Easton-in-Gordano to Chepstow

17 May 2010 - Easton-in-Gordano to Chepstow

Distance - 19.5 miles

Weather - Sunny, overcast later in the day

We stayed at - Castle View Hotel, 16 Bridge Street, Chepstow, Gwent, Wales, NP16 5EZ Cost - £77.00

Trying to leave the Days Inn Hotel was even harder than trying to arrive and we ended up crossing ditches and squeezing through hedges in order to reach the footpath that would lead us to the River Avon footbridge. The combination of motorway, train lines and docks didn't make it the most salubrious or prettiest of areas. We eventually reached the footbridge, which was essentially a bit of the M5 road bridge sheltered by some crash barrier and marveled at the contrast. One side it was very rural with fields, whilst the other side there were docks and industry. When we reached the end of the bridge we were no longer in Somerset, but in the City of Bristol. 

It was now that I was very grateful for the tips gleaned from the Cicerone End to End Trail guide, that suggested a route up through Kings Weston, giving us a green corridor through the city. Otherwise we would have had to plod through miles of housing estates to break free. Using their recommended route, with the exception of the traffic noise, you would be hard pressed to think you were anywhere near a big city. The route finished at the picturesque Blaise Hamlet, a tiny village built around a green, which was designed by John Nash in 1809 and built to house pensioners from the nearby Blaise estate.

After Blaise Hamlet we crossed the railway line and then the M5 again. At this point we had a great view of Filton Airfield, but we were spared the sound of any planes at all during this holiday, as it coincided with the issue of the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano and all planes in UK airspace had been grounded.

Shortly after these crossings, we reached Spanorium Hill where we got a view of the new M4 across the River Severn. There is no footbridge on the new M4, so instead we had to cross using the old M4 (now the M48) motorway bridge a bit further upriver. The countryside between Compton Greenfield and Easter Compton was actually quite nice. A little while later, we crossed yet another train line, walked through some more green fields, then crossed over the M4 and continued on some more rural footpaths until we reached Aust and the M48.

We sat down and had a rest just before walking to the start of the M48 foot bridge. We were both quite tired by this point, as we had already walked about 17 miles with full rucksacks. This suspension bridge was built in the 1960s and is about two thirds of a mile long. We were glad that it was a still day, as it is often closed to traffic if it's a bit windy. The first half of the bridge was quite exciting, but after a while it was just tiring and it never looked like the land the other side was getting any closer. 

When we did reach the other side, we got a bit lost and it seemed to take forever to cover the final mile and a half to get into the centre of Chepstow. There were points then when I could have sat down and cried. I have to admit that I learnt a few lessons that day, namely to pack a lot less in future and never to walk over 18 miles with a full rucksack, unless it really couldn't be avoided. The GPS actually ran out of charge before we reached our hotel for the night, which was the lovely Castle View Hotel, overlooking Chepstow Castle. We had planned to take the bus out to the start of the Offa's Dyke footpath, once we got to the hotel, and walk back, but we were so tired we just had dinner and a drink. The official start of Offa's Dyke was left for another day.