Wye Valley Hotel, Chepstow

Good Beer Guide 2020 Entry - so chosen as the starting point for a Boxing Day Walk. That bit was lovely - up to Offas Dyke Path, the Devils Pulpit and down back through the woodland. Get back to the pub for post walk refreshment. 2pm and its all closed up. Unsure if permanently but the people at the nearby Anchor said it had gone bankrupt.

Official site of Wye Valley Hotel - thewyevalleyhotel.co.uk

Official site of Wye Valley Hotel - thewyevalleyhotel.co.uk

This is a smart 1930's hotel, bar and restaurant a little distance from the Abbey but still in a very picturesque location and doubtless popular with locals and tourists alike. The main entrance takes you into the hotel lobby, with the restaurant through a door to the right and the bar over to the left, although it's worth noting that the bar does have its own front door as well. The bar is a cosy room that feels quite compact but is actually reasonably sized, with the servery on the rear wall. The room is carpeted throughout and has painted wooden beams crossing the ceiling, padded banquette booths under the front windows with a collection of jugs suspended from above and a L-shaped banquette to the rear, next to a pleasant tiled fireplace. To the right of the entrance there are a number of standard tables and chairs plus another banquette, all arranged around a second fireplace with a few old paintings on the walls. An excellent collection of well presented beer bottles snakes its way around the room on a series of high shelves and across the bar canopy, providing some nice visual distraction regardless of where you chose to seat yourself. There are also some fine framed Guinness adverts from the 'Gentle Art of Making Guinness' series, nice ceramic sherry and brandy dispensers in the front windows and a collection of horse brasses on the servery. Music played quietly throughout the duration of my visit and the glorious weather outside made the picnic benches out the front of the pub a tempting prospect. There were two ales available at the bar - Wye Valley Bitter and Kingstone Classic. The friendly barmaid advised my to try the Kingstone beer, as it is brewed just up the road. I found it to be a pleasant session bitter and kept in very good condition. This is a very nice, well run old pub that I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time in. It may not have a broad range of ales to choose from, but it makes up for this by keeping the beer in great condition and offering a friendly welcome and a comfortable spot to take the weight off your feet.