Jane’s Walk 2024 – Day 12

We wake up to the sound of thunder and pouring rain yet again. Having only just managed to get our clothes sufficiently dry enough to wear again today, we are reluctant to get going early.

Our son-in-law, John, is joining us from Oxford, and he rings in to say he will be late, so that suits us well. Our hostess also decides to join us at the last minute, which is lovely.

The rain has finally stopped, and it is a misty, rather muggy morning with visibility not brilliant.  The tide is still up when we arrive on the very well-built embankment with tidal defences. We are quite surprised how high the water comes at high tide regularly, evidenced by the flattened sea grass below us.

The path deviates around a number of tidal ponds and around the now-disused Berkeley power station, which cleverly has been turned into a successful technical college. Back to the water’s edge the high walled embankment continues and now the massive sandbanks have re-appeared, teeming with birds. Sadly with poor visibility and not very good binoculars I am unable to identify many of them, although the distinctive flight of 2 herons are easy to see. They always remind me of prehistoric creatures.

Richard picks us up along the way to drive us back to Berkeley for lunch. This is a pretty town, dominated by Berkeley Castle, a 14th century castle and still home to the Berkeley family

Our afternoon walk is much the same along the embankment, and we pass a number of warning devices, the modern substitutes for lighthouses, as this must be a very treacherous part of the estuary. In one field, we are met by five inquisitive llamas who come over to take a look at us.

At the Oldbury Power station, we can see the old Severn bridge in the distance and know we are coming to the end of our walk.  Here, we turn left through farmland, recently sprayed with farm manure. Past huge battery chicken houses, which have no windows and are so well sealed, you cannot even hear the chickens inside; poor things!!

Then back to Berkeley, where we are staying for the next two nights.