Chelyd two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this route from Lydney in late November after a wet autumn. It was wet and muddy in places - see the photograph below - but there were no lakes or bogs; it was all walkable in leather boots, which is a big plus. It gives some great views over the Severn Estuary.

For a long-distance path (mostly on the Gloucestershire Way) it's not always easy to follow. The signposting is sporadic and needs to be improved. Roughly halfway, on Slade Road, Woolaston I came to the turning you can see below, which looks like a private farm entrance but is in fact a bridleway. To make matters worse, the gpx tracking seemed to be directing me slightly further down the same road, where a gate opened onto a different track. At first I appeared to be on the right route until that track veered off and finished in a field!

The route would not be accessible to everyone - certainly not for wheeling - but I can see no reason why it should not be included in the network.

I chose CheLyd2 because it largely follows a recognised route, so shouldn’t be problematic, and CheLyd1 sounded very cow-based.
The route started at the heritage railway station, with a very restricted timetable, not the main line station, so the first suburban mile I duplicated, pleasant enough, and the main road crossing has islands. The walking here included some industrial estate. There were signs of cows in the following farm track. Crossing the main road at Aylburton may be tricky when busy, but it was ok for me. There was a pavement only on the far side, and just a verge on the first side.
Aylburton was a pretty village spoilt by the main road right through it. Then there was long haul up a quiet, steep road, but with good views looking back.
The footpath down through Ferneyley Wood was part of the Lydney Park Estate. It was a nice little footpath, slightly overgrown with brambles, but not much. However, the sign said there were feral wild boar, eek! I didn't see any though. But I saw unusual poo and little gaps going away from the path, and also on the other side of the fence there was a sudden rushing-away animal, which I would normally have guessed to be a deer, but it sounded quite heavy. While I sat having my lunch the bottom of the path, there was a repeated sort of single bark call and maybe that was a wild boar.
Some of the footpaths were not signposted and were easy to miss. In fact, there was a lack of signposting at various points along the Gloucestershire Way, and I took the wrong turning several times. (Near Woolaston, you need to follow the Private Road to Slade Farm Only, for example!) Sometimes, there was no visible footpath across fields. I saw buzzards and great views, especially descending through some cow fields, where I started to get views of the bridges over the River Severn.
At Wallhope Farm, near Boughspring, I had to wait for a herd of cows being brought in for milking. Two went astray in a turnip field and the farmer had to go and chase them. Happy to wait! They then closed an electric wire fence across the route, with an insulated handle. Be aware you might need to open and close this!
I passed a section of the dismantled railway from Chepstow to Tintern, which is now a cycle track, with a tunnel here. It looked fun to explore although I believe the tunnel is closed at night and during the winter, to offer protection to the bats that live there.
I was soon passing the edge of Tutshill, and the route joined Offa’s Dyke Path briefly. There was a steep drop down from here to Chepstow Bridge across the River Wye, with a lovely view of the majestic Chepstow Castle, then I was in Wales.
The route through Chepstow passed the museum, near to the castle, and two sets of Almshouses, as well as some pretty streets. The plotting to the station, across the main road, is inaccurate. There is a subway, accessible by steps or by a zigzag slope. It’s reasonably apparent on the ground though.
This was and interesting and enjoyable route, marred slightly by poor signposting.

This is a good route on paths, tracks and lanes. There’s a short section along the main road near Aylburton - all of it on a pavement.

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