This week 3 8 Nov Culture Antiques Fair at Hereford Racecourse Hereford Racecourse · about 30-35 min drive A proper rummage through stalls of furniture, jewellery and bric-a-brac under one roof. Go early if you're after anything specific, the good pieces move fast. More details → 9 Nov Culture Abergavenny Remembrance Parade The Cenotaph, Abergavenny · about 20-25 min drive A proper local Remembrance parade through the town centre, quieter and more community-feeling than the big city services. Arrive a little before 10.30am if you want a clear view near the Cenotaph. More details → 14 Nov Culture Love from a Stranger Phoenix Theatre, Ross-on-Wye · about 30 min drive The Phoenix Theatre company's autumn production, in a small theatre tucked behind St Mary's Church. Check the box office for which evenings still have seats. More details →
Coming up 10 4th Thu Food & drink Abergavenny Farmers Market Abergavenny town centre · about 20-25 min drive Local producers set up for a morning only, so it's worth timing a Monmouth or Abergavenny trip around it if you want proper Welsh cheese and veg. Go before noon as stalls start packing up. More details → 2nd Sun Culture Abergavenny Craft Fayre Abergavenny town centre · about 20-25 min drive Handmade jewellery, cards and woodwork from local makers, small enough to do in half an hour but easy to lose an afternoon in. Good for picking up an actual present rather than a souvenir. More details → On now Culture M.R. James: A Warning to the Curious The Blake Theatre, Monmouth · about 15 min drive A ghost-story adaptation billed as one of the county's half-term highlights, all seaside menace and M.R. James chill. Check the Blake's own listings nearer the time for the exact date. More details → 15 Nov Music Martyn Joseph Borough Theatre, Abergavenny · about 25 min drive One man and a guitar, with a big sound and a loyal following. A good Sunday-evening option in the Market Hall building. More details → 19 Nov Culture Gianni Schicchi (Mid Wales Opera) Borough Theatre, Abergavenny · about 25 min drive Mid Wales Opera's staging of Puccini's one-act comedy, in an evening of Italian opera. A short, funny way into opera if you haven't been before. More details → 21 Nov Music Concert: Benjamin Frith & Heidi Rolfe Great Barn, Hellens Manor, Much Marcle · about 40 min drive A one-piano, four-hands recital from two well-known British pianists, in the barn at a Tudor manor. Book ahead, as it's a small room. More details → 22 Nov Food & drink Abergavenny Winter Artisan Market Abergavenny Market Hall / Town Hall · about 25 min drive A free-entry makers' market with a Yule and Christmas theme, and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. A good place to start the gift list. More details → 22 Nov Music Abergavenny Symphony Orchestra: Autumn Concert King Henry VIII School, Abergavenny · about 25 min drive The town's community orchestra under Michael Bell. The programme is still to be announced. Tickets go on sale about six weeks ahead and the last concert nearly sold out. More details → 25 Nov Music Russell Watson: An Intimate Evening with 'The Voice' The Blake Theatre, Monmouth · about 25 min drive The crossover tenor in talk-and-song format, telling the stories behind his career. Standard tickets are £34 plus fees, and the bar is open before the show. More details → 26 Nov Culture An Evening of Ghost Stories Chepstow Castle · about 40 min drive Ghost stories and local folklore after dark in Wales's oldest post-Roman stone castle. Booking is sensible and you'll want a warm coat, so check the start time when you book. More details →
Ongoing 6 Every day Food & drink Abergavenny Market Abergavenny Market Hall · about 20-25 min drive A working town market rather than a tourist one, good for filling a picnic basket or hunting through the Wednesday flea stalls. Go mid-morning when it's properly in swing. More details → Every Fri Food & drink Monmouth Market Shire Hall & Old Bridge car park, Monmouth · about 15 min drive A dual-site market with one stall row by the Shire Hall and another down by the old Monnow bridge, good for fresh produce and handmade crafts. Go for opening at 9am if you want first pick of the veg. More details → Early Dec Family Monmouth Christmas Lantern Parade Monnow Bridge to Shire Hall, Monmouth · about 15-20 min drive The whole town turns out for this one, with handmade lanterns lighting up the walk from Monnow Bridge to Shire Hall. Check the Monmouth Christmas Lantern Parade Facebook page nearer the time for the confirmed date and workshop dates if you want to make your own lantern. More details → 1st & 3rd Sat Food & drink Usk Farmers' Market Usk town centre · 25 min drive A small but proper farmers' market, good for local cheese, meat and bread rather than crafts. Get there for opening if you want the best of the produce. More details → 24 Oct Family Half-term family show at the Blake Theatre The Blake Theatre, Monmouth · about 15 min drive Monmouth's small theatre programmes something for half term most years, this time a spooky M.R. James adaptation among the offerings. Check the Blake's own listings for the exact date and book direct. More details → Check dates Outdoors Monnow Valley walk to Box Farm Skenfrith, heading north along the Monnow Valley · starts in the village A six-mile there-and-back walk north from Skenfrith up the Monnow Valley, quiet lanes and river views the whole way. Good for an afternoon when you don't fancy the car, starts right from the village. More details →
