Your videos are a real tonic. Your knowledge, your sense of fun, your turn of phrase, your sartorial style, your cooking creativity are all hugely enjoyable to watch. Please keep doing what you do and showing us these places that many of us will never see. Cheers!
There were times on this walk when I wasn't really sure I could do it! 😂Very happy to hear the videos are providing at least a partial substitute for the real thing. I know I will one day look back on them in the same way!
Q. “How is the video going, are you still here?” 🤔 A. “Yes indeed, and enjoying every minute”. 👏👏👍😀 As always delightfully videography and narration. You continue to excel John. 👌🍺 As for the location, what better word can there be to describe it ……… ‘picturesque’. 😍 The ‘Porcini Pot Noodle’ looked delicious. Another recipe in the bag for the forthcoming Tweedy Outdoors Vegetarian Cookbook. 👍😀🍝🍽️🍷
Thanks Andrew! I cut out quite a lot of footage in the final edit, this video could easily have been double the length but I thought everyone would be put off by that!
Thank you for the very kind words! I was a bit apprehensive about publishing such a long video - by RUclips standards - when it was essentially just me going for a walk, with an odd bit of cooking thrown in! So it's quite a privilege that people have taken the time to sit through it, and leave such nice feedback.
Thanks James! I think I probably have more subscribers than I deserve considering the slapdash quality of the videos and the niche subject matter! I do hope though that I'm doing my bit - in my own weird way - of showcasing the beautiful landscape of Britain.
You're right when you say this is a beautiful part of the country and it's been years since I walked in any of it, so lovely to revisit courtesy of Tweedy Outdoors. I'd forgotten that I'd been to the Devil's Pulpit - what a viewpoint - and it seems, the perfect spot for some wild Pot Noodle. Good to see some of the Dyke too - although it did look like it hasn't been cleansed for centuries. In terms of the first "picturesque" area I think the Lake District sometimes makes that claim too - although not sure on the dating evidence for that. You've inspired me to put this area on my list for a revisit!
Thanks Mr WC21! I did originally put in a reference to ditch cleansing but alas it didn't make the final cut! The first cut of this video (once I'd removed all of the obviously terrible footage) was close to an hour (!) so I had to be a bit ruthless to get it down to a duration I thought anyone might actually consider clicking on, given RUclips's notorious attention spans. Funny isn't it - back in the days when broadcast TV used to still exist (people tell me it does now but I have no first hand evidence of that) a standard slot for a programme was half an hour and nobody would bat an eyelid at that! If we give the Reverend Gilpin credit for the introduction (or at least popularisation) of the word "picturesque" then his book on the Wye Valley definitely came first! "Observations on the River Wye" was, errr, observed in 1770, and published in 1782. Whereas his "Observations on the Lake District" was, I believe, observed in 1772, and again not published for over a decade - in 1786 I believe.... and there was I thinking I had spent a long time editing this video! I suppose there is a potential argument that he may have just been taking rough notes in the 1770s, and didn't properly formulate the ideas until later when he published them. Perhaps he was wandering around the Wye Valley in 1770 saying "These views, they're all sort of drawing-y... painting-like... watercolour-ish... what's the word I'm looking for?" - and then he might have finally had his Eureka moment on the banks of Lake Windermere two years later - "ahhhh picturesque!". Out of interest I put on my Tweedy Pubs archivist hat for a moment, and searched the old newspapers and Google Books. The earliest newspaper mention I found of the word picturesque in newspapers is 1766, in a letter about birds, but it's unattributed. Gilpin appears to have used the word in published texts before the "Observations on..." series, including "An Essay Upon Prints" in 1768. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it came into English earlier that century via the French "pittoresque" and the Italian "pittoresco".
@@tweedyoutdoors I just hear that "picturesque" word and instantly think "Wordsworth". I don't know why! I think one reference to ditch cleansing did accidentally end up in the final cut...!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Oh did it? I took so many passes through this video cutting bits out and tweaking things here and there that I can barely remember what I left in or didn't!
@@kevinhouse7143 Thanks Kevin - I rewatched it and you're right! Oh well! Part of the rationale I had for wanting to remove it was the realisation that some people watching this video might not be subscribed to @TweedyPubs or maybe just hadn't seen those two videos where that bizarre reference came from. It does sound quite weird without that context!
Great to think of this video briefly lighting up a patch of ground on a dark hilltop! I hope you have a great night's camping. I did consider camping for this trip but I'm being a bit of a wimp about it recently - I love the idea in principle, but I never seem to get a decent night's sleep. If I'm really lucky I manage about three hour's sleep, but often it's more like one or two. Then I'm tired out the next day and can't do anything useful - I often end up dozing off on the sofa!
I'm ashamed to say how long it has been since I found myself in England, somehow life here in Canada has gotten in the way of my best intensions. That said, I will be back and my motivation has largely been bolstered by your outstanding videos. Thank you Tweedy.
Thanks - really touching to hear the videos are providing that sort of inspiration! I used to do a lot more international travel but these days I find the thought of it really daunting. I must be getting old!
Thank you Anton, and it's very nice to hear The Algorithm is actually giving people something they want to watch! This outdoors channel was my first one on RUclips, and the pubs channel span off from there. The pubs channel ended up getting a lot more exposure, so I tried to take it a bit more seriously, and make (slightly) more documentary style videos there, whereas here the videos are much more the classic "vlog" style - I go and do something, and it's a simple record of that experience.
A perfect walk in good company! Having gone to school in Hounslow and Hungerford in the 70s/80s, both close to M4, the Wye valley was the ‘go to’ for school activity breaks. Still visit as it is beautiful, so many thanks for this entertaining and educational vicarious visit!
Takes me back to being 18. Me and a couple of mates finished our A levels and got the train and bus to Chepstow and backpacked the Dyke in July, stopping in farmers fields (with permission) drinking warm fresh milk, and the occasional pub back garden, pinching apples and pears (without permission)...good times! We did eat a lot of pot noodles as I remember...no Porcini flavoured ones though 😂 The Wye Valley is simply stunning. Lovely video Tweedy ❤
I have been spared these attacks for years by taking proper medication. For me, there have been few side effects. Consult a decent physician who understands your condition. I would not want any human being having to suffer even the level of persistent attacks I endured.
Very enjoyable video. My first view of Tintern Abbey was in August 1972. The Daily Mirror and article about how keg beer was wiping out 'real ale'. The article was trying to find where real ale was still brewed in strength. Spingo bitter brewed at the Blue Anchor in Helston, Cornwall was one of the best that they found so myself and my brother were heading south in an Austin A40 MK ll (the first hatchback I think) and we passed Tintern Abbey on the way. The Blue Anchor has hardly changed since those days and Spingo is still a pint to be treated with care. Happily, real ale was not wiped out and there is far more variety than in 1972!
Thanks Liam! I'm guessing that must have been a great trip, lots of beautiful scenery along the way. There used to be a gem of a pub called the Cherry Tree in Tintern, where the one and only beer on offer (Hancocks HB) was served directly from the cask in a little cubby hole behind the bar. Sadly it closed in 2010. I've since had Hancocks HB in one or two other pubs and it was generally decent but perhaps unremarkable... Whereas when it was served in the Cherry Tree it was just spectacular.
😂 Thanks Ysgolgerlan! I hope I didn't butcher the Welsh too much in this video. I mentioned my Porcini Pot Noodle to a friend and apparently there is a company somewhere in East Asia which makes porcini flavoured instant noodles. I don't think they're sold here though, unfortunately!
