It's a beautiful place to visit in the depths of winter and hunker down by the fire, while also perfect for a sunny day visit while walking or paddling down the Wye. It was built back in 1650 from local stone and its rock connections don't end there, because Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant is apparently a big fan.
But aside from crusty-but-brilliant rockers, there are so many reasons to have a whole lot of love for this gorgeous pub, The Boat Inn at Penallt, which is tucked away in the Wye Valley on the Welsh side. For a start, to get to it you have to cross over an old railway bridge (which appeared in the Netflix smash-hit, Sex Education). The bridge used to carry steam trains up and down the valley from Chepstow to Monmouth.
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A perfect spot to watch the River Wye slide past, there are four or five picnic tables right alongside the river, where the pub sits right on the bank and where you can watch ducks, paddleboarders and anything else that sails past, or falls in. There's more garden space too, as a terrace with seating creeps up the side of the valley towards a rock face waterfall, where there's more seating to take advantage of the view and great weather.
It's quite a small indoor space with one main room with a roaring fireplace and nook seating. There's only a handful of tables so if you get one count yourself lucky. One's a window seat, a cosy fire seat for supping a real ale or cider from behind the bar. And if you like live music they have monthly folk nights and regular jam sessions.
There's now a covered area outside, for the rainier days, and they serve food from Wednesdays to Sundays, with the odd Japanese street food pop-up happening every now and then. I's a perfect way to start or end one of the many stunning walks in this area. If you really want to treat yourself, The Boat has rooms to stay over, so you can check out that view around the clock. Read more about that here. Our top tip is to park on the other side of the river at Redbrook, as parking is limited on the Welsh side.
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