camper vans and rules about which way your van has to face. We had to queue to get in and had lots of forms to fill in. It cost over £25 a night. The reason we had to get the site was because the rules at Roger and Carol’s gated community had changed and vans weren’t allowed, even in their own drive, so Roger sorted out this site near there. He had been due to return from sorting out their Mallorca house but the flight was cancelled so we didn’t see him. Carol picked us up and we had a walk with her in Cirencester park, then through the cold town with it’s pretty buildings made of the pale yellow Cotswold stone. Everything is so pretty and I imagine pretty expensive. We met Carol’s daughter and family who live in the old town. En route back to the car we walked to the Roman amphitheatre. Not that you’d recognise it - it was mere mounds of earth.

Carol lives in a new house on a man-made lake surrounded by other exclusive properties. It was amazing. A designer had done the interior. The sun was hot - they have 2 decks leading down directly to the lake so we sat there living the dream with our G&T which was also designer. Carol is a perfectionist and everything was beautiful. After dinner she drove us back.

Roger is being banished upstairs on his return. He is having to isolate, having come back from an amber country. He has had to pay £300 to have the required Covid tests. He sent us some pix of the garden in their Soller house. We have stayed there a couple of times with them to walk.

Thankfully though big this site is really quiet so we’ll sleep. We only did 14000 steps today but walking on pavements is very tiring.