Fwd: Severn Way - day 12

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Conrad Robinson <conrob@icloud.com>
Date: 9 August 2013 17:51:12 BST
To: Conrad Robinson <conrob@me.com>
Subject: Severn Way - day 12 - Friday 9th August

Oldbury-on-Severn to Bristol

An early start and sight of the Severn bridge across to Chepstow gave me Bristol in my sights, albeit with a bit of cheating.

At the bridge I could not see signs for the SW and assumed the path went underneath, although later inspection of the map shows the route I couldn't find. I was faced with a scramble up red clay banking to gain a concrete abutment with galvanised tubular railings and a zig zag metal and concrete staircase with an interesting traverse near the top. There were "do not enter" notices, and some of the fencing was over eight feet high, but I found my way round those. This was all most entertaining, my very own via-ferrata, or via-galvanica?

As I clambered over the last forbidden, locked gate there was a small maintenance service van parked in the service road, and I thought they were waiting for me. They had not been alerted, but realised what I had done and expressed disapproval, but became quite pally after a bit of chat giving me info about my route ahead; one of them had done The Coast to Coast (W's I think, not Pacific to Atlantic).

Now then, I never set out to walk the whole of the SW, having started at Shrewsbury and not in the remote Welsh Hills.

At Andrew's Road Station the SW leaves the Severn, which by now is really the Bristol Channel, and wanders inland through suburbia and then back to the Avon Gorge, then another meander through townscape to finish in the centre of Bristol. I did want to walk through the Avon Gorge, but not through all that built up stuff. I found that after four hours walking I could catch the 12:00 train one station before Andrew's Road at Severn Beach, and get off at Sea Mills and walk through the gorge to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. That all worked fine - I even saw some rock climbers.

A hard ascent from the Avon to Clifton and a trog through town got me to Clifton Station where I caught a train to Temple Meads station Bristol, where nobody asked for payment. I then continued by train to Newport is S. Wales where I am now booked in. I intend to walk the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal over the next three days, so if you are reading this Bob (Welshpaddler) and want to get together email me at conrob@me.com and I will send you my phone number.

I had this Plan B in mind from the start but was not sure if it would work out. I have to be back home for the "annual check up" on my knee by the specialist by Thursday 15th - the op was actually done last May - good old NHS.

Sent from my iPad which is not close to my heart because I keep it in the right hand pocket of my walking shirt.