Newport

I took the last stretch of route 47, which descends through 14 Locks to the bottom of the Usk valley. The route splits from the canal just before its end, joining the river at Newport (Casnewydd) castle. 47 follows the river bank until its end (or official speaking, its start) at a junction with national route 4 just north of the Newport transporter bridge.

The transporter bridge is another example of the area’s long industrial history. The Usk’s unusually large tidal range and shallow banks make it unsuitable to be worked by a ferry, but a conventional bridge would have interfered with tall ships which used to dock upstream. The transporter bridge’s span is very tall to allow ships, and suspends a ‘gondola’ that traverses back and forth like a ferry (avoiding long or steep pathways up to the span itself).

From here I would be joining route 4 for the stretch to Severn Beach, on the opposite side of the Severn (Hafren) estuary. Some clips from my day’s ride https://youtu.be/a6hG-JR69s0?si=gW_22OfpI5lEtFnh

Just as I was leaving town I got into conversation with a group of ladies out for a ride; they were stopped to fix a tyre so I stopped to see if they needed anything. We chatted about touring vs day rides, how the bike isn’t as heavy as it looks - I just prefer the handling of the bike with a trailer - and so on.Baca lagi