Jane’s Walk 2024 – Day 14

As I mentioned at the end of yesterday’s report, we decided at the start that instead of completing the Severn Way at the quayside in Bristol, we would deviate and finish our walk at our son’s church in Stoke Gifford.

We intend to meet him and his family for lunch, so we make an early start as we need to complete our 8-mile walk in the morning. We leave the prescribed walk signs and head down ordinary footpaths, which can be hazardous depending on their upkeep. We are pleasantly surprised as most of our route into Bristol is on bridleways, and although very wet due to heavy rain last night, progress is easy.

We pass over the M4 and then walk alongside it for some time which is a very noisy experience.

We remark on the very deep culverts, beside the tracks, full of water and well maintained. Much of our route runs parallel with a busy railway line which then disappears into a tunnel as we face a very steep wooded hill. Tom and I are very pleased that we can still do hills as long as we take it slow and steady and keep looking down at our feet so as not to be put off. At the top of the track, a footbridge takes us now over the M5, and then we find ourselves in Bristol proper and walk through a large modern commercial estate called Astec West, full of offices of multi-national companies.

For the next 1..5 hours, we walk through suburban Bristol, arriving at the church a bit later than planned, to a very warm welcome from our family, who have made a wonderful banner of greeting for us.

We are pleased to have finished, but it has been a good trip, and we are thrilled we can still do these walks for our charities.