D156: Wales Coast Path

D156: CHEPSTOW to MAGOR

Friday 14th March 2025

Today miles: 7.7 Total miles: 2551.0

I woke early and quietly left the room. I then, also quietly made my way towards the kitchen where I made myself a cup of coffee and a bowl of porridge before heading to the bus station and then catching the bus back to Chepstow. The route initially skirted an industrial estate and then quickly passed through a series of grassy fields. For the first time in a long while I came across a herd of cows close to Innage Farm. There didn’t appear to be any calves in the field but for some reason the thirty or so animals were rather feisty. I don’t mind admitting that I was more than a little freaked out and I had to divert from the coastal path and take another longer but less scary route. I arrived in the village of Sudbrook twenty minutes later and passed by several buildings and information boards detailing the history of the now defunct Severn Tunnel. Up until this point I hadn’t even been aware that there had even been a tunnel under the Severn. Just beyond Sudbrook at Sudbrook Point I stopped in a great location overlooking the river and the ‘Prince of Wales Bridge.

It was less than a mile until I was able to pass under the same bridge and continue along the path. The route continues along the estuary for a while before the official coastal path heads inland. There’s a small private shooting range next to the coast and there’s a short diversion around the area. I met up with a local lady and her dog who informed me (the woman, not the dog) that the shooting range was rarely used and the route along the edge of the estuary was accessible. I was due to head towards the Severn Tunnel Junction train station so despite the good intentioned advice I walked inland and used a bridge to cross the busy ‘A’ road. The last mile to the train station was unpleasantly noisy and the stone path was hard on my feet.

It was a short day only made more interesting by the rowdy herd of cows at Innage Farm. This was a short trip and the main objective to finish the South West coast path and then walk into Wales has been achieved. I’ll be back in June for more Welsh adventures.