Food & Drink
Cheeses from Wales, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, excellent local meat, game and charcuterie, smoked foods from the Black Mountains and the Severn & Wye Rivers are all available as well as wonderful honey, preserves, beer, cider, perry and wine from local vineyards. Eat out at the Michelin-starred The Whitebrook which is just ten minutes away, sample Shaun Hill’s cooking at The Walnut Tree or visit Stephen Terry’s The Hardwick; alternatively source your own ingredients locally and cook dinner at the Chickenshed.
History
The quiet rural landscape cloaks a more turbulent history – the Romans, the Normans and the Industrial Ages have all left their marks on the countryside. The Romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey should not be missed, nor should the magnificent remains of Chepstow and Raglan castles. Traces remain of the Wye Valley’s industrial heritage; the World Heritage site of Blaenavon Iron works and the national coal mining museum, Big Pit, are also easily reached from the Chickenshed.
Outdoors
Monmouthshire has so much to offer to those who like to be active. Walkers are spoilt for choice, with Offa’s Dyke Path, the Wye Valley Walk and the Abergavenny 3 peaks, or you can plan your own route on the easily accessed but often unfrequented local footpaths. The River Wye offers excellent canoeing, the Forest of Dean has fantastic mountain biking, there are lots of good routes for road biking, the list goes on…
Children
There are a few places which you really shouldn’t miss if visiting with children, particularly Puzzlewood with its fantastical tree root and rock formations, Humble by Nature for farm visits and outdoor activities, all the castles where imagination can run wild, and mile after mile of woodland starting at the Chickenshed’s door.