Brompton ride along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, part 1

Monday 26th February 2024:

Yes – at last I’ve got the Brompton out again! After months of being a wimp, put off by the weather, I finally took the plunge, drove to Chepstow, got the train to Gloucester, and unfolded the bike, before riding approx. 6 miles down the canal towards Sharpness.

Lovely fine day (best day of the week by far, as it turned out), although quite breezy and still quite cold. The towpath was fabulous for several miles and I was lucky to see one of the big swing bridges being opened for a narrowboat to go through, just as I was passing.

It’s an awesome canal – really huge! There’s no comparison with the tiny Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal – although that has a unique charm all of its own of course.

Sadly, the towpath degenerated into a muddy track after a while, and I had no option but to push the bike – for at least a mile. I got as far as Parkend Swing Bridge, where I crossed over the canal and found a road heading back into Gloucester. I managed to rejoin the canal nearer to the city, so finished off the ride on the same excellent towpath.

The canal is around 16 miles long, so I have another 10 left to do. Next time, after we’ve had some dry weather and the towpath is likely to be better, I will start the ride from the Sharpness end, and hopefully get up to Parkend. I have not been to Sharpness before, but it looks interesting on the YouTube videos that others have done. I’m looking forward to doing that – so keep your fingers crossed that the awful, ever-changing weather that we’ve been having, settles down very soon!

Hope you enjoy this video!

Cheers,

Jeff

By the way, if you do enjoy the video, then please consider subscribing – it really helps me to grow the channel!

You can see more of my videos, including my journeys along the canals, and of my Brompton bike at:

https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCpU5ERG8MwVJN7vRLVvrHMg/content/playlists