I think all we need to do is start using it. Eventually it will be absorbed into english like so many other words. A quick seach and I found this on more than tokyo: Komorebi-A Beautiful Japanese Word that English Needs. Because “sunlight filtering through trees” does not express the same feeling. Komorebi is a word that we English speakers could really use. And not just to add to our vocabulary, but also to our lives. There is a profound peace and sense of tranquility that one can absorb from simply stopping to appreciate the transient beauty of komorebi.
I agree David! The literal translation is light "leaking" through the trees which gives it an even more tangible quality - like rain dripping off the leaves. I think in the video I managed to capture a few little flashes / flares of sunlight through the trees - e.g. around 4:28. That is partly just a camera artefact but I think it helps to underline the overall effect.
Thanks Richard! I did think about camping on this trip but recently I can't seem to get very enthusiastic about the idea. I never seem to sleep more than two or three hours and then I'm like a zombie the next day! Maybe I'll get back into it in the autumn? I find the daylight hours works a bit better for me at that time of year. In the summer it takes me until 3am to fall asleep then it's starting to get light an hour later!
I've just discovered your excellent channel, which makes a refreshing change from the all too prevalent "I WENT CAMPING DURING STORM BASTARD AND NEARLY DIED" videos. Subscribed and I look forward to perusing your back catalogue and watching your new videos.
Tweedy, you are definitely, ' The quintessential Englishman!'. A bit eccentric and daffy. You always bring a smile to my otherwise, dour, droopy mouthed mug.😊
Wonderful Tickweave Tweed jacket and a wonderful bit of the countryside. (I don't mind some pubs being thrown in!😊) Ents NEVER stumbled anywhere, they strode with considered purpose. I DO like your showing woodlands and mosses. By the way: one needs walking to earn a pint at a decent pub.
Thanks James! Yes it was unfair of me to suggest Ents might stumble - perhaps I was projecting that they might have been at the cider too! I would ordinarily have saved the pub as a treat for the end of the walk but I couldn't figure out a way to make that work with the transport logistics involved! I could have done the walk the other way round (starting at Chepstow, ending at Redbrook) but then there didn't seem to be a good way to get back to Chepstow from Redbrook - the last bus of the day goes around 5 or 6pm.
Thoroughly enjoyable adventure Tweedy! By the way, inspired by an earlier video I watched last night, I made myself a "Cacio e pepe" for lunch today... and loved it! Might have to go off to the shops for some dried porcini for the next Tweedy inspired lunch! Cheers from Melbourne.
Thanks Alistair! Delighted to hear my slapdash outdoor cooking attempts have been a source of inspiration! Obviously I would do a few things differently if I had the luxury of a proper indoor kitchen. I suspect the way I rehydrated the porcini here might have been a bit too fierce as I was trying to hurry things along. It would probably have preserved the flavour a bit better to follow the instructions on the packet: just boil some water and let them soak in that for 20 minutes.
This was filmed on Wednesday! What a coincidence - we were probably only a few miles from each other. I went to Puzzlewood in relatively recent history (2021?) and for once managed to drag my daughter along on something akin to a countryside walk on the basis it was used as a filming location for something or other (I might have said Harry Potter at the time, but I'm not actually sure that's correct now). Despite me having spent lots of time in the Wye Valley as a kid, and this attraction having been around in that era, I had never been before. My Dad, very much an outdoorsman, found the idea of paying to walk around a wood abhorrent! I see his point, but I also surprisingly enjoyed it when I finally went.
@@tweedyoutdoors I am wondering whether Puzzlewood is one of those things that recently became a "thing" once used on TV or in film, a little like the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland. It has happened everywhere; my parents recount climbing all over Stonehenge when it was just "that pile of stones" where some people hung out. But yes, I reluctantly agree, that I found the place rather entrancing and other-worldly, in spite of the hit on my personal liquidity after also buying lunch there.
Thanks Graham! 😂 I took a taxi to get to the start of the walk and after I told the driver I planned to walk from there down to Chepstow he said "You don't really looked dressed properly for that!". Nice guy though, he didn't turn the meter on until we'd already been on the road for five minutes and at the end was determined to knock a fiver off because we'd been stuck behind a slow moving van most of the way! Perhaps he was trying to help me save up for some proper walking attire?
A whimsical, jovial Tweedy in this video. That pasta suddenly came together right at the end, didn't it? When in doubt, add cheese. Two comments: 1) As easy as it would be to poke critical holes in Keeping Up Appearances, it's so endearing you can't help but be fond of it. 2) You're never too old to want a treehouse.
Thanks MB! I had a delightful day out and I'm glad some of the whimsy and joviality came across on camera. I agree, cheese was the magic ingredient here which transformed something that might otherwise have been a bit spartan into a bit of modest outdoor luxury. I don't think I've watched Keeping Up Appearances for two decades at least! Therefore probably when I last did I was still in my twenties and thought I was too cool for school etc. I can quite imagine I might look on it with some affection now! Thank you, I really appreciate the comment about the treehouse! Perhaps if I am fortunate enough to be around still to see my grandchildren - and fit enough at that age to shin up a tree and do some basic carpentry - then maybe I can build a treehouse for them... and better still I hope my daughter will deem it too dangerous for them and commandeer it for herself!
What a wonderful vlog! So much beauty to behold - and so much good humour to enjoy. That posh noodle dish looked, to use words from a celebrated old Pot Noodle advertisement, 'too gorgeous'.
Thanks Simon! It is a beautiful part of the world, in my humble opinion. I was in a bit of a silly mood when I was out on this walk - perhaps in part due to the cider/perry at the Boat Inn at the start - I hope the frivolity didn't detract from the majesty of the landscape! I remember those adverts! ...and if I recall correctly the guy saying that catchphrase had a Welsh accent? Very appropriate for the location then! Although I suppose when I was cooking I was actually in England, but looking across to Wales.
Thanks, Tweedy. It is indeed an exceptionally beautiful part of the delightful Welsh Marches. The cider/perry did its work well - and the vlog was the better for it! You remember correctly - Peter Baynham, the actor in those advertisements, is Welsh, as indeed are Pot Noodles themselves - arguably (very arguably!) Wales's most notable contribution to world gastronomy.
Thanks Carol! It's sometimes hard to strike the right balance between my childish desire to prat about versus a more grown-up impulse to just be quiet and let the landscape speak for itself!
Sort of... but that just means spotty / disrupted / patchy. I'm rubbish at DIY, and if I attempted to paint a wall, it would end up dappled. It doesn't feel to me that a word which could be used to describe my crappy efforts at home improvement could also fully convey the emotion of the magical way fleeting beams of sunlight dance their way through a leaf canopy! A more robust critique of my lazy comparison 'twixt English and Japanese here would be that it's nonsensical to say "they have a single word for that in Japan" because the whole concept of linguistic tokenisation in Japanese is fundamentally different - they have no spaces for a start! Komorebi is three ideographs - literally "tree leak light", or, to put it less clumsily, "light leaking through the trees". You could argue it's more akin to a compound of three words than a single word. German is of course famous for these word compounds with laboured examples including the catchy and possibly apocryphal "Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz" (something to do with meat labelling legislation?). As an aside, I assume those unwieldy compounds are an affectation of modern German - do you ever see examples in old / middle English?
@@tweedyoutdoors we see it in hyphenisation and then a compound gets naturalised and the hyphen disappears. What you do with a paintbrush is dab or alternatively scumble.
Haha, German does have ridiculously long words and Germans are said to be very fond of forrests, but there‘s no word for „komorebi“ either. Those white spots in one language when there‘s a word in another are indeed interesting.
@@tweedyoutdoors it seems your definition of dappled is correct and mine is wrong. I would say in my defence that I think it is archaic and its use is frozen in the phrase dappled light but if you had said I wish to dapple the paint on the wall I would nonetheless know what you meant. Just because I had never heard of a different usage doesn’t mean I was right. I am going to continue my defence of Himalayan balsam however. Now what to do with the grey squirrel?
