Thanks to the friendly staff at the Over Farm Market, we parked our cars in the car park and caught the bus to Lydney.
From the town centre we walked through the park with the beautiful lake pictured on the left, over Lydney Junction (train station) and down to the Marina and the River Severn. We had hoped to walk all the way to Newnham on Severn and thus link up with the start of the last walk.
Instead our plans were thwarted - many of the footpaths were overgrown - 6 foot high in places and very dense. We literally had to hack our way through. The weeds, the wet and the mud, made our progress very slow. After 6 miles we admitted defeat at Bullo Pill. The missing section between Bullo and Newnham to be made up at a future date.
Lydney Marina.
Beautiful rolling countryside. Home to some massive slow worms and a rather magnificent grass snake!
Crossing over the railway. On the bricks of the bridge somebody with the initials MJM had recorded their many trips on foot over the bridge. The most recent 'etching' below says 'MJM 1/2/12 - 80 years of age'. Julie and I both hoped we would be walking such terrain at such a good age and we wondered who MJM was. Sometimes MJM was accompanied by someone with the same last initial. Husband, wife, daughter, son - I guess we will never know.
Looking across the river to Sharpness.
Mud glorious mud!
More mud!
After leaving our cars parked at Over we caught the bus to the start of our walk at The Silver Fox Cafe on the A48 to the north of Newnham on Severn. We were told the cafe is named after the farming of silver foxes that took place on the land surrounding the cafe in the early 1900's. The hapless foxes doomed to become coats. In the 1960's the cafe was often used as a stop off point for travelling artists Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and The Beatles amongst it's early clientele.
Views of The Severn.
Quick refreshment at The Severn Bore Inn Minsterworth.
Afterwards our walk seemed to be never ending along the twists and turns of the river. With the Strawberry of Over Farm Market (our destination and where our cars were parked) never seeming to get any closer.
Looking north to the start of today's walk Oldbury Power Station. Little did we know it but today's walk would be one of our longest - approximately 16 miles. It would involve three bridges - The First and Second Severn Crossings and the Avonmouth Bridge. It would also involve some rock climbing!
Looking South to the First Severn Crossing.
It's getting nearer!
Curious earth formations, caused by the river's tide and current (definitely not ant hills)!
The sheer cliffs at Aust - at this point we had gone wrong (but hadn't realised it). We should have been proceeding with caution along the top of the cliffs and not as we were, walking at their base. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU TAKE THE SAME ROUTE AS US. IT IS NOT SAFE AND YOU ARE WELL ADVISED TO STICK TO THE SEVERN WAY.
The First Severn Crossing from just below The Service Station at Aust.
This is the dangerous bit - it doesn't look very high but we had to scramble partway up the cliff - treacherous and very difficult to get any purchase with our feet. If we had fallen - we would have crashed onto rock. DO NOT DO AS WE DID.
Still climbing up the cliff.
The view from the cliff.
Approaching the underbelly of the First Severn Crossing.
Graffiti underneath it!
Out the other side.
Leaving the bridge behind us.
Moving towards The Second Severn Crossing.
Approaching the underside of The Second Severn Crossing.
Right underneath.
Leaving it behind.
After a long and very dreary walk through Avonmouth (the A403 through Avonmouth is the busiest, nosiest, dirtiest road - a stark contrast to the peaceful banks of the Severn), we start our assent of The Avonmouth Bridge.
The views from the top are not for the faint hearted! As neither Julie not I like heights, we did not look left very often.
From the end of the The Bridge we continued our walk on the cycle path that leads straight into Portishead. We enjoyed a delicious glass of Pilsner in a restaurant/bar opposite Waitrose! It was so delicious we forgot to take a photograph of us there!
Julie at the start of our walk.
Andrea at the start of our walk. We were both anticipating an easy walk - a large section of it along the canal tow path as far as Sharpness and then beyond Sharpness on the flood banks as far as Oldbury Power Station.
The bank of The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
Frampton Church.
The Black Shed tearooms at Splatt Bridge - despite walking for a short while, we just had to stop for coffee and cake.
Delightful poppies on the tow path.
Views across the river.
A curious collection of gnomes!
The River Severn.
The Purton Wrecks - the final resting place of some very large ship, deliberately grounded to prevent the erosion of the banks of the River.
Some of the wrecks - after so many years looking part of the banks themselves.
A plaque to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Severn and Wye Railway Bridge disaster.
Information about the Purton Ships Graveyard.
The remains of The Severn and Wye Railway Bridge.
The remains of The Severn and Wye Railway Bridge.
Another wreck.
More information about the doomed bridge.
Yet another wreck.
Approaching Sharpness.
Entering Sharpness.
The River Severn from Sharpness.
Information about The Training Ship Vindacatrix.
Sharpness.
Lunch at last - just south of Sharpness.
The only ship we have seen navigating The Severn.
Lichen on the wall!
Looking North towards Sharpness in the distance.
Our destination - Oldbury Power Station.
Almost there!
Some wonderful daisies in one of the many nature reserves that surround the now decommissioned Oldbury Power Station.
Our walks end!
