FRIDAY
8pm After three hours in the car from London – during which countless snacks are consumed and several jigsaw pieces go missing at Leigh Delamere (I’m with my two children) – we pull into the village of Mathern, close to Chepstow in South Wales.
8.05pm Check in at The Gatehouse, a newly renovated cottage on the Mathern Palace Estate. It’s ideal for a multi-gen stay (the grandparents have already arrived), with three en-suite bedrooms; from £310 per night, mathernpalaceestate.com.
SATURDAY
9.30am The pretty town of Chepstow was once home to some of the most powerful men of the medieval and Tudor ages. Its castle is well worth a visit (entry £10); it’s one of the oldest stone fortresses in Britain. Even the kids are impressed.
12.30pm Chepstow itself is full of colourful little houses and small shops, quite at odds with the massive castle looming alongside it. We settle in Coffee Addition for a restorative soup-and-sourdough combination (a bargain at £4.95).
2pm From The Gatehouse, it’s a short stroll to join the Wales Coastal Path (in Chepstow this meets the Offa’s Dyke Path, offering a continuous route around the whole country). We manage about two of the 870 scenic miles available.
4pm There’s the relaxing hot tub experience – glass of champagne under the stars – and then there’s splashing around in broad daylight with a manic six-year-old. Nevertheless, Granny and Grandpa seem to enjoy a dip with my daughter.
8pm After preparing dinner in the cottage’s beautiful kitchen (interior design goals, with swish, Shaker-style units), my husband and I escape to the local pub. The Millers Arms is cosy, welcoming and best of all, just a seven-minute walk away.
SUNDAY
10am Tintern Abbey, a ruin dating back to 1131, is not to be missed. A premiere destination for Romantic pilgrimages, it inspired Wordsworth’s poetry and JMW Turner’s famous painting. I find it equally awe-inspiring today (entry £9).
12pm We walk a few minutes along the River Wye and reach The Royal George, established in 1598. A recently renovated pub and hotel, it’s ideal for a hearty lunch – chargrilled king prawns and steaks go down a storm before the drive home.
