Losing the plot near Monmouth

One of the Facebook groups I follow is Old Industry and History of the Forest of Dean. Being a relative newcomer, I don't expect to contribute anything meaningful, but I do learn a lot about the area that is now my home. A few weeks ago someone posted a photo of "The MASSIVE Monmouth viaduct, closed down in 1959." That sounded rather interesting, so last Monday I set out to investigate.

To make a pleasant 6 mile walk of it I parked in Redbrook with the intention of following the red route that I've marked on this map – up the east bank of the Wye, over an old railway bridge in Monmouth, then back over the hill of Troypark Wood, through the 'hidden' village of Penallt and back to Redbrook.

The River Wye above Redbrook was looking lovely in the late morning sunshine. Here the valley is quite narrow and the path (The Wye Valley Walk) runs close to the road, but trees obscure the traffic and help to make the place feel peaceful. 

Approaching Monmouth the valley broadens considerably, then into view comes what was once two railway bridges, carrying lines towards Monmouth Troy Station. Sadly, the first is no more but the second survives. I rather like this shot, with the spire of St Mary's Church in the background

Here's the view from the second bridge, and my first sight of the viaduct that drew me here.

The old structure is in a parlous state, with safety fencing around its pillars to guard against falling masonry. According to the post in Old Industry and History of the Forest of Dean, there's talk of demolishing it, which would be a great shame. With what high hopes it was built!

My route took me through the site of the station (now an attractive housing development) then past Troy House. My book Wye Valley - 40 Hill and Riverside Walks informed me that it was built in the 1680s by the first Duke of Beaufort as a second home for his son, once he married. I hope the son and his new wife didn't find it too small!  For much of the last century an order of nuns ran it as a school for errant girls.

The 'red route' (on the map at the start of this post) runs beside the hedge in the centre of this photo. I really should have gone that way but instead took leave of my senses. Feeling that 6 miles was a little short for a Monday Ramble, I noticed a footpath running across this field and into Troypark Wood a bit further southwest. If I'd studied the map a little more carefully I'd have seen that it would take me a long, long way from Penallt and involve a lot of road walking to get back on course, but I contented myself with the bit of map visible on my smartphone. So, blissfully ignorant, off I hiked on the 'blue route'.

Soon I had good reason to regret my choice for the path was not well maintained and in places was totally obscured by undergrowth. Finally, though, I extracted myself from the woodland and took the long, but thankfully quiet, lane to Penallt. 

Anglican churches are almost always dedicated to Saint Somebody or to Christ himself, but this one is just 'Penallt Church'. Perhaps Penallt is so well hidden, high above the Wye, that no wandering saint made it their home.

According to my Wye Valley Walks book, this royal coat of arms of Queen Ann originally hung facing the congregation, "an imposing reminder of the political power of the monarch."

From Penallt it was an easy walk along lanes and footpaths, back to Redbrook, where I crossed the Wye on this old railway bridge.  By now the light was failing and the bridge was in shadow, so to end here are a couple of photos from July 2014; one of the bridge and the other looking upstream.

With my crazy deviation, I'd walked 8½ miles, though with all that bracken and undergrowth around Troypark Wood it felt more like 10.  Next time I'll stick to that 'red' route.

The elusive source of the Thames

Old Father Thames keeps rolling along, 

down to the mighty sea. 

Here it is, rolling along through Kingston-upon-Thames on a beautiful, warm September morning, but where does it roll from? On a recent journey home from Kingston, I thought it would be fun to seek out the source of Old Father Thames, which I knew to be at the appropriately named Thames Head, near Cirencester.  Or rather, I thought I knew.  Read on...

The source of the great river is marked with this splendid stone, upon which is written (rather faintly):

THE CONSERVATORS OF THE RIVER THAMES

1857-1974

THIS STONE WAS PLACED HERE TO MARK THE

SOURCE OF THE RIVER THAMES

Unfortunately, the site lacked one important feature... water!  This came as no surprise as I'd already read that the 'source' is often dry – and it had been a very dry summer. 

Having got here, I happily posed for a photograph, added a stone to the little cairn, then set off down the Thames Path, in search of flowing water.  Where would the source be today?

Soon I arrived at the Foss Way. Ah, water!.. but not the flowing kind. Just a big puddle.

A mile from the source stone I came to this bridge, just outside Kemble. It's reputed to be the first bridge on the Thames.

An information board informed me that "Although the Thames rises to the north-west of Kemble, the water is more usually seen rising here..."  Not today, it wasn't.

I was now 1½ miles from the 'source'. Another puddle here and evidence that, at times, the water must flow quite quickly. Rather than the intended stroll, this was turning into a serious walk, but I was in no mind to give up. On I pressed, into the village of Ewan, then over yet another 'dry' bridge.

What is this? Another puddle?  I stopped for a closer look and, yes, the water here really was flowing. I had found the source of the River Thames!

50 yards further on, and now there was no doubt about it.  On Sunday 2nd September the River Thames rose just south of Ewan, 3 miles from its official source... 

... or did it? There are those who would dispute that the Thames rises anywhere near Thames Head.

HIC TUUS 

O TAMESINE PATER 

SEPTEMGEMINUS FONS

Here O Father Thames is your seven-fold spring

This is Seven Springs, in the parish of Coberley, south of Cheltenham and many miles from Thames Head. Officially, it's the source of the River Churn, which flows into the Thames at Cricklade. But this tributary is 14 miles longer than the 'real' Thames between Thames Head and Cricklade, so surely (so it is claimed) this should have been the Thames.  And unlike its cousin in the chalky fields of Thames Head, this source never dries up.

