ST. JEROMES
15/08/04
I rode out on a Sunday morning, the sun was shining and I thought I was in for a good warm ride. However, after meeting Nick outside the fire station in Newport city, it turned overcast. We cycled out on the main Chepstow A48 road. After about 5 miles we turned off up a quiet and remarkable lane toward the small village of Shirenewton. Along here it started to drizzle, however, we were not put off and it was really pleasant to cycling in the damp air with all it's aromas. After leaving Shirenewton it started to rain heavily. We had a fast descent down the hill to the village of Llangwm. Here we went up the remote track to the church of St Jerome’s. This church was tucked away in a small hollow in the heart of the country. Its mediaeval rood screen is quite famous, as there are not many left, after most of them were destroyed by Cromwell and his army. Also in this church are some engravings of the Green Man. This is an ancient pagan symbol found around Europe; it seems strange for it to be included in a Christian church. A quick look at the guest book showed we had visited here exactly five years ago. There must have been some strange thing at work here pulling us in to visit this atmospheric church. After this visit we cycled home very quickly in the pouring rain via Usk, Prescoed and the Trehebert road....40 miles.
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