Friday 25 May 2018

Monmouth in May







Another fine day in Monmouth and the perfect excuse for a walk. At the very top of that wooded hill is a temple to Admiral Nelson and the victorious admirals that thrashed the Spanish and French in such battles as 'The Nile' and 'Trafalgar. Monmouth had a 'man-crush' on Nelson but then again we benefited immensely from the Napoleonic Wars. War in Europe meant the end of the 'Grand Tour' and so many looked to the Wye Valley instead. Why bother with Tuscany with this on your doorstep.



We were almost seduced by the Wye. Just sitting there doing nothing seemed like a pretty good idea.



But then we saw the Temple and White House on top of the Kymin.


And this is looking down on Monmouth from the top of the Kymin. Once upon a time, London was as green as this. Perhaps in the near future all this will be concreted over.







The picture below is not one of mine. (Wrong season.) For some unaccountable reason I failed to take a picture of what we had come to see. Mental decrepitude, I guess. Still, it's a good reminder of Winter.



At the top of the Kymin are Beaulieu Woods, a favourite C18th beauty spot. The light was brilliant
and it was hard to stop taking pictures. Two hundred or so years ago, artists painted them instead.














I love the way stone and wood appear fused in the picture below.



And who says there are no gnomes in Monmouthshire. A whole family lives in the small 
           cavern below.



Time for a picnic. 





In the far distance is Gloucestershire  


And the ancient forest of Dean



But we'd had enough. It was time to go home.

The following day it rained.


2 comments:

Maria Zannini said...

So all of this is your back yard? It's gorgeous, but then I'm a sucker for anything green.

It's easy to see how legends and myths are born in the wood.

What exactly is that building (the picture you didn't take)? It looks like a funeral monument.

Mike Keyton said...

Maria, for some reason your comment didn't appear in my email so I almost missed this! Sorry about that. The monument was a temple erected to celebrate the admirals who beat Napoleon's navy at sea during the French wars. It over looks Monmouth. You're right about the woods. The light was magical that day, and ref my backyard, yes, I know how lucky I am. Still, to be honest, I've liked everywhere I've lived.