The good folk of Coberley Parish Council proudly call it The Ultimate Source of the River Thames. Were it so, this would make the Thames the longest river in the United Kingdom, beating the River Severn by about 9 miles – or 12 on a warm September day.

What, longer than the Severn? As a proud Severn-Sider I object. That will never do. Long live the River Churn and may Thames folk be content to take their inferior place behind the glorious Severn!

Portmeirion

Everyone who feasts at Chez Angie does so from Portmeirion crockery on Portmeirion place mats. Tea is drunk from Portmeirion cups on Portmeirion saucers, and I even store my morning coffee in a Portmeirion jar.  Others may favour their Wedgewood or Denbigh crocks, but ours is a Portmeirion house.

We've been collecting it for about 30 years – ever since Wedgewood rendered our Blue Pacific china 'obsolete' so that we could't buy replacements. Wedgewood may have purchased their china clay from the company for whom I worked, but I vowed never to buy their wares again.  In contrast, Portmeirion's Botnic Gardens range has remained basically unaltered for 58 years. Friends and relatives have also added items to our collection, for which we are very grateful.

Portmeirion pottery was introduced in 1960 by Susan Williams-Ellis, whose famous father – Sir Clough Williams-Ellis – was the genius who conceived the amazing village of Portmeirion, near Porthmadog in North Wales.

Clough Williams-Ellis was an architect of rare talent. He bought the Portmeirion site and set about showing how a beautiful location could be developed and made still more beautiful. 

At first sight the buildings he conceived are a jumble of multi-coloured designs that would give any planning officer nightmares, yet together they create a stunningly beautiful development, unlike anything else I've ever seen. O to have his artistic eye that combines colour and shape so impressively!

Sir Clough wasn't above 'cheating' a bit to enhance his designs. The photo below is an enlargement of part of the one above. Look at the top windows on that building at the rear, with the single sloping roof. They're not real – just paint.

The Amis Reunis (Friends Reunited) is unlikely to depart from the quayside anytime soon; she's made of concrete.

When I last visited Portmeirion in 1980 the site ended at the tower that you can just see beyond Amis Reunis. Now, however, it has been greatly extended, with lovely woodland walks and new treasures to explore, including a Japanese Garden and beautiful views of the estuary.

The admission charge to Portmeirion has risen a bit from the original 5 shillings, but at £12, or £10.50 for the over-60s, it's still great value for money.  There's also a hotel and several self-catering cottages, though I suspect that their prices may be a lot higher than we paid for our little farmhouse near Barmouth.

Stowfield's reopened viaduct and Coppet Hill

In 2016 came news that Stowfield Viaduct (known also as Black Bridge) in the Forest of Dean would have to close as it had become unsafe. This was sad indeed as the old railway bridge formed part of the Wye Valley Walk and was said to be used by 20,000 people every year. It was also a great favourite of mine.

When Lucy and I photographed it in 2015 it was looking decidedly shaky – just look at those handrails on the 'railway' side – so I guess its closure came as no great surprise.

Repairing the bridge was going to cost many thousands of pounds. A bid for Heritage Lottery funding failed and it looked as if we were all in for a long wait. Essential work pressed ahead to make the decaying structure safe for those walking or canoeing beneath it, and then it seems that someone had an excellent idea. The scaffolding used for this safety work was adapted to support a temporary bridge... and now we have our bridge back. Brilliant!

It's arguably not as pretty as the original, but I for one am very grateful to see it restored to use... as, I presume, are 20,000 other good folk.

To celebrate this reopening I parked up in Stowfield, then crossed Stowfield Viaduct for one of my favourite walks – up the Wye Valley towards Goodrich, then over Coppet Hill.

Just beyond Stowfield Viaduct is this tempting short cut (again photographed in 2015) if you don't mind dark, spooky tunnels. One day I might explore its murky depths, but not this time. The walk around the hill is very pretty.

Welsh Bicknor church has a glorious setting, close to the Wye. Don't be fooled by the name, though; Welsh Bicknor is in England!

Climbing up the valley side to the Goodrich road, and using a path that I haven't tried before, I found the remains of a lime kiln.

It's a stiff climb from the road to the top of Coppet Hill but the views are definitely worth it. That's Goodrich Church in the middle-distance.

A little further along the hill there's a lovely view of one of the River Wye's huge meanders. The road bridge to Symonds Yat East is among the trees in the centre. I fancy that I can see Hay Bluff on the skyline, though I may be mistaken.

The path eventually descends to the Wye. One of my walk books describes the river bank walk here as "one of the most tranquil and idyllic stretches of the river the Wye Valley has to offer." The photo above was taken a few years ago from the opposite (Gloucestershire) bank. The one below was snapped on this walk from the Hereford side.

Here's a sad sight; a riverside memorial to 16 year old John Whitehead Warre, who drowned near this spot on Sepetmber 14th 1804. The writing is indistinct but 'Corinne' deciphered it and put the text on RootsWeb. It makes harrowing reading...

God’s will be done! Who in his mercy hath granted consolation to the parents of the dear departed in the reflection that he possessed.  Truth, innocence filial piety and fraternal affection in the highest degree.  That but a few moments before he was called to a better life.  He had (with a never to be forgotten Piety) joined his family in joyful thanks to his Maker for the restoration of his Mothers health.....

Finally our path brought us back to Stowfield Viaduct.  Here's a nice photo of it in operational days, with a very short train heading towards the tunnel.

8.4 miles