Day 16b. Old Passage House to Frampton.

Wednesday 7 September.

The first photograph shows the view we had drinking our shandies at Old Passage House, sitting at pink (!) tables. The village, on the opposite bank of the Severn, is Newnham.

The path went first south and then east and at times it ran quite a way inland from the river, as when passing the horses in the next photograph. Note another set of large electricity pylons in the background.

In England, foot paths that are rights of way have protection under law and crops have to be planted around them as shown in the sweet corn field in the next photograph. That having been said not everyone suports the law. If you look carefully at the Severn Way sign in the next photograph you will see one arm, at right angles, has been snapped off. It pointed inland towards a farm.

The next picture shows the route up to our next gate, behind an electric fence. Can you spot it? It was a metre long length of insulation, on the fence wire, that gave me the clue. Up to this point the path had been pretty open with few problems.

We then entered a pleasant forest area, but a few old trees had dropped across the path. Shiel demonstrates how to cross one in the next photograph.

By now the Severn was dramatically wide and to show it to you I took the next 3 photographs side by side, each one rotated in azimuth a little w.r.t the next.

The next picture shows a somewhat 'hairy' bridge over a stream we had to cross. From this point on, until we reached Frampton, The Severn Way switched to it's 'machete required' style. The last 5 photographs document our battle.

The  first part of today's walk was excellent and made us think we must come back to fill the Gloucester-Frampton gap to watch Sabrina come of age.

Statisticians. 17.5 km and about 6 hrs. Note even without packs our speed is the same. Shiel is fitted with a governer.

Day 16a. Frampton to Old Passage House.

Wednesday 7 September.

We left The Bell Inn and turned right to pick up the 41/45 national cycle route via Saul to Upper Framilode, there to pick up The Severn Way again. As we booked 2 nights at The Bell we were only carrying day packs, great!

On leaving Frampton we noticed a significant number of houses were fitted with solar panels. I've just added a photograph of one. Strangely a lot were oriented due East or at best SE. When in sunny Sacramento, with Colin we didn't see any domestic panel installations.

There were some nice old Victorian houses in Saul and we've added a photograph of one of them. I also photographed the church, a very nice old building but probably doesn't get a vicar every Sunday.

We were soon in Upper Framilode and picked up the Severn Way to head West. There was a Parish Council Map of the Arlingham Horseshoe walk, I photographed it but you might not resolve much on the reduced version. It seems to be an area popular with ramblers.We were impressed. (Due to finger trouble the map is now the last photo, sorry).

The Severn had changed dramatically during our day on the canal. It was no longer a little inland river it was a tidal estuary and got wider as the day wore on. We were seeing it near low tide.

We passed ponies, walked at the edge of harvested corn and all with extensive views to East and West. There were lots of birds on the sandbanks but sadly you can't see any in the photographs.

Electricity is carried over the Severn and because of the width the towers are gigantic. See the photograph with Shiel.

There were few buildings on the stop bank where we were walking, but we noticed that on the one occasion where there were buildings a nearby Severn Way sign  was vandalised. A large car tyre had also been dumped in one of the Way gates. It did however still open, just. A little further along we came across another vandalised Severn Way sign.

Just before we turned south we saw some interesting cliffs on the norhern bank and a photo follows.

Sweet corn was a popular crop and we passed a few fields of it, usually behind a hedge from the stop bank.

Just before we reached our lunch stop at the Old Passge House, final photograph, we passed a poignant memorial, a tree planted for a 10 year old boy, Thomas Haile

Day 15a. Gloucester to Pilot Inn

Tuesday 6 September.

After the battle with the Severn Way yesterday we decided to modify our route today. Shiel's feet have been giving her trouble and she decided another 8 hour day fighting barbed wire, nettles and brambles would be a step too far. It is after all supposed to be a holiday, not two foreigners battling to keep the Severn Way open. We're sorry about it and we would be prepared, health permitting, to come back to Gloucester, for a week next year, to help clear some of the path.

So today we decided to follow the Gloucester to Sharpness canal and what a great decision that was. There were NO path problems and we covered the 16.8 km in only 5 hours, 25 minutes.

We stayed overnight in the Central Hotel. It seemed quite new and the facilities, location and reception were good. We booked 3 months in advance and got a great 'no refund' price of 34 pounds. I was a bit worried about the great rate so I asked the receptionist for a receipt this morning. I checked it on the way out. It was  for 156 pounds!!!! I queried it and she apologised and said that was today's rate. I reserve further comment until I see my credit card receipts on return to NZ.

When we entered Gloucester yesterday it was like passing through a time warp. Further north it was much like the England/Wales of 40 years ago, apart from traffic and housing density. Gloucester however was much more like modern London or Manchester. Much greater ethnic diversity with lots of beggars and homless people on the streets (almost invariably  from the young indigenous population).

We would like to go into the Cathedral however and also help clean the path, so we may be back.

The first two photos below are of the Cathedral. The buildings are incredible. They would challenge builders today, even with their all their modern equipment. These buildings were inspired by the belief in an all powerful deity. Life in all its aspects was tightly controlled but people achieved great things. I feel that in some ways England has lost something of value with the downgrading of Christianity in everyday life.

The next photo shows two people sleeping in the street overnight. Another enigma of modern Britain. On our walk from our hotel to the  canal we passed many beggers, invariably young.

The next photo shows a sculpture in the redeveloped  Quay area. A lttle further along we saw a two masted sailing ship and I've added a photograph. Remember the height of those masts.

Leaving the Quay area we started to follow the Gloucester-Sharpness canal in earnest. We passed and old light ship from the Humber Estuary, The Sula. If you are interested it's for sale.

The next photo looked like an East German border tower on the Elbe so we put it next to remind us of earlier walks.

The path moved away from the canal through a nice wooded area (photo) before returning to the canal in front of a modern housing development. Unlike the Severn I don't think the canal floods.

We have in the past had problems with blocked tracks so it was reassuring to find the towpath was also a national cycle track (photo).  We passed a swing bridge with traffic lights and an innovative road bridge (2 photos).

Today we also passed our best equipped fisherman to date (photo). Sadly we forgot to get his name. He was just putting in ground bait.

There are 3 more general canal views before we reach the penultimate photograph. A photo of a stile with a mutilated sign post. The metal plate saying footpath has been bent, until it fatigued, and then snapped off. It probably said only footpath, but it leads to The Severn Way!!!

The last photograph is lunch stop, The Pilot Inn.