Wye Valley Greenway

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foxyrider
Posts: 6044
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 10:25am
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Wye Valley Greenway

Post by foxyrider »

So today i decided to 'experience' this 'new' route that takes you from Sedbury (opposite Chepstow in England) to Tintern via the Tidenham Tunnel. The full length has only been open for @ 4 weeks and seems to have had something of a mixed reception, especially regarding the tunnel section. On paper it looks like a handy cut through to the Chepstow/Monmouth road without having the climby bit through Chepstow but is that really realistic?

Its been a bit damp the last few days and, as usual, i was on my old school steel road bike shod with 25/23 tyres so a good combination to test out the route. I rode the route south to north as i was coming from Brizzle, from Chepstow you have either the old bridge/horrible climb or new bridge/horrible toad to reach Sedbury, i chose the latter, there would be enough climbing later in my ride!

The first part is a new path around the playing fields of the local secondary school which is very easy to miss as currently there is no signing. I was looking for it and still had to do a U turn, after the roundabout there is a hedge on the left, when you get to the ped crossing at the end of it that's the access point. This all new path is surfaced with pressed aggregate which is nice and smooth and doesn't seem to attract puddles however its spoilt a little by the exit at Sedbury Lane, you have to dive through a hedge to get to the road! There are, i hope temporary, paper arrows directing you here and a few metres further on where you turn left to continue the short on road stetch to the main Greenway.

Over the Gloucester railway line and before the over bridge is the ramp up onto the old rail line, again no signs and some nasty 2" granite chips to negotiate to reach the path. The surface is more of the pressed aggregate and you soon cross the Gloucester road and approach the 'visitor' area, a small car park and bike hire facility a few metres from the tunnel entrance. So far so good.

The tunnel, there have been all sorts of issues getting this open for use, its a protected bat habitat, the end result (other than the seasonal closures) sort of works. You are first presented with a pair of huge steel doors with a tiny gap to access the interior, it works but i'm sure they will become a pinch point, wider access would be safer and could easily be arranged without impacting the security features! Once inside (take off the sunnies before you go in) the low lighting makes it feel a bit claustrophobic, when i say low, the lighting is set about 3ft from the floor and is angled down, its also not very bright and as you are not supposed to put your bike lights on - well you really can't see much at all.

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mid way through the tunnel
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near the north access

It does improve as your eyes adjust but even so i did put my headlight on, pointed on the floor just ahead of my wheel which allowed me at least a little warning of kerbs and roadway edges that i couldn't really pick out in the gloom. Its only @ 1000m long, the roadway is tarmac, the biggest issue will be spotting darkly clothed walkers, an issue even in the much better lit tunnels at Bath.

The path from here to Tintern has been in use for a while and starts out with more pressed aggregate but here its very corrugated and increasingly soft and puddle prone. Eventually this turns to just a mud surface, quite soft and today flooded in places, You can at least get occasional views of the river but most of what you see is trees.

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track approaching Tintern

When you see another tunnel entrance its nearly all over, the Greenway dives to the left before crossing the Wye into Tintern. That bridge though, whilst i'm sure its perfectly safe as a crossing, the deck is made of large timbers which do not have anything like a level surface, indeed there are edges of a couple of inches in some places so much care is needed, especially as it attracts a lot of wandering peds and their pets.

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Tintern bridge

So what are my conclusions? Well as a leisure route, it sort of works, occasional riders will enjoy the level route if not some of the washboard surfaces. OTOH, if its at all wet its a bit of a mudfest, me and the bike looked like we'd been chasing Tom Pidcock on a muddy cross course when we got to Tintern. But using it as part of a longer ride, well i won't be in a hurry, its easily doable om most bikes but i'm not sure i'd want to take a loaded tourer along it - particularly if it had been wet and small wheelers will have issues with the washboard. Any sort of trike or even wheelchairs could have issues with the tunnel door arrangement so as a practical route i only score it 5/10
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Bmblbzzz
Posts: 6261
Joined: 18 May 2012, 7:56pm
Location: From here to there.

Re: Wye Valley Greenway

Post by Bmblbzzz »

A neighbour told me about this tunnel, he mentioned the bats and the low lighting. I intend to try it out soon. But even after talking to him and reading your account, I think I'll need a map to find it!
Jdsk
Posts: 24639
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Wye Valley Greenway

Post by Jdsk »

The tunnel sounds fascinating. Thanks for posting.

Jonathan

PS: Usual reminder: gloves on before handling bats.
rotavator
Posts: 987
Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Re: Wye Valley Greenway

Post by rotavator »

Bmblbzzz wrote: 19 May 2021, 9:59am A neighbour told me about this tunnel, he mentioned the bats and the low lighting. I intend to try it out soon. But even after talking to him and reading your account, I think I'll need a map to find it!
South end is at SO 551 963, north end 549 974.
Bmblbzzz
Posts: 6261
Joined: 18 May 2012, 7:56pm
Location: From here to there.

Re: Wye Valley Greenway

Post by Bmblbzzz »

rotavator wrote: 19 May 2021, 1:40pm
Bmblbzzz wrote: 19 May 2021, 9:59am A neighbour told me about this tunnel, he mentioned the bats and the low lighting. I intend to try it out soon. But even after talking to him and reading your account, I think I'll need a map to find it!
South end is at SO 551 963, north end 549 974.
:D
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