On Wednesday May 8th, I woke around 5am to a very foggy and wet campsite. I made myself a cup of tea and started to pack up. I realized there was no chance of drying the tent before my departure so I packed it wet and hoped it would be sunny and breezy in the evening. My friends the alpacas were there to wish me bon voyage.

I had been camping close to Chew Valley Lake near Chew Stoke so I snapped a photo of the misty lake in my way past. The photo doesn’t do it justice but it was a very serene view.

My route for the day skirted around Bristol and took me over the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge that I had walked over in the late 80’s, and the Severn Bridge that crosses the River Severn and takes you from England into Wales.

While skirting Bristol, I cycled through Ashton Court Estate that includes a deer park. The Estate was once the home of the Smyth family, and is now a historic park just that covers 850 acres of parkland. The stone head at the estate represents Goram, one of the two mythical giants said to have built Bristol.

From Bristol I cycled through some unremarkable countryside to reach the Severn Bridge (the first Severn Bridge) taking me into Wales. The Bridge is heavily trafficked but there is a dedicated bike lane. There are now two Severn bridges. The first bridge was opened in 1966 by Queen Elizabeth and replaced a ferry that had operated for 137 years.

After crossing the bridge, I passed through Chepstow and made a short stop at the ruins of Tintern Abbey before staying at the Wye Valley Hotel for the night.