NOW we know that with all Herefordshire has to offer, it's hard to tear yourself away but - if you're looking for a grand day out somewhere else, you won't have to go far.

Chepstow is not much more than an hour's drive away from Hereford and this historic walled border town has plenty to offer visitors.

Like Hereford, the River Wye runs through this ancient place and, on the English-Welsh border as it is, it'll be no surprise that there's a castle, built by the Normans in the 11th century.

Testament to its importance is the fact that it was built in stone at time when most other fortresses were motte and baileys built using earth and wood.

Over the centuries it's been at the centre of many power struggles and has changed hands many times but was basically left to decay from the end of the 1600s onwards.

Now in ruins, it's open to the public daily throughout the year and ample parking is provided off Bridge Street immediately below the castle itself.

Residents in the 13th century would have know their town to have been guarded on the side not protected by the river by the 6ft thick Portwall.

Much of this structure can still be seen today, as can the Town Arch and Town Gatehouse where tolls were once collected on cattle and goods which passed through.

Today, once through the Town Arch, you can find interesting winding streets leading down to the Wye, crammed with a range of shops, both individual and High Street names.

When the need for refreshments arises, you'll be spoilt for choice among the wide range of teahouses and restaurants.

Art and craft shops and galleries also abound and, if you're looking for further exhibitions, the town museum, just across the road from the castle, is well worth a visit.

Housed in an elegant 18th century house, once owned by a local wealthy surgeon, it also did service as a hospital for First World War soldiers and later townspeople.

There are regular special exhibitions alongside the permanent displays depicting the building's changing role and the development of Chepstow, which was once an important port and market centre.

For many, Chepstow is synonymous with horse racing and the town's racecourse, in Piercefield Park, hosts the Welsh Grand National and boasts beautiful views over the river.

Visit on a Sunday and you will catch a general market and, if it's the right time, one of the monthly antique fairs.

Chepstow's other big claim to tourism fame is that it is the starting/finishing point of the Offa's Dyke walk.

Built in the eighth century by King Offa to mark and protect the frontier between Mercia and Wales, the dyke runs from Chepstow, in the south, to Prestatyn, in the north, for nearly 180 miles and marks the original Wales/England border.

It was a 12ft high earthwork and several good portions of it still remain in the Chepstow area.

Just five miles from the town are the ruins of Tintern Abbey, a Cistercian House which was founded in 1131 and survived until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

2:57pm Tuesday 1st April 2008

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