Welsh Boundary Walk - Redwick to Tredegar (Newport)

Friday 27th May - day 38
This morning Brenda and Colin gave me toast and tea before I departed. I had a long chat with Brenda about her varied work for charities. All the way through this walk I gave found a strong sense of community and neighbourliness in the countryside- you seem to get a lot closer to these things on a walk like this when there seems to be more time to talk to more people.
At one point I turned off the road onto a public right of way track to go down to follow the sea wall. At the sea wall access was forbidden by an RSPB nature reserve and I had to walk the quarter mile back again.
I had imagined this south coast up to Cardiff being a sort if industrial wasteland, but it is all archetypal English villages unchanged down the years, and all in all a pleasant backwater.
I was looking forward to crossing the River Usk to Newport via their transporter bridge so I could compare it with the one I know in Teesside. At the left turn to this attraction there was a roadside chuck wagon run by a young girl. I had tea and a generous bacon butty and a bar of Aero and chatted with the girl. As i was leaving the girl presented me with a sausage bap wrapped in foil "to keep you going along the way".
Turning for the transporter bridge there was a notice saying it was closed. I was able to cross by the new A48 bridge about half a mile further north.
I was aiming for the Caravan Club site set in the grounds of Tredagor House to the west of Newport. Normal access is from the very busy A48, but I approached by the back door. The estate is probably as big as the centre of Kendal and locating the back door entrance and then the CC site within was not easy. I had previously checked that this was a CC site that took tents. On arrival I was told that the camping field had not yet been opened! What? We're nearly in June! As a special favour I was allowed to use the field which is very lumpy and has just been mown with all the mown grass left and it js now into everything I possess. I went back to reception to ask them to charge my Mili. I was told that they were not really allowed to do this but they agreed, but emphasised that it was entirely at my own risk and that they could not be responsible for power surges etc., and they insisted I did the plugging and unplugging. No wonder the other lot (6The Camping and Caravan Club) advertise themselves as "The friendly club".
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