During our trip to the English countryside, my family made a couple of excursions into Wales. Among the interesting destinations in Wales is Monmouthshire, which was just a short drive from our “home base” in Gloucestershire England. The town has a deep history that extends back to the Norman Conquest (and beyond). However, this historic town has embraced technology, opting to become the first interactive tourist town in the world. They have embarked on an aggressive project of QR tagging. QR Codes are those box-shaped codes that direct your smartphone to a corresponding website with information. In this case, they are QRpedia codes that direct users to wiki articles about the object that has been tagged with the code. The project intends to cover “every single notable place, person, artifact, plant, animal and other things in Monmouth in as many languages as possible, but with a special focus on Welsh.” Much of the downtown “tourist” area is also equipped with free wifi to assist foreign visitors who do not have cell service (like me). There are over a thousand such codes in Monmouth with translations into 30 languages.
So, with technology out of the way, let’s talk about getting there. The town is nestled between the River Monnow to the west and the River Wye to the East. I came in from the east across the Wye Bridge and quickly became confused. To get to the town, you continue straight ahead on what appears to be little more than an alleyway. I turned left and ended up on A40 headed towards Cardiff. I was able to get off at an exit and find my way back into town from the west side across the new Monnow Bridge. This route dumped me directly in the area of the public parking lots at the low end of the shopping district. I was unable to tell if there was a charge for parking because I continued uphill on Monnow Street and ended up on a sidestreet where I found free parking. We parked and walked from the “upper” area of Monmouth.
We walked down the main drag through Monmouth toward the historic bridge, which is among the focal points of this ancient town. The Monnow Bridge is the only fortified medieval bridge still standing in Great Britain. The ancient bridge currently serves as a pedestrian bridge with a newer vehicle bridge located just to the south. The bridge was completed c. 1272, although there is no documentation to support the exact date. A wooden bridge discovered beneath the current stone fortification predates this bridge by nearly two centuries. St. Thomas Church (named for Thomas Becket) is located across the bridge to the left. This church was built between 1170 and 1186. The bridge provides a great focal point for photographing the church as well as the Monnow River.
Walking back to the north on Monnow Street, we encountered a host of restaurants and shops. There were a few gift shops, with surprisingly affordable prices. After visiting the gift shops in London, it was nice to find affordable prices for small tokens of our trip. As you walk uphill and near the top of Monnow Street, you will find The Shire Hall on your right. We visited on a weekend and were greeted by numerous vendors that were selling fresh items in an open air market located on the plaza in front of the Shire Hall. I am not sure if they are also there during the week or not. A statue and sculpture sit in front of the Shire Hall. The statue is a tribute to King Henry V, who was born in Monmouth in 1386. The other is Charles Rolls, another native son who was the Rolls in Rolls-Royce.
After passing the Shire Hall, we entered a pedestrian road into an area called Old Town. This area has a warm, Georgian feel, lined with shops on either side of the road. It is the oldest area of Monmouth, with indication of Neolithic settlements in the area. It has been continuously occupied since Roman times. It is located adjacent Agincourt Square and is notable for the large church spire from St. Mary’s, which is located at the end of the walk-through or from Priory Street on the other side. St. Mary’s dates back to 1793. The walk-through leads to St. Mary’s street where the narrow road is lined with small shops and a pub across from the church. This area is also host to the Savoy Theater, which dates back to the eighteenth century (it is listed as the oldest theater site in Wales). We took some photographs of the church, shops and theater before heading back towards Agincourt Square to find dinner.
We ended up at The King’s Head restaurant, which I am thinking may have been a chain. I was expecting a smallish pub, but was surprised at how expansive the restaurant was when we entered. The restaurant requires you to place your order at the bar, along with your table number. The meal is then delivered by the wait staff. I wanted roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, so this was my opportunity. Man, was I disappointed. The roast beef may have been cardboard. It was dry and flavorless. The Yorkshire pudding was good, but it was my birthday and I had been hoping for a good pub meal. I guess I should have picked better. I had a guide before we arrived and had picked several restaurants that sounded interesting. Instead of looking for them, we “settled” for one of the first we encountered walking south from Old Town. I wish I had reconsidered that move.
Some of the restaurants I had “circled” in my guidebook were not actually located in Monmouth. But there were still options (to include driving to the restaurants and waiting a bit longer to eat). The restaurants that appealed to me, that I should have looked for were: 1861 in Cross Ash, which features locally sourced ingredients and touts their braised pork belly. The Beaufort Arms Coaching Inn & Brasserie located in Raglan that also features local produce and meats. The Bell at Skinfrith has a rotation menu that draws heavily from their own organic kitchen garden. The Coach House serves as a bed and breakfast and family dining atmosphere and is located in Monmouth. The Inn at Penalt appealed to me because they tout themselves as a traditional country pub. Prego is located in Old Town…I can’t remember why I chose not to eat there. Maybe price? The last one I had listed was The Stonemill in Rockfield, which is a converted sixteenth century barn (need I say more)?
Other restaurants that were listed in my guide were Caffe Nero (coffee shop), Coffee 1 (coffee shop), Costa (chain), The Crown, Henry’s, Jewel Balti (Indian), Misbah (Bangladeshi), Mocos Mexican Diner, The Old Court Hotel & Dining Room, Pizza Express, Raduni (Indian), Raglan Arms (local source), Red Door Deli, Salt N Pepper Coffee Shop, Waitrose Café, The Whole Earth Café (Thai and English), Wigmore’s of Monmouth (bakery) and UGO (Mediterranean). There are also a host of “take away” restaurants that include Albion Fish Bar, Canton Kitchen, Full House Chinese, Greggs, King Kebab, Monnow Bridge Fish Bar, Pasty Heaven, Pizza Bella and Seven Seas Fish and Chip Shop.
Because we were staying in nearby Gloucestershire, we did not require accommodations in Monmouth. However, there were plenty of hotels that looked like they would be interesting to visit. Among the hotels listed in my guide were The Coach House, Ebberley House, Kingshead Pub, Prego, The Punch House, The Riverside Hotel, 6 Berryfield Park, Casita Alta, The Old Court Hotel & Dining Room, The Stonemill, The Crown, The Beaufort Arms Coaching Inn & Brasserie, The Inn at Penallt and The Old School & Capel Pentwyn.
Monmouth is an interesting combination of old and new. Between the ancient Monnow Bridge and St. Thomas Church at the South End of town to Old Town on top of the hill at the north end, the town has plenty to offer tourists. There are plenty of gift shops, restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores and tourist attractions. The town combines her ancient heritage with modern convenience in the way of free wi-fi and QRpedia codes that provide visitors with detailed information of the local attractions. It is an interesting combination that made our trip to Monmouth enjoyable and entertaining. If only I had picked a better place to eat. This is definitely a town that you should visit if you are nearby.
All photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.