@@AllotmentFox I'm a great believer that language is a democracy! I don't believe there is an absolutely authoritative meaning of any given word: often two dictionaries might differ subtly. Although obviously words become a less useful tool for communication without a broad consensus on what they mean! For what it's worth, I call that famous bell tower in Westminster Big Ben, fully aware of what the pedants would say it is "officially" called, because it's what the majority of people call it. As for grey squirrels, my (limited) understanding is that you either have red or grey but you can't have both, because the greys have competitive advantages. I would love to see red squirrels back in (mainland) England, but any campaign to suppress (which presumably means cull) one population to bolster the other would have to be motivated by a bit more than nostalgia or aesthetics. If there's an argument that the reds are better for the wider ecosystem, then maybe there's a case for it... but those debates are never clear cut (look at badgers for example).
Thank you! Yes I made it home, although it was a bit touch and go on the second of the three trains I had to take when it turned out there were no signal operators in the area, so the trains had to just drive a bit more slowly and honk their horns constantly!
Thank you! As you're probably aware there's a bus which goes along the Wye Valley as well, from Chepstow to Monmouth, and stops off at some of the villages I passed in the video - so lots of options for different routes.
Yes indeed most of this was of some entertainment value. Considering I paid nothing for it and got to see some outstanding scenery and forest path action, it was of very high entertainment value. Thanks!
Oh no Tweedy....you missed a trick on your walk. Should have headed to the Old Station at Tintern for a cream cake and then either to the Wye Valley Brewery or Tintern Parva vineyard. Then back over to the English side and up to the devil's pulpit via the railway bridge in Tintern. Oh well there's always a next time 😊
Yes some great spots there! Alas I was a bit short of time, and wanted to get that last train back to London... but I will definitely be back sooner or later.
I like pubs, i like the countryside and I do like burgundy wine and you remind me of an old friend I unfortunately had to say goodbye to in Ireland last year. If I wasnt married already and if i was a woman you would have to watch out! The cooking bit could have been a little more Keith Floyd lol!
😂 Thanks Lars! In all my time on RUclips I've never had an actual woman comment that they find anything about me even remotely appealing in that way. Even my wife can't stand watching my videos - one time she did she said "Why do you have to show your face so much?". As a result I assume I am the ugliest man on RUclips, and therefore appreciate your kind (and amusing) words! Sorry to hear about your friend though. I'm obviously biased now but sounds like he was a great guy. Yes I agree the cooking segment here wasn't my most Floyd-esque - I had a bit of time pressure and was just trying to get on with it! I don't know if you've seen another recent video of mine where I was cooking at the base of the white cliffs of Dover - there was a bit more Floyd in that!
@@tweedyoutdoors I love my wife, don’t forget that they did in fact choose us. Maybe it wasn’t their most brightest moment. I’m happy and if I was on RUclips I could probably compete with you about who’s the ugliest guy on the net. Anyhow, keep it up! There are ppl out there who like what you’re doing! I’m surprised that you don’t have millions of followers, you should!
Beautiful journey! Personally, the only way I could leave The Boat Inn is to be declared a vagrant and forcibly removed. I openly laughed at the Monty Python “Holy Grail “ reference! Thank you for sharing…great video…CHEERS!!! 🍻
Thanks Ed - yes it was a bit tough to drag myself away from the Boat but I was also really looking forward to the walk! Glad you caught the Holy Grail reference - I probably spent half an hour making that silly animation! Every time there is a small obstacle on the path like that when I'm out walking I'm reminded of Sir Lancelot and Concorde "riding" along.
Applause, another great video, will be at the Boat in 2 weeks and will raise a suitably full(later empty)glass of cider to you. Long May you travel, picturesquely or otherwise.
Thank you! I hope you have a great time at the Boat! Have you checked their opening hours recently? I would probably have done this walk the other way round (Chepstow to Redbrook) but according to their website, earlier in the week they only open until 8pm.
Excellent! Enjoyed it tremendously! Seems odd, however to be in a starched white shirt while hiking. Is it part of the Tweedy brand? Also enjoyed the video of the Boat Inn pub in Penallt, what a great country pub and the family history is awesome! I hope that you had fun, it was certainly fun to watch!
Thanks Thomas! These are just the clothes I wear all the time whether I'm on or off screen, pretty much whatever I'm doing. I don't own anything else! Yes I had a really fun day out: the pub, the walk, and the cooking/wine later - but I was a bit exhausted by the end and struggling to stay awake on the train home!
Hello Tweedy. I spotted this video and saw the "Wye Valley" and your face and was a bit confused until I saw the "Tweedy Outdoors". Yesterday's pub was on the Wye ( across the river from the car park IIRC ) which was my first clue. New subscriber now. If you ever decide to do a Tweedy's Sunday Roast Review channel, count me in.
Thanks Deborah! I hope it comes out OK on the big screen - I occasionally watch my videos back on my TV at home and find they look a bit washed out compared to the screen on my laptop. Could just be a problem with that particular TV though - I think we got it for free!
I was mesmerized by this beautiful and informative ( in a magical way) video. I've always wanted to walk there, but never got the chance hence, once again, your video allowed me vicarious delight 🙂 Astounding scenery and history, Tweedy and thank you for the little glimpse into the church...and The Devil's Pulpit with the breathtaking view. The lunch snack was interesting 😊 I'm looking forward to seeing the pub part of the video when I get home from shopping.
Thanks Christine - it is a beautiful part of the world! The Moravian church at Brockweir piqued my curiosity - I don't think I've ever seen that denomination anywhere else. I Googled it just now and I believe here are fewer than 30 Moravian churches in the UK. Strange that one of them is in this tiny village in the Wye Valley!
@@tweedyoutdoors It is very strange, yes. So many peculiarities to be found when trudging through beautiful places. You just don’t expect them sometimes. Always enriching!
And there was me fooled into thinking you had brought a real pot noodle, by TweedyPubs. Oh well we'll just have to make do with a home made one. Mind you the cheese did look really good. Guaranteed amongst the Tweed community there would be enough of us to form a troupe of horsemen making suitable equine noises (I do own at least two sets of cocoanuts) should the call go out ....... The Forest of Dean was a really industrial area criss crossed by lots of railways taking the minerals from the mines and quarries, have a look at railmaps. I remember camping on the racecourse at Chepstow and seeing the images on The Singing Detective, I knew nothing at all about it's industrial heritage until RUclips. Really atmospheric walk which had me on the edge of my seat wondering if you would make it on time to catch your train ..... and then I remembered seeing the black cherries!! Excellent adventure, well done!!
Thanks David! Ingredients-wise this probably had almost nothing in common with a Pot Noodle but I just thought the shape of the linguine looked oddly reminiscent of those flat noodles you get in a Pot Noodle and my billy can happens to be about the same size! I wasn't too worried about missing the last train out of Chepstow, a few of the pubs in town have accommodation and if there had been no room at the inn I did have an emergency bivvy bag. A slightly more worrying potential outcome occurred on the way home as I had to change trains twice, and the second train was crawling along due to signalling issues, meaning there was a good chance I could have missed that final connection in Swindon and ended up stranded there for the night! Thankfully I just made it in time, and got home around 1am.
Thank you! You must have been to this bit of the Wye Valley? It's not far from your neck of the woods. In the unlikely event you haven't been, I think you'd like it, not just for the historical interest of Offa's Dyke, but the melting pot of English/Welsh culture and for the ancient woodland. I'm no expert on the dangers of invasive species but I believe the problem with Himalayan Balsam is that it's very hardy, it spreads easily and it creates a tall canopy which then crowds out other plants. In other parts of the country where there are large patches of it I've seen signs (presumably with the blessing of the local authorities?) requesting passers by to trample it down or rip it out. I don't think we've ever had the same problem with potatoes or grapes dominating huge swathes of the countryside like that! Unless we've deliberately planted them, that is.
