The village of Chepstow in east Wales was among the best-preserved towns we visited in the UK. Its streets and buildings still maintain their medieval character, paved in stone and tight and winding. On our drive through the village we took a wrong turn and found ourselves blocked 100 yards down a narrow alley. I had to reverse our way back out of it, heart-pumping all the way, worried that I would scrape the sides of our rental car against the jagged stone walls rising up on both sides of me.

Undamaged, we finally made our way to Chepstow Castle, perched on a hill overlooking the Wye River. Iron Age and Roman settlements were located near here, but the town itself is a Norman creation. The castle dates to 1066, and is among the first castles the British built along the border with Wales to secure their territory. While many castles of the time were first constructed of wood, Chepstow, a key foothold on the England-Wales border, was built from stone from the start for durability. The parts of the castle erected during Norman times are constructed of yellow sandstone, while the later additions are down in the grayish limestone, making it easy to view the progress of the castle’s expansion over the ages. Chepstow Castle remained in use through 1690. We were impressed by the castle’s sheer breadth and size, as well as the convenience such a location on the river would have provided in terms of both defensibility and hygiene. The privies, still viewable today, are located along the river-side of the castle, enabling the sewage to be emptied through shoots into the water below.