LEJOG
Distance walked – 32.4km (20.3miles)
Total Distance – 482.5km (301.6miles)
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl
Arcade Fire – Sprawl II
Today was an easier day, finding our way out of Bristol on footpaths, hidden cut-throughs, and quiet streets that linked several large green public spaces that took us to the edge of the sprawling city and the open countryside beyond.
We set off early, and following coffee and breakfast at a cafe in Clifton, headed down a quiet mews street. We passed the site of Keith Floyd’s first bistro, before zigzagging down many steps to the busy A4 that runs along the Avon River. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, that we had crossed into Bristol yesterday, loomed over us as it spanned the dramatic Avon Gorge.
The bridge is a true engineering marvel. It was opened in 1864 and is based on a design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but completed after his death. We marvelled as we walked underneath it, wondering how it was constructed.
The A4 proved to be very busy and our initial plan to walk alongside it for about 5km on a cycle path was looking like a very unpleasant chore. A closer (or ‘thorough’ look at the map as Louisa opined) revealed a better path out of Bristol than the one I had plotted. We reascended the steep side of the Avon Gorge, (up some different steps) and gained the large open green of Clifton Downs. (Nothing compares to a completely unnecessary ascent/descent before a 30km day. . . . .)
We crossed the large open public park via a tree lined avenue before taking a number of quiet streets and an interesting footpath, the Pitch and Pay, through several Bristol suburban areas. We skirted around the edge of a golf-course, greeting the lone golfer as he struck his ball down the fairway (disappointingly no shouts of ‘fore’). This took us to the Blaise Castle Estate, another enormous public park, the former grounds of a stately house, which we followed almost to the edge of Bristol.
It was amazing that we were able to walk from almost the centre of Bristol right to the countryside on its edge while hardly walking on a road.
We crossed the M5 via an overpass and suddenly, like side-slipping into another dimension, we were in a green meadow bounded by trees with birds singing. It was a sylvan paradise.
Before us lay a swathe of countryside filling the gap between Bristol and the Severn River. We crossed this quiet area via a mix of long footpaths through pasture fields and rarely used lanes. It was a surprisingly eventful afternoon.
An enormous storm blew over us, causing us to cower as lightning struck around us and thunder filled the air. Torrential rain fell on us as we struggled to get our waterproof gear on. We were chased by cows again and had to crawl under a barbed wire fence before running for a stile. We had to eat our lunch perched on the edge of a muddy water-trough, trying to avoid the myriad cow-pats. Despite all this we eventually arrived at the Severn Crossing bridge, our path into Wales.
We were very emotional, as this crossing seemed to mark the first real landmark of significance we have gained on this walk. We were leaving the Southwest region of England and travelling into, not only a new area, but a new country!
The walk across was tough as the pedestrian path is on cast-iron plate and is very hard on the feet. The M48 motorway roars alongside, and the bridge is several kilometres long. We were elated though. As we reached the midpoint of the Severn we spied the tiny sign that noted the Welsh border and with hugs we crossed into Wales.
An unfortunate road walk into Chepstow ensued but our arrival in the town was heralded by a rainbow as we strolled down the high street to our accommodation for the night. This was a good day and we are looking forward to our first day of walking on Offa’s Dyke path tomorrow when we will be joined by several guest walkers.
Today’s Route
As an aside, our new shoes were great and have alleviated most of our feet/ankle problems. They kept our feet dry all day something our old shoes wouldn’t have done. All in all, we have been enormously happy about buying them.
2 Responses
Yay, new shoes!!! More details, please!!! I was wondering how much of a diversion you needed to take to the shoe shop. Or was that all part of the planning?
Salomon Speedcross 6 trail runners! Wonderful for walking and waterproof. Not sure I’d want to run in them. Nigel planned a stop in Bristol in case we needed new kit – thank goodness he did!