After a couple of false starts, we got back on the road, heading this time for the A48 which would take us into Wales via Chepstow. Driving this way gave us a very picturesque view of western England. We stopped first at this pub to get what turned out to be incorrect directions. Everyone wanted to put us on the M5.

At one point we stopped at a little point off the road to get some rather pastoral shots. I think this is still in Gloucestershire.

The next stop was Westbury-on-Severn, only because we saw this beautiful church and yard full of stones as we were driving by.

I also had to get a picture of this pretty little house.

A little further on, we came to a place where we could park and look over the Severn River. In the first picture, the tiny spire far in the distance is the church in Westbury-on-Severn, where we'd just stopped. Also in here is a random building that I thought was interesting.

Some more random stops along the A48. The first is another tiny village (possibly Blakeney) which had a lovely view of houses on the hill. None of those came out, but I liked the unusual hedge for this house. The next is a "watch for sheep" sign. And the two after that are proof that I'm still twelve. Following those are a couple of shots of the hillside beyond the pub, and someone's flowers. (We somehow wound up on lots of side streets.)

Finally, we reached Chepstow, which is truly lovely. We found the parking lot for the Castle, did some spending in the gift shop, and then headed up.

Outer views of the approach, and a sign showing how the barbican would have looked.

Looking up into the Lower Bailey.

Not the original doors. Looking back out through the entrance.

The kitchens, and views out to the River Wye.

The banqueting hall, looking up to where the dais was once placed, and inner rooms.

The castle's original doors, dating to the 11th century.

The Lower Bailey. In the second picture, on the left, can be seen the Marten Tower.

The private apartments of the Earl of Worcester.

The Middle Bailey, looking up to the Great Tower (the original building of the castle). The oldest parts of it are the yellow-colored stone.

The Upper Bailey and the smaller castle entrance. We didn't go hiking up in here, but it's all accessible.

More views of the Wye. From the second, you can see the white bridge that we crossed to get from England to Wales.

Coming back down: the Great Tower, the Middle Bailey, and a ruined tower that seemed to once be a private apartment.

The Marten Tower, created for a private residence with the ability to be shut off completely from the outside, with its own chapel.

Once we had seen enough of Chepstow Castle, we headed back out to get on the road to Cardiff. That was an adventure in and of itself, though we did get to drive through Newport and see the transporter bridge, and we overshot the hotel we were aiming for and ended up in Cardiff -- so we just went and saw the concert that had been the original reason for the trip before going back to find our hotel.