Martin's Mag.

On the “Jurassic Coast” of the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Coastline.

The river Axe at Seaton, Devon.

Beer, near Seaton.

The famous Clifton Suspension bridge was opened 150 years ago, on December 8th. An equally-impressive (in a different way) bridge has carried the M5 motorway from Birmingham to Exeter for forty years, and also passes over the River Avon, further downstream, where it joins the Severn estuary. It’s rarely seen from the south bank, as you can only get there on foot (or by bike in my case). There are eight lanes of traffic up there!

Under the M5 looking NE across the River Avon.

Goods train line running from Portbury Docks, under M5 Avonmouth bridge, to join the rail network at Bristol.

Grafitti under M5 bridge.

Grafitti under M5 bridge.

Cycling from Brean to Highbridge, partly along the beach (that’s Sally’s tyre tracks in the sand).

Beach near Berrow, Somerset.

We spent the day in Ledbury and Hereford. Mainly to see the famous Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, where we also visited the Chained Library.

Statue of Sir Edward Elgar, local resident, with his Sunbeam bicycle, looking at Hereford Cathedrel.

More cycling, this time along the northern side of the Severn estuary, or is it the Bristol Channel?

Redwick, Gwent, church and flood defence mechanism building.

Redwick, Gwent, flood defence mechanism building.

We cycled as far as the Transporter Bridge at Newport (built 1902), which gave me the opportunity to take yet more pictures of my bike.

The Strawberry Line cycle route.

Remember steam trains? They were dirty, slow and huge contributors to the greenhouse effect. But they were spectacular and much-loved, and, to be fair, no-one had heard of the greenhouse effect in the ‘fifties and ‘sixties. Some of the railway lines still remain, unused and overgrown, mostly. Bridges have been turned into roundabouts, tunnels have collapsed. Or, in some cases, they have been turned into cycle paths (like the Bath tunnels cycle route, visited recently). Another is the Strawberry Line, which I cycled today, and which ran from Cheddar (of cheese and gorge fame) to Yatton where the line connected to the Bristol to Weston-super-Mare, and beyond, line. The name is because the Somerset town of Cheddar was the centre of the strawberry trade in days long gone. They were sent from there all over the country, by train. More here: www.thestrawberryline.co.uk.

Start of the Strawberry Line path at Yatton.

Yet another picture of my bike in front of a view, this time the Somerset Levels near Axbridge.

A decorated seat on the Strawberry Line path.

A flock of geese from the Strawberry Line cycle path.

The Kennet and Avon canal links the two rivers in it’s name, and, at its northern end, the Thames. We cycled part of the tow path recently after visiting the two tunnels near Bath. Today, we cycled from the Dundas Aqueduct, east of Bath, to Devizes, including the amazing, and famous, Caen Hill Locks.

Boat on K&A canal.

Cycling across the Avoncliff aqueduct, over the river Avon and the London to Bristol railway line.

Heron in K&A canal.

The 26 locks at Caen Hill, Devizes. From the bottom.

The 26 locks at Caen Hill, Devizes. From the top, where we stopped for coffee and cake.

Main-line London to Bristol train in the Avon valley at Avoncliffe, near Bath.