A bit of pre Top Deck shopping (for Nick) and then we decided to venture to Herefordshire for the afternoon to visit Goodrich Castle, this requires us to stray from our all England adventure and travel for minutes into the lush Welsh countryside, and provide them with some revenue there is a £6.40 toll to go across the Severn bridge… Awesome structure which I guess has to paid for some how.

Of course Wales wasn’t just about the Severn bridge – they also have an awesome stadium in Cardiff I am told. We took our time meandering through this beautiful part of the world along the River Wye past quaint villages and green pastures full of fat sheep and the occasional cow. In the village of Chepstow we came across the Tintern Abbey, whilst not going inside the Abbey (as our pass doesn’t cover Welsh monuments), we got a really nice view of this 14th century presbytery. Like its English counterparts this Abbey functioned until the dissolution order by the King when it was destroyed. A gorgeous little gift shop sits at the base where fridge magnets (we don’t have a Welsh one) and scones can be purchased – looked good but I didn’t partake.

A welcome back into England and I am already missing the Welsh sign posts we drive into Ross-On-Wye (don’t the English have a great turn of phrase) and follow the directions to Goodrich Castle. This original construction of this castle dates back to the 11th century by an English named Godric, and was owned by a number of family members over the centuries until it ended up in the hands of King Henry III’s half brother William de Valence. His wife (once William had gone to greener pastures) spent quite a bit of time here and much of the audio guide is about her improvements to the place and partying ways, it sounded beautiful. She had a wing of the castle especially furnished for her girlfriends and relatives who would come and stay for long weekends…

During the civil war was held at times by both sides and there is a civil war mortar here called “Roaring Meg”.

There is a lovely little chapel here also, which has new stain glass windows one of which I absolutely adored. The story goes that when local parishioners from three local churches were asked how they would like to commemorate the new millennium they decided that this stain glass window would be commissioned. Committees were formed, fund raising commenced and a Herefordshire artist started work and it is stunning, very different from other stain glass windows we have seen it has a modern respectful feel about it.

The other great things about this castle are the dungeon and the stairs to climb up to towers galore, perfect for explorers of all ages – although one of the spiral staircases is a little tricky on your descent.

It was a bit of a trek to get here, including a decent walk from the car park but well worth it. We were talking about it on our return to Bristol and one of things that is so great about travelling here is that you can still have a bit of an adventure. There is a tendency for the PC police to make everything so safe that often the fun is taken out of visiting places, because of the fear of people getting hurt etc., for me it has been a great balance of fun and adventure, with enough comfort that I know I am safe.

On our return to Bristol we decide to head to the waterfront for dinner, it is a little like Darling Harbour or Docklands with trendy bars and restaurants spilling out, and tables over looking the water where you can have a cider or a beer. We stop at Mackenzies cafe and bar, for burgers and pasta and then take a slow walk home. My impression of Bristol is that it is quirky, the people friendly and it is easy to get around. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to fill our days here but we have and I have really enjoyed our time.