[Music] she’s a bit bigger than Gladis and Aro we’re in luck and we’re going to see the swing Bridge operating so I’m back at Chapo headed for glester and this time I brought the [Music] brumpton and here I am back at the historic docks at gluster I’m headed for the Gloucester and sharp Nest Canal so I need to get up now to that lift bridge and go across the lift bridge to join the tow path right here we go here’s the light chip that I saw last time she’s a bit bigger than Gladis andar boat looks like we’re in luck there’s a Nar boat coming up the canal going at a fair speed I think the speed limit is higher on this canal than on a conventional canal and uh if I find out I’ll put it on the comments for you below that boat is called lock solid so you often see people keeping their bikes on the roof of their boat but obviously that can in time that will scratch the roof but also it’s not particularly great for the bike so Mr Brompton here will be living inside Gladis Sinar boat so this was once a dock all around here with dock buildings I should think that water’s pretty deep there over wow look at that lovely jubly what’s called m all right com through Sor right buddy that’s all right buddy thank you thank you very much cheers so this is Hamstead Lock Bridge which is right by there and looks like there’s another swing Bridge about a half a mile further on so the bridge obviously swings this way so we’re in luck and we’re going to see the swing Bridge operating see he lowering the barriers on the other side and there’s an arrow boat coming down and that’s why he’s going to uh operate the swing bridge for the Nar booat to go through so very lucky to time it like this and there we are right and that’s how it’s done we might see that boat again a bit further on I think Edward Elgar that’s a bloody big boat thank you very much wow he here is our boat he really is flying along I think this boat is this bridge is electrically operated yet another swing bridge I think he might just get under this one there’s no one uh on duty to operate it this one was Ria Bridge thank you there a boat there called beehive beehive Smuggler that’s a large wide beam you know I have a nasty feeling that the wind is actually behind me so when I turn and go back to Gloucester it ain’t going to be quite so easy a couple of swans over there and a really nice compact Nar booat 25 to 30 ft I should imagine called toty and another swing bridge this bridge is called sell’s Bridge time to change my battery I think so the uh the top path is uh degenerated somewhat now and it’s this hardcore hard packed stuff and uh and mud by the looks of it so it’s slowing me down quite a lot but it could be a lot worse so I’m going to keep going keep my eyes open for any nasty mudy bits it’s a curious construction isn’t it those columns what about this for a a canalside location though right what a view from these houses oh man tremendous so I just been chatting to a cyclist coming the other way and he tells me that there an all FL of mud a little bit further on and that I’ll be walking so uh let’s go and see if he’s right I’m sure he is he seemed to know what he was talking about this is very very bumpy now the river 7 I believe is not very far over there but it looks like I’ve got a river of mud ahead of me now I wonder how long it’ll go on for it’s going to be a walking job carry it over this I think yeah the tires on a Brompton are really not designed for gripping this kind of stuff just look how wide this canal is I’ve definitely got the wind behind me so when I turn around eventually I’m going to know all about it I think here’s a pretty sight these reads but look that’s not a pretty sight is it oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear right so here’s my plan uh this stuff is is terrible for cycling on the bike is sliding everywhere so I’ve got no option but to walk till it gets better I think there’s a swing Bridge not too far ahead called Park end so my plan is to reach the swing Bridge go across the bridge and then find some some roads which according to my Nicholson guide are over there and join some roads and cycle back into Gloucester possibly rejoining the canal further up cuz I don’t really fancy hav to negotiate all this lot again if I was on a mountain bike this would be be this should be no no difficulty at all but these these tires are just going everywhere so uh I really don’t fancy falling off and breaking my arm or my neck or anything else I better press on I think just look at the size of that boat look at the size of that Canal now I think I can just about make out a bridge a little after those boats on this side I think that’s the next that’s the next Spring Bridge and I’m going to go across that see if I can find a road on the other side and make my way back to glester that way lovely Willow Tree there I think the wind is really whipping up now you can see the waves on a canal you don’t usually see waves on a canal but they certainly are here oh that’s definitely the swing bridge ahead okay so 2 hours walk back to Gloucester docks 3 hours and a quarter to Sharp Nest docks so I’m almost at halfway I think this is probably enough for me for today and when I return to this canal I’ll be starting from the sharp Nest end and I’ll perhaps wait until there’s been some prolonged dry weather and uh yeah that’s my best bet I think so what I need to do now is to cross this bridge and follow the road and with a bit of luck I will find another road and make my way back to glester I didn’t really really plan on going on roads today cuz it was very cold this morning when I left I decided to wear my woolly hat and I haven’t brought my cycling helmet cuz it’s relatively safe on the tool path but uh I don’t think I’ve got much Choice other than going back on the roads otherwise I’ll be all day doing this I should return to this car another day this is Park and Bridge it’s half 1 so getting this far has taken me about 2 and 1/2 hours hopefully it’ll be a bit quicker on the road I shall now employ my old time trialing skills although to be honest this is the first time I’ve been out on a bike for about 3 months so we’ll have to see what happens right well according to my Google Maps I take that road now take that road for not very far at all then I take a left down Merin drive and that’ll bring me out by one of the Swing Bridges so I should be okay to get back on the canal then let’s go see if that actually works and here we are mering Drive so I should be able to rejoin the canal just down this road ah what a welcome site excellent well so I made it back to uh back to the canal back to some decent toll path I mean you can’t get better than this stuff and uh on my way back into GL now shouldn’t take too long hopefully hope you’ve enjoyed this video and uh if you have if you did enjoy it please give it a thumbs up uh leave a comment and uh why not subscribe if you haven’t already got uh nearly 600 subscribers now which is uh really great thanks for everyone who has subscribed and if you haven’t yet then uh why not uh it won’t cost you anything and I’d appreciate it I’d love to get to 1,000 subscribers so thanks for watching and uh I’ll catch you again very soon I’m just going to have a quick energy bar and then I’m off into gler find something a bit more substantial to eat and I’ll catch you again uh next week with something different bye that was a bit steep I didn’t expected that come to say hello I don’t think they’re too bothered by me