@@AllotmentFox I'm happy to be led by those more knowledgeable than I am on the subject - if the consensus is that the habitat will reach some equilibrium and we shouldn't be too concerned about Himalayan Balsam then I'll stop worrying.
@@tweedyoutdoors just to make you worry even more, I found some today up a hill well away from any stream bank. I don’t think equilibrium is in its game plan
Lovely work again, Tweedy! And your version of the view from the Devil's Pulpit is infinitely better than mine was last year. I couldn't see a thing and had to cheat using an older Photograph 😅
Hopefully it brought back good memories! How far back was your time in Tintern? Were you there when the Cherry Tree pub was still going? That was a beautiful place, much missed.
@@tweedyoutdoors I was there in 2016, so before my time, but headed to the Anchor Inn just because you could see the abbey from the window. Lovely part of the world.
@@paulmeaklim4805 Ah I see, I believe the Cherry Tree closed in 2010. My aunt worked at the Anchor for a short time - but that's probably 40 years ago now! I agree - lovely part of the world.
A walk through enchanted woods, with all those fallen trees, moss and fern and even a brief appearance of a fairy, then at a picturesque viewpoint a digression on the origins of this word (I didn't know that it was such a key concept and, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, influenced English architecture and landscape gardening) and to top it off an outdoor cooking tutorial - only Tweedy can do all of that in one video!
Thanks Kathi! It ended up a bit of a long video as I was loathed to cut too much out - I found so much of this landscape so enchanting, especially the woodland bits. As a result it's probably not a video destined for RUclips success but sometimes I feel like I have to just do what I want to do rather than what "the algorithm" wants! It might have been a little bit of a stretch to suggest that specific view from the Devil's Pulpit was pivotal in the formation of the notion of "picturesque" but I think I am on safe ground when I say Gilpin's book about the Wye Valley was a kind of founding text for that aesthetic movement, and that view down to Tintern Abbey is a particularly iconic one! Even if Gilpin said of the abbey that it could be improved with "a mallet, judiciously used"!
These simple recipes are really good. I'm going to try this but may have to substitute shiitake for porcini. I'm not a fungi expert but I gather there's little difference. I'll be eating mine with a sweeping view of the Thames estuary, though...
Yes shiitake would work for a slightly Japanese twist! The mushroom pizza at my favourite Italian restaurant uses shiitake (I think) because it packs a lot more flavour than ordinary white mushrooms. The last time I went for a walk along the Thames estuary I saw wild (marsh) samphire growing there! Somewhere to the east of Gravesend.
Thanks Al, well observed! I do indeed seem to feel much happier whenever I get out of London recently, not just because of the landscape, but also the people and, frankly, even the pubs. I really enjoyed the visit to the Boat Inn as part of this trip, and similarly had a fantastic time at the Harrow Inn last week. I'm struggling to remember the last time I enjoyed being in a London pub quite so much!
Thank you! It's a beautiful walk although I have to admit I struggled with some of those steep hills! Not so bad once you're on the top of course. The porcini were just from a health food shop near me in London - I think sometimes even big supermarkets sell them. My Dad forages for them! Although I wouldn't feel confident enough eating any wild mushroom I had picked myself without expert supervision. Porcini are always a bit pricey in the shops but other dried mushrooms would work just as well in this "recipe" (if that's not too generous a term for it!). I think dried mushrooms are great for this kind of outdoor cooking because they have a lot of flavour for very little weight / bulk, and obviously they don't need to be kept in the fridge or anything.
@@tweedyoutdoors Thanks, I'll have to look in my local Waitrose (Marlborough). For some reson I thought you were based in Wiltshire! Probably because I watched you in another video doing a walk local to me. Anyway, I enoy your videos! 🙂
Always interested in seeing a beautiful bit of Britain that I'm probably never going to get to, unfortunately. I walked the length of the Antonine Wall a couple of winters ago, although its a World Heritage Site there a sad lack of any real signage on route; there's a presumption that you're just going to drive to the better preserved sections.
Thanks Iain! If you ever do visit Offa's Dyke, I found the path was really well marked - at least in this southern section. The path doesn't always stick to the dyke exactly as you can see in the video but I found it was generally nice walking wherever it went.
@@tweedyoutdoors The only way I found to accurately route map the Antonine Wall was to zoom in on 'Canmore Mapping', part of Historic Environment Scotland (government body). Wales has got something as a close equivalent, sadly England doesn't.
@@tweedyoutdoors i just looked it up. it was episode three of the first TV series “How to recognise different types of trees from quite a long way away”. i remember first seeing it around 1990 when they were running repeats on BBC2.
I hope I haven't been a bad influence! As with any wine region there's a lot of variation in quality (even at these crazy prices!), and even though this "region" is really just a village, with all the wines made using the same grape, there's a surprising variation in style depending on the producer. So there is always a risk it'll end up being a bit of a disappointment! I really hope you enjoy it - fingers crossed!
@@tweedyoutdoorsI hope so! I have seen some really crazy prices for wines from there. The most expensive table wine I ever bought was a Californian cult wine called Orion (ca £100)
Your videos are a real tonic. Your knowledge, your sense of fun, your turn of phrase, your sartorial style, your cooking creativity are all hugely enjoyable to watch. Please keep doing what you do and showing us these places that many of us will never see. Cheers!
Thank you for those very kind words Dan!
Thanks for this Tweedy , a lot of us oldies wish we could do these walks. Do them for us !
There were times on this walk when I wasn't really sure I could do it! 😂Very happy to hear the videos are providing at least a partial substitute for the real thing. I know I will one day look back on them in the same way!
Q. “How is the video going, are you still here?” 🤔
A. “Yes indeed, and enjoying every minute”. 👏👏👍😀
As always delightfully videography and narration. You continue to excel John. 👌🍺
As for the location, what better word can there be to describe it ……… ‘picturesque’. 😍
The ‘Porcini Pot Noodle’ looked delicious. Another recipe in the bag for the forthcoming Tweedy Outdoors Vegetarian Cookbook. 👍😀🍝🍽️🍷
Thanks Andrew! I cut out quite a lot of footage in the final edit, this video could easily have been double the length but I thought everyone would be put off by that!
Best 25 minutes of the week - thank you - Loved your Offa's noodle break! :)
Thank you for the very kind words! I was a bit apprehensive about publishing such a long video - by RUclips standards - when it was essentially just me going for a walk, with an odd bit of cooking thrown in! So it's quite a privilege that people have taken the time to sit through it, and leave such nice feedback.
What can I say? Your subscribers are relatively few; your videos show some of the best of Britain.
Thanks James! I think I probably have more subscribers than I deserve considering the slapdash quality of the videos and the niche subject matter! I do hope though that I'm doing my bit - in my own weird way - of showcasing the beautiful landscape of Britain.
You're right when you say this is a beautiful part of the country and it's been years since I walked in any of it, so lovely to revisit courtesy of Tweedy Outdoors. I'd forgotten that I'd been to the Devil's Pulpit - what a viewpoint - and it seems, the perfect spot for some wild Pot Noodle. Good to see some of the Dyke too - although it did look like it hasn't been cleansed for centuries.
In terms of the first "picturesque" area I think the Lake District sometimes makes that claim too - although not sure on the dating evidence for that.
You've inspired me to put this area on my list for a revisit!
Thanks Mr WC21! I did originally put in a reference to ditch cleansing but alas it didn't make the final cut! The first cut of this video (once I'd removed all of the obviously terrible footage) was close to an hour (!) so I had to be a bit ruthless to get it down to a duration I thought anyone might actually consider clicking on, given RUclips's notorious attention spans. Funny isn't it - back in the days when broadcast TV used to still exist (people tell me it does now but I have no first hand evidence of that) a standard slot for a programme was half an hour and nobody would bat an eyelid at that!
If we give the Reverend Gilpin credit for the introduction (or at least popularisation) of the word "picturesque" then his book on the Wye Valley definitely came first! "Observations on the River Wye" was, errr, observed in 1770, and published in 1782. Whereas his "Observations on the Lake District" was, I believe, observed in 1772, and again not published for over a decade - in 1786 I believe.... and there was I thinking I had spent a long time editing this video!
I suppose there is a potential argument that he may have just been taking rough notes in the 1770s, and didn't properly formulate the ideas until later when he published them. Perhaps he was wandering around the Wye Valley in 1770 saying "These views, they're all sort of drawing-y... painting-like... watercolour-ish... what's the word I'm looking for?" - and then he might have finally had his Eureka moment on the banks of Lake Windermere two years later - "ahhhh picturesque!".
Out of interest I put on my Tweedy Pubs archivist hat for a moment, and searched the old newspapers and Google Books. The earliest newspaper mention I found of the word picturesque in newspapers is 1766, in a letter about birds, but it's unattributed. Gilpin appears to have used the word in published texts before the "Observations on..." series, including "An Essay Upon Prints" in 1768. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests it came into English earlier that century via the French "pittoresque" and the Italian "pittoresco".
@@tweedyoutdoors I just hear that "picturesque" word and instantly think "Wordsworth". I don't know why!
I think one reference to ditch cleansing did accidentally end up in the final cut...!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Oh did it? I took so many passes through this video cutting bits out and tweaking things here and there that I can barely remember what I left in or didn't!
@@tweedyoutdoors Yes you did include a reference to it in the final cut.
@@kevinhouse7143 Thanks Kevin - I rewatched it and you're right! Oh well! Part of the rationale I had for wanting to remove it was the realisation that some people watching this video might not be subscribed to @TweedyPubs or maybe just hadn't seen those two videos where that bizarre reference came from. It does sound quite weird without that context!
I'm watching this camped out in the Chiltern hills but really must stop and watch it tomorrow on the big screen, the landscapes are so gorgeous.
Great to think of this video briefly lighting up a patch of ground on a dark hilltop! I hope you have a great night's camping. I did consider camping for this trip but I'm being a bit of a wimp about it recently - I love the idea in principle, but I never seem to get a decent night's sleep. If I'm really lucky I manage about three hour's sleep, but often it's more like one or two. Then I'm tired out the next day and can't do anything useful - I often end up dozing off on the sofa!
I'm ashamed to say how long it has been since I found myself in England, somehow life here in Canada has gotten in the way of my best intensions. That said, I will be back and my motivation has largely been bolstered by your outstanding videos. Thank you Tweedy.
Thanks - really touching to hear the videos are providing that sort of inspiration! I used to do a lot more international travel but these days I find the thought of it really daunting. I must be getting old!
Lovely! Thanks a lot for all the riparian entertainment.
Having been following Tweedy Pubs for a bit The Algorithm gods have shown me this!
Great fun!
Thanks. (Yes, I subscribed...)
Thank you Anton, and it's very nice to hear The Algorithm is actually giving people something they want to watch! This outdoors channel was my first one on RUclips, and the pubs channel span off from there. The pubs channel ended up getting a lot more exposure, so I tried to take it a bit more seriously, and make (slightly) more documentary style videos there, whereas here the videos are much more the classic "vlog" style - I go and do something, and it's a simple record of that experience.
A perfect walk in good company! Having gone to school in Hounslow and Hungerford in the 70s/80s, both close to M4, the Wye valley was the ‘go to’ for school activity breaks. Still visit as it is beautiful, so many thanks for this entertaining and educational vicarious visit!
Thanks Ian! Is it just me? I find journeys along the M4 incredibly dull! ....but the rewards are always worth it in the end!
Takes me back to being 18. Me and a couple of mates finished our A levels and got the train and bus to Chepstow and backpacked the Dyke in July, stopping in farmers fields (with permission) drinking warm fresh milk, and the occasional pub back garden, pinching apples and pears (without permission)...good times!
We did eat a lot of pot noodles as I remember...no Porcini flavoured ones though 😂
The Wye Valley is simply stunning.
Lovely video Tweedy ❤
You made me laugh with the hyacinth 🤣🤣🤣
I'm guessing there aren't many videos on RUclips which go from mentioning Hyacinth Bucket one minute to Gilpin and the Picturesque movement the next!
@@tweedyoutdoorsthat’s why I love your videos mate! 😎👌🍺
Appreciate it mate. Having an anxiety attack often lately so love watching you stuff. Calms me down 😊😂
Sorry to hear you're going through a tough time. Glad these videos are helping a bit.
I have been spared these attacks for years by taking proper medication. For me, there have been few side effects. Consult a decent physician who understands your condition. I would not want any human being having to suffer even the level of persistent attacks I endured.
Very enjoyable video. My first view of Tintern Abbey was in August 1972. The Daily Mirror and article about how keg beer was wiping out 'real ale'. The article was trying to find where real ale was still brewed in strength. Spingo bitter brewed at the Blue Anchor in Helston, Cornwall was one of the best that they found so myself and my brother were heading south in an Austin A40 MK ll (the first hatchback I think) and we passed Tintern Abbey on the way. The Blue Anchor has hardly changed since those days and Spingo is still a pint to be treated with care. Happily, real ale was not wiped out and there is far more variety than in 1972!
Thanks Liam! I'm guessing that must have been a great trip, lots of beautiful scenery along the way.
There used to be a gem of a pub called the Cherry Tree in Tintern, where the one and only beer on offer (Hancocks HB) was served directly from the cask in a little cubby hole behind the bar. Sadly it closed in 2010. I've since had Hancocks HB in one or two other pubs and it was generally decent but perhaps unremarkable... Whereas when it was served in the Cherry Tree it was just spectacular.
Thanks for the video, that was a great view of Tintern Abbey. I will look out for a Porcini Pot Noodle when I am in Tesco tomorrow. 👍
😂 Thanks Ysgolgerlan! I hope I didn't butcher the Welsh too much in this video. I mentioned my Porcini Pot Noodle to a friend and apparently there is a company somewhere in East Asia which makes porcini flavoured instant noodles. I don't think they're sold here though, unfortunately!
I think all we need to do is start using it. Eventually it will be absorbed into english like so many other words. A quick seach and I found this on more than tokyo:
Komorebi-A Beautiful Japanese Word that English Needs. Because “sunlight filtering through trees” does not express the same feeling. Komorebi is a word that we English speakers could really use. And not just to add to our vocabulary, but also to our lives.
There is a profound peace and sense of tranquility that one can absorb from simply stopping to appreciate the transient beauty of komorebi.
I agree David! The literal translation is light "leaking" through the trees which gives it an even more tangible quality - like rain dripping off the leaves. I think in the video I managed to capture a few little flashes / flares of sunlight through the trees - e.g. around 4:28. That is partly just a camera artefact but I think it helps to underline the overall effect.
Nice woodland walk brought make some great memories of walking Offa's Dyke. I camped by the Devil's Pulpit. Great episode.
Thanks Richard! I did think about camping on this trip but recently I can't seem to get very enthusiastic about the idea. I never seem to sleep more than two or three hours and then I'm like a zombie the next day! Maybe I'll get back into it in the autumn? I find the daylight hours works a bit better for me at that time of year. In the summer it takes me until 3am to fall asleep then it's starting to get light an hour later!
I've just discovered your excellent channel, which makes a refreshing change from the all too prevalent "I WENT CAMPING DURING STORM BASTARD AND NEARLY DIED" videos.
Subscribed and I look forward to perusing your back catalogue and watching your new videos.
😂 Yes I've seen a few of those! Thanks for subscribing and I hope it doesn't disappoint!
Tweedy, you are definitely, ' The quintessential Englishman!'. A bit eccentric and daffy. You always bring a smile to my otherwise, dour, droopy mouthed mug.😊
Thank you Albert! I fear English eccentricity is in decline and I hope I am doing my small part to preserve it!
@tweedyoutdoors I heard years ago that if you're minted, then you can be eccentric, but if you're a peasant like me, then you're just nuts!
This was epic Tweeds
Splendid stuff Sir ! most enjoyable, thank you.
Thank you!
Keep it up Sir Tweedness
Most excellent rambling! The food turned out great too and what a place to cook and enjoy! The Wye Valley is a lovely place for a hike. Thanks!
Thanks WalksInCamera - yes it is a beautiful part of the world.
Wonderful Tickweave Tweed jacket and a wonderful bit of the countryside. (I don't mind some pubs being thrown in!😊) Ents NEVER stumbled anywhere, they strode with considered purpose. I DO like your showing woodlands and mosses. By the way: one needs walking to earn a pint at a decent pub.
Thanks James! Yes it was unfair of me to suggest Ents might stumble - perhaps I was projecting that they might have been at the cider too!
I would ordinarily have saved the pub as a treat for the end of the walk but I couldn't figure out a way to make that work with the transport logistics involved! I could have done the walk the other way round (starting at Chepstow, ending at Redbrook) but then there didn't seem to be a good way to get back to Chepstow from Redbrook - the last bus of the day goes around 5 or 6pm.
Thoroughly enjoyable adventure Tweedy! By the way, inspired by an earlier video I watched last night, I made myself a "Cacio e pepe" for lunch today... and loved it! Might have to go off to the shops for some dried porcini for the next Tweedy inspired lunch! Cheers from Melbourne.
Thanks Alistair! Delighted to hear my slapdash outdoor cooking attempts have been a source of inspiration! Obviously I would do a few things differently if I had the luxury of a proper indoor kitchen. I suspect the way I rehydrated the porcini here might have been a bit too fierce as I was trying to hurry things along. It would probably have preserved the flavour a bit better to follow the instructions on the packet: just boil some water and let them soak in that for 20 minutes.
Lovely lump of a video!
Delightful area; I was around here on Wednesday (Simmonds Yat, Puzzlewood).
This was filmed on Wednesday! What a coincidence - we were probably only a few miles from each other. I went to Puzzlewood in relatively recent history (2021?) and for once managed to drag my daughter along on something akin to a countryside walk on the basis it was used as a filming location for something or other (I might have said Harry Potter at the time, but I'm not actually sure that's correct now). Despite me having spent lots of time in the Wye Valley as a kid, and this attraction having been around in that era, I had never been before. My Dad, very much an outdoorsman, found the idea of paying to walk around a wood abhorrent! I see his point, but I also surprisingly enjoyed it when I finally went.
@@tweedyoutdoors I am wondering whether Puzzlewood is one of those things that recently became a "thing" once used on TV or in film, a little like the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland. It has happened everywhere; my parents recount climbing all over Stonehenge when it was just "that pile of stones" where some people hung out. But yes, I reluctantly agree, that I found the place rather entrancing and other-worldly, in spite of the hit on my personal liquidity after also buying lunch there.
Absolutely fantastic vlog.mate.
Thank you!
You must be the best dressed walker in the UK. Well done. A true knight of the road.
Thanks Graham! 😂 I took a taxi to get to the start of the walk and after I told the driver I planned to walk from there down to Chepstow he said "You don't really looked dressed properly for that!".
Nice guy though, he didn't turn the meter on until we'd already been on the road for five minutes and at the end was determined to knock a fiver off because we'd been stuck behind a slow moving van most of the way! Perhaps he was trying to help me save up for some proper walking attire?
@@tweedyoutdoors Maybe for the next bottle!
@@tweedyoutdoors I am sure H.V.Morton always wore tweeds in his rambles around the UK and Ireland and other places.
A whimsical, jovial Tweedy in this video. That pasta suddenly came together right at the end, didn't it? When in doubt, add cheese.
Two comments:
1) As easy as it would be to poke critical holes in Keeping Up Appearances, it's so endearing you can't help but be fond of it.
2) You're never too old to want a treehouse.
Thanks MB! I had a delightful day out and I'm glad some of the whimsy and joviality came across on camera. I agree, cheese was the magic ingredient here which transformed something that might otherwise have been a bit spartan into a bit of modest outdoor luxury.
I don't think I've watched Keeping Up Appearances for two decades at least! Therefore probably when I last did I was still in my twenties and thought I was too cool for school etc. I can quite imagine I might look on it with some affection now!
Thank you, I really appreciate the comment about the treehouse! Perhaps if I am fortunate enough to be around still to see my grandchildren - and fit enough at that age to shin up a tree and do some basic carpentry - then maybe I can build a treehouse for them... and better still I hope my daughter will deem it too dangerous for them and commandeer it for herself!
I also enjoyed the cluster of signs
Good to hear it's not just me! It is oddly appealing isn't it?
What a wonderful vlog! So much beauty to behold - and so much good humour to enjoy. That posh noodle dish looked, to use words from a celebrated old Pot Noodle advertisement, 'too gorgeous'.
Thanks Simon! It is a beautiful part of the world, in my humble opinion. I was in a bit of a silly mood when I was out on this walk - perhaps in part due to the cider/perry at the Boat Inn at the start - I hope the frivolity didn't detract from the majesty of the landscape!
I remember those adverts! ...and if I recall correctly the guy saying that catchphrase had a Welsh accent? Very appropriate for the location then! Although I suppose when I was cooking I was actually in England, but looking across to Wales.
Thanks, Tweedy. It is indeed an exceptionally beautiful part of the delightful Welsh Marches. The cider/perry did its work well - and the vlog was the better for it! You remember correctly - Peter Baynham, the actor in those advertisements, is Welsh, as indeed are Pot Noodles themselves - arguably (very arguably!) Wales's most notable contribution to world gastronomy.
Very amusing! What a beautiful walk - thanks for taking us along!
Thanks Carol! It's sometimes hard to strike the right balance between my childish desire to prat about versus a more grown-up impulse to just be quiet and let the landscape speak for itself!
We have a word for it, it is dappled
Sort of... but that just means spotty / disrupted / patchy. I'm rubbish at DIY, and if I attempted to paint a wall, it would end up dappled. It doesn't feel to me that a word which could be used to describe my crappy efforts at home improvement could also fully convey the emotion of the magical way fleeting beams of sunlight dance their way through a leaf canopy!
A more robust critique of my lazy comparison 'twixt English and Japanese here would be that it's nonsensical to say "they have a single word for that in Japan" because the whole concept of linguistic tokenisation in Japanese is fundamentally different - they have no spaces for a start! Komorebi is three ideographs - literally "tree leak light", or, to put it less clumsily, "light leaking through the trees". You could argue it's more akin to a compound of three words than a single word. German is of course famous for these word compounds with laboured examples including the catchy and possibly apocryphal "Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz" (something to do with meat labelling legislation?).
As an aside, I assume those unwieldy compounds are an affectation of modern German - do you ever see examples in old / middle English?
@@tweedyoutdoors we see it in hyphenisation and then a compound gets naturalised and the hyphen disappears. What you do with a paintbrush is dab or alternatively scumble.
Haha, German does have ridiculously long words and Germans are said to be very fond of forrests, but there‘s no word for „komorebi“ either. Those white spots in one language when there‘s a word in another are indeed interesting.
@@tweedyoutdoors it seems your definition of dappled is correct and mine is wrong. I would say in my defence that I think it is archaic and its use is frozen in the phrase dappled light but if you had said I wish to dapple the paint on the wall I would nonetheless know what you meant. Just because I had never heard of a different usage doesn’t mean I was right.
I am going to continue my defence of Himalayan balsam however. Now what to do with the grey squirrel?
@@AllotmentFox I'm a great believer that language is a democracy! I don't believe there is an absolutely authoritative meaning of any given word: often two dictionaries might differ subtly. Although obviously words become a less useful tool for communication without a broad consensus on what they mean! For what it's worth, I call that famous bell tower in Westminster Big Ben, fully aware of what the pedants would say it is "officially" called, because it's what the majority of people call it.
As for grey squirrels, my (limited) understanding is that you either have red or grey but you can't have both, because the greys have competitive advantages. I would love to see red squirrels back in (mainland) England, but any campaign to suppress (which presumably means cull) one population to bolster the other would have to be motivated by a bit more than nostalgia or aesthetics. If there's an argument that the reds are better for the wider ecosystem, then maybe there's a case for it... but those debates are never clear cut (look at badgers for example).
Excellent thank you very interesting and a lovely part of the country! Hope you made it home haha have a nice bank holiday weekend 🎉
Thank you! Yes I made it home, although it was a bit touch and go on the second of the three trains I had to take when it turned out there were no signal operators in the area, so the trains had to just drive a bit more slowly and honk their horns constantly!
@@tweedyoutdoors I have had that happen to me 😫 but glad they found one haha
Beautiful scenery and entertaining rambling. I keep meaning to catch the bus to Chepstow and go up the Wye valley.
Thank you! As you're probably aware there's a bus which goes along the Wye Valley as well, from Chepstow to Monmouth, and stops off at some of the villages I passed in the video - so lots of options for different routes.
@@tweedyoutdoors I wasnt so thankyou. I might cycle it then fold the bike and bus back to bristol
Yes indeed most of this was of some entertainment value. Considering I paid nothing for it and got to see some outstanding scenery and forest path action, it was of very high entertainment value. Thanks!
Its a lovely part of the world. Thanks again for another great video. Phill
Oh no Tweedy....you missed a trick on your walk.
Should have headed to the Old Station at Tintern for a cream cake and then either to the Wye Valley Brewery or Tintern Parva vineyard. Then back over to the English side and up to the devil's pulpit via the railway bridge in Tintern. Oh well there's always a next time 😊
Yes some great spots there! Alas I was a bit short of time, and wanted to get that last train back to London... but I will definitely be back sooner or later.
I like pubs, i like the countryside and I do like burgundy wine and you remind me of an old friend I unfortunately had to say goodbye to in Ireland last year. If I wasnt married already and if i was a woman you would have to watch out! The cooking bit could have been a little more Keith Floyd
lol!
😂 Thanks Lars!
In all my time on RUclips I've never had an actual woman comment that they find anything about me even remotely appealing in that way. Even my wife can't stand watching my videos - one time she did she said "Why do you have to show your face so much?". As a result I assume I am the ugliest man on RUclips, and therefore appreciate your kind (and amusing) words!
Sorry to hear about your friend though. I'm obviously biased now but sounds like he was a great guy.
Yes I agree the cooking segment here wasn't my most Floyd-esque - I had a bit of time pressure and was just trying to get on with it! I don't know if you've seen another recent video of mine where I was cooking at the base of the white cliffs of Dover - there was a bit more Floyd in that!
@@tweedyoutdoors I love my wife, don’t forget that they did in fact choose us. Maybe it wasn’t their most brightest moment. I’m happy and if I was on RUclips I could probably compete with you about who’s the ugliest guy on the net. Anyhow, keep it up! There are ppl out there who like what you’re doing! I’m surprised that you don’t have millions of followers, you should!
Beautiful journey! Personally, the only way I could leave The Boat Inn is to be declared a vagrant and forcibly removed. I openly laughed at the Monty Python “Holy Grail “ reference! Thank you for sharing…great video…CHEERS!!! 🍻
Thanks Ed - yes it was a bit tough to drag myself away from the Boat but I was also really looking forward to the walk!
Glad you caught the Holy Grail reference - I probably spent half an hour making that silly animation! Every time there is a small obstacle on the path like that when I'm out walking I'm reminded of Sir Lancelot and Concorde "riding" along.
Applause, another great video, will be at the Boat in 2 weeks and will raise a suitably full(later empty)glass of cider to you. Long May you travel, picturesquely or otherwise.
Thank you! I hope you have a great time at the Boat! Have you checked their opening hours recently? I would probably have done this walk the other way round (Chepstow to Redbrook) but according to their website, earlier in the week they only open until 8pm.
Brilliant as always tweedy mate. Cheers! 😎👍🍺
Thanks Elvis!
Excellent! Enjoyed it tremendously! Seems odd, however to be in a starched white shirt while hiking. Is it part of the Tweedy brand? Also enjoyed the video of the Boat Inn pub in Penallt, what a great country pub and the family history is awesome! I hope that you had fun, it was certainly fun to watch!
Thanks Thomas! These are just the clothes I wear all the time whether I'm on or off screen, pretty much whatever I'm doing. I don't own anything else! Yes I had a really fun day out: the pub, the walk, and the cooking/wine later - but I was a bit exhausted by the end and struggling to stay awake on the train home!
Hello Tweedy. I spotted this video and saw the "Wye Valley" and your face and was a bit confused until I saw the "Tweedy Outdoors". Yesterday's pub was on the Wye ( across the river from the car park IIRC ) which was my first clue. New subscriber now. If you ever decide to do a Tweedy's Sunday Roast Review channel, count me in.
Absolutely beautiful scenery, we always watch your videos on the television
Thanks Deborah! I hope it comes out OK on the big screen - I occasionally watch my videos back on my TV at home and find they look a bit washed out compared to the screen on my laptop. Could just be a problem with that particular TV though - I think we got it for free!
@@tweedyoutdoors yes, they look fine. Beautiful scenery in this one
I was mesmerized by this beautiful and informative ( in a magical way) video.
I've always wanted to walk there, but never got the chance hence, once again, your video allowed me vicarious delight 🙂
Astounding scenery and history, Tweedy and thank you for the little glimpse into the church...and The Devil's Pulpit with the breathtaking view.
The lunch snack was interesting 😊
I'm looking forward to seeing the pub part of the video when I get home from shopping.
Thanks Christine - it is a beautiful part of the world!
The Moravian church at Brockweir piqued my curiosity - I don't think I've ever seen that denomination anywhere else. I Googled it just now and I believe here are fewer than 30 Moravian churches in the UK. Strange that one of them is in this tiny village in the Wye Valley!
@@tweedyoutdoors
It is very strange, yes.
So many peculiarities to be found when trudging through beautiful places.
You just don’t expect them sometimes.
Always enriching!
And there was me fooled into thinking you had brought a real pot noodle, by TweedyPubs. Oh well we'll just have to make do with a home made one. Mind you the cheese did look really good.
Guaranteed amongst the Tweed community there would be enough of us to form a troupe of horsemen making suitable equine noises (I do own at least two sets of cocoanuts) should the call go out .......
The Forest of Dean was a really industrial area criss crossed by lots of railways taking the minerals from the mines and quarries, have a look at railmaps. I remember camping on the racecourse at Chepstow and seeing the images on The Singing Detective, I knew nothing at all about it's industrial heritage until RUclips.
Really atmospheric walk which had me on the edge of my seat wondering if you would make it on time to catch your train ..... and then I remembered seeing the black cherries!!
Excellent adventure, well done!!
Thanks David! Ingredients-wise this probably had almost nothing in common with a Pot Noodle but I just thought the shape of the linguine looked oddly reminiscent of those flat noodles you get in a Pot Noodle and my billy can happens to be about the same size!
I wasn't too worried about missing the last train out of Chepstow, a few of the pubs in town have accommodation and if there had been no room at the inn I did have an emergency bivvy bag.
A slightly more worrying potential outcome occurred on the way home as I had to change trains twice, and the second train was crawling along due to signalling issues, meaning there was a good chance I could have missed that final connection in Swindon and ended up stranded there for the night! Thankfully I just made it in time, and got home around 1am.
I loved that. I can't explain why. If we are going to send back Himalayan balsam shall we send back potatoes, maize, plums, grapes and wheat?
Thank you! You must have been to this bit of the Wye Valley? It's not far from your neck of the woods. In the unlikely event you haven't been, I think you'd like it, not just for the historical interest of Offa's Dyke, but the melting pot of English/Welsh culture and for the ancient woodland.
I'm no expert on the dangers of invasive species but I believe the problem with Himalayan Balsam is that it's very hardy, it spreads easily and it creates a tall canopy which then crowds out other plants. In other parts of the country where there are large patches of it I've seen signs (presumably with the blessing of the local authorities?) requesting passers by to trample it down or rip it out. I don't think we've ever had the same problem with potatoes or grapes dominating huge swathes of the countryside like that! Unless we've deliberately planted them, that is.
@@tweedyoutdoors i think everybody has given up. It has invaded and conquered. I now love it
@@AllotmentFox I'm happy to be led by those more knowledgeable than I am on the subject - if the consensus is that the habitat will reach some equilibrium and we shouldn't be too concerned about Himalayan Balsam then I'll stop worrying.
@@tweedyoutdoors just to make you worry even more, I found some today up a hill well away from any stream bank. I don’t think equilibrium is in its game plan
Lovely work again, Tweedy! And your version of the view from the Devil's Pulpit is infinitely better than mine was last year. I couldn't see a thing and had to cheat using an older Photograph 😅
More moss rocks please 👍
Glad to hear at least one other person out there likes them! I think they're magical.
I used to live in Tintern, so great to see this trip!
Hopefully it brought back good memories! How far back was your time in Tintern? Were you there when the Cherry Tree pub was still going? That was a beautiful place, much missed.
@@tweedyoutdoors I was there in 2016, so before my time, but headed to the Anchor Inn just because you could see the abbey from the window. Lovely part of the world.
@@paulmeaklim4805 Ah I see, I believe the Cherry Tree closed in 2010. My aunt worked at the Anchor for a short time - but that's probably 40 years ago now! I agree - lovely part of the world.
A walk through enchanted woods, with all those fallen trees, moss and fern and even a brief appearance of a fairy, then at a picturesque viewpoint a digression on the origins of this word (I didn't know that it was such a key concept and, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, influenced English architecture and landscape gardening) and to top it off an outdoor cooking tutorial - only Tweedy can do all of that in one video!
Thanks Kathi! It ended up a bit of a long video as I was loathed to cut too much out - I found so much of this landscape so enchanting, especially the woodland bits. As a result it's probably not a video destined for RUclips success but sometimes I feel like I have to just do what I want to do rather than what "the algorithm" wants!
It might have been a little bit of a stretch to suggest that specific view from the Devil's Pulpit was pivotal in the formation of the notion of "picturesque" but I think I am on safe ground when I say Gilpin's book about the Wye Valley was a kind of founding text for that aesthetic movement, and that view down to Tintern Abbey is a particularly iconic one! Even if Gilpin said of the abbey that it could be improved with "a mallet, judiciously used"!
These simple recipes are really good. I'm going to try this but may have to substitute shiitake for porcini. I'm not a fungi expert but I gather there's little difference. I'll be eating mine with a sweeping view of the Thames estuary, though...
Yes shiitake would work for a slightly Japanese twist! The mushroom pizza at my favourite Italian restaurant uses shiitake (I think) because it packs a lot more flavour than ordinary white mushrooms.
The last time I went for a walk along the Thames estuary I saw wild (marsh) samphire growing there! Somewhere to the east of Gravesend.
It is apparent to me that your smile is a bit broader when you are in the countryside Tweedy.
Thanks Al, well observed! I do indeed seem to feel much happier whenever I get out of London recently, not just because of the landscape, but also the people and, frankly, even the pubs. I really enjoyed the visit to the Boat Inn as part of this trip, and similarly had a fantastic time at the Harrow Inn last week. I'm struggling to remember the last time I enjoyed being in a London pub quite so much!
Thank you. Very enjoyable. I have been to this area often but never walked the path. Your food looked very tasty. Where did you get your mushrooms?
Thank you! It's a beautiful walk although I have to admit I struggled with some of those steep hills! Not so bad once you're on the top of course.
The porcini were just from a health food shop near me in London - I think sometimes even big supermarkets sell them. My Dad forages for them! Although I wouldn't feel confident enough eating any wild mushroom I had picked myself without expert supervision. Porcini are always a bit pricey in the shops but other dried mushrooms would work just as well in this "recipe" (if that's not too generous a term for it!). I think dried mushrooms are great for this kind of outdoor cooking because they have a lot of flavour for very little weight / bulk, and obviously they don't need to be kept in the fridge or anything.
@@tweedyoutdoors Thanks, I'll have to look in my local Waitrose (Marlborough). For some reson I thought you were based in Wiltshire! Probably because I watched you in another video doing a walk local to me. Anyway, I enoy your videos! 🙂
Always interested in seeing a beautiful bit of Britain that I'm probably never going to get to, unfortunately. I walked the length of the Antonine Wall a couple of winters ago, although its a World Heritage Site there a sad lack of any real signage on route; there's a presumption that you're just going to drive to the better preserved sections.
Thanks Iain! If you ever do visit Offa's Dyke, I found the path was really well marked - at least in this southern section. The path doesn't always stick to the dyke exactly as you can see in the video but I found it was generally nice walking wherever it went.
@@tweedyoutdoors The only way I found to accurately route map the Antonine Wall was to zoom in on 'Canmore Mapping', part of Historic Environment Scotland (government body). Wales has got something as a close equivalent, sadly England doesn't.
You may be interested in Foresty Forest's channel - he does packrafting occasionally - most recently in Alaska.
Thanks, I'll take a look!
Pine trees around 5 mins in might be larch. Hope so, would be another Monty P reference (no. 3…)
Oh no I missed a trick there! Was that only on the (audio) albums perhaps? I recall Reginald Maudling being involved.
@@tweedyoutdoors i just looked it up. it was episode three of the first TV series “How to recognise different types of trees from quite a long way away”. i remember first seeing it around 1990 when they were running repeats on BBC2.
Inspired by you, I’ve just ordered a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin from Waitrose, the cheapest I could find at £47.
I hope I haven't been a bad influence! As with any wine region there's a lot of variation in quality (even at these crazy prices!), and even though this "region" is really just a village, with all the wines made using the same grape, there's a surprising variation in style depending on the producer. So there is always a risk it'll end up being a bit of a disappointment!
I really hope you enjoy it - fingers crossed!
@@tweedyoutdoorsI hope so! I have seen some really crazy prices for wines from there. The most expensive table wine I ever bought was a Californian cult wine called Orion (ca £100)