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| SEVERN BRIDGE |
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| ST ARILDA'S CHURCH |
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| BRIDGE OVER SHARPNESS AND GLOUCESTER CANAL AT PURTON |
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| SLIMBRIDGE WETLAND CENTRE |
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WHO IS THE BIGGEST BIRD?
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| GLOUCESTER HIGH STREET |
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| GLOUCESTER CANAL BASIN |
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| CLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL |
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| LIGHT DISPLAY IN CATHEDRAL |
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| ENTRANCE TO BOURTON'S MOTORING MUSEUM |
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| FOOTBRIDGE IN BOURTON |
On Thursday 20th the weather was still looking rather uncertain so we decided to take a drive along the Severn river, initially heading south to the old Severn Bridge, which is rather more attractive than the more recent 'Prince of Wales' bridge, although the latter owes its existence to the inadequacy of the older bridge to handle the volume of traffic which now crosses between England and Wales.
I was delighted that it was now free of charge to cross the bridge (the cost of the Prince of Wales Bridge having been recouped) and we parked briefly at the Chepstow services for refreshments. However, we found that an issue (breakdown?) on the return lane of the bridge prevented us from going back the same way. We thus followed the M48 until we reached the M4, then turned back at junction 23a to cross back into England via the Prince of Wales Bridge. We followed the M49 down to Avonmouth and then took the A403 back to the eastern end of the Severn Bridge which, frustratingly, was now freely flowing with traffic both ways. Ho-hum.
We continued driving generally north-east, as near to the River Severn as we could. We came across the magnificent St Arilda's Church on a hill near Oldbury-on-Severn, from which we enjoyed clear views back to Wales. Further on, we passed through Berkeley and then reached the picturesque bridges over the
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Purton, where we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch and a short walk. Not long after, we arrived at Slimbridge Wetland Centre, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and founded by Peter Scott in 1946. We didn't have sufficient time to make it worthwhile paying to enter the site, but we did manage to sneak a few photos near to the information centre. Perhaps we will return some day for a proper visit.
After a full day, it was back to the Hotel for our final night. However, we were not in any hurry to return home, so in the evening we booked to stay the following night at the Edward Hotel in Gloucester.
It didn't take long to drive to the Edward Hotel in the morning. We parked the car in their car park and were given our keys to the room, enabling us to spend the rest of the day exploring the historic city of Gloucester. Founded by the Romans in AD97, and later the site of a magnificent Norman Cathedral, there was much to see.
Gloucester is also to end-point of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. once the broadest and deepest canal in the world. The area is now the location of shops, bars, luxury flats, and a museum illustrating the former maritime history of the area. After a pleasant (and dry) walk around the area we proceeded to the Cathedral, where we were most impressed. This was where Henry III was crowned and Edward II was buried. I (Steve) have visited many Cathedrals, including Salisbury and Winchester, but this one trumps them all. It is truly magnificent and I recommend anyone to visit. There was a light display being exhibited in the Cathedral when we passed through, and this was particularly impressive.
On the way back to the Edward Hotel we noticed a Wetherspoons pub where we could eat, so we came back here in the evening.
The following morning we headed for Bourton-on-the-Water, and parked the car at HF Holiday's Harrington House. We immediately donned our walking boots and embarked on a 6 mile loop around the area, which gave us the opportunity to appreciate the lovely town and the beautiful lakes that surrounded it. It was a great finale to our (nearly) week long break. From here it was back home and back to normality (whatever that means).
