A canal and a railway

 We have intended to walk the southern end of the Gloucester - Sharpness for some time, just a matter of picking the right day.

Having done some research as to what we could expect, we aimed for Purton and found we were not the only ones. To be fair the car park is very small, the towpath is very wide and because of this social distancing was not a problem.

This first photo shows an idyllic day, 15 minutes later .... it became surreal. At this point we are on the east side of the Severn and in spite of the fog, the rail traffic on the west side could be heard clearly.

Some of you may know of what are known as the Purton Hulks, or 'Ships Graveyard'. During the 20th century a huge number of old and redundant vessels were beached here to combat river erosion, between the Severn and the canal. 

As you walk south along the towpath, even in the fog the 'Hulks' are clearly visible ......

And remembered on various plaques, they were barges, lighters etc. Some concrete and some wooden.

They lie there quietly doing their job.

Heading south towards Sharpness we came upon a huge stone structure on our side of 'The Cut' and a matching stone pier on the opposite side. Reading the information board explained this was the swing bridge tower for the railway which connected Sharpness docks with The Forest of Dean coal mines. The tower housed the steam engine which operated the swing feature.

This picture was taken looking north, and below is the east side stone pier. The story is on 25th October 1960 two fuel carrying tankers missed the dock gates at Sharpness, the fog was very bad. 

They both collided and locked together, swiftly taken north by the incoming tide and out of control. A collision with the bridge was inevitable, this caused a huge amount of damage and both vessels exploded, sadly 5 of the 8 crewmen from both vessels died. The two vessels were the 'Arkendale' and the 'Wastdale'.

The damage was so great the bridge was eventually deemed beyond economic repair, and despite an attempt to dismantle it using a floating crane it was blown up.

To walk around the docks you must follow the roadway and be aware the dock area is operational and private. By now the weather had turned very much in our favour, one thing which is always of interest to us is the large number of railway lines still visible but not used ......

...... so many infact you need to be careful where you walk, as many are just covered by grass ....

...... give us a clue!

This is an out and back walk, this was our reward at the halfway point .... a lovely picnic area