Day six: Clevedon to near Gloucester

One of the things that Tim loved was bridges. The bigger the better. Perhaps it’s because he worked in construction and loved the architecture and engineering, but actually bridges fascinate me too: their symmetry and grace, how they defy gravity, and how they physically link two places. Today we would see the Severn bridges, icons of UK infrastructure. You can cycle over the original Severn crossing, the suspension bridge, upstream of the newer cable-stayed bridge. Most LEJOGers actually do this, with the more common route crossing into Wales and heading up through Shropshire. On this ride we’re staying on the England side, going up through the Gloucestershire plains. But we’ll still get a terrific view of the bridges.

We catch our first glimpse from the top of the Avonmouth crossing. This is another big bridge but it’s definitely not iconic: the concrete arch takes the M5 over the river Avon, with a cycle path tucked in adjacent to the roaring carriageway. If you can ignore the trucks zooming past a few inches from your head, it’s quite fun. We stop at the very top, high above the Avon, looking down on the brown swirling mud and the muddy, reedy banks which lie exposed at low tide. Our co-riders today are two of Mark’s friends, who both live in Bristol: Shane and Ian. Shane used to come out here as a boy, climb over the railings and explore the walkway underneath. How our younger selves are so daring, or stupid, or both. 

We can see the bridges gradually getting closer as we skirt the industrial area at Avonmouth until, puncture! Lorenzo has fallen victim first – a shard of glass in his front tyre. As he switches to a new tube a cyclist rolls up, and it just so happens that this is our next co-rider: another Ian, who had gone to college with Tim. He regales us with stories of drunken nights out and playing rugby (Tim slept on the rugby pitch after a particularly heavy night) before a quick pit stop at Shirley’s in Severn Beach.

Then it’s up onto the riverside pathway, where we can see both bridges in all their glory. The tide is low and the mudflats are exposed. The upstream bridge seems to glow in the sun. Across the water we can see the grey curve of Wales: it looks extremely rainy, and we’re glad to stay on this side for now.

The rain lingers on the horizon for much of the rest of the day, but somehow we avoid it and stay dry as we make our way northwards through the Gloucestershire plains. Our lunch stop is in Thornbury, a delightful town where we say goodbye to Shane and one of the Ians. Tim’s mate Ian continues with us for the rest of the day, giving us both a history and geography lesson as we pass through his patch. Here’s Berkeley castle, owned by the same Berkeley of Berkeley Square, where the man of the house apparently owned land continuously between Gloucestershire and London so he could ride between both properties without leaving his own land.

The last stretch is up the busy A38, but sometimes you need fast miles. The campsite is sandwiched between the A38 and the M5, so there will be constant road noise throughout the night, something that we’ve had on three occasions now, and it always keeps Mark awake. He hasn’t been sleeping terribly well so far, so I tell him to imagine it’s the sea and see if that helps. 

Each night we raise a glass to Tim, and this is another pub he would have loved: right next to the upper stretches of the Severn, with a west-facing beer garden so we can watch the sun going down. It’s a ride rather than a walk from the campsite, and here’s one of the joys of cycle touring: the first time you ride your bike without luggage feels like flying.

Stats from the day: 90km riding, 578m climbing

Accommodation: Gables farm campsite. More road noise! The campsite is within earshot of both the M5 and the A48. We all slept great though so we must have got used to it. Fantastic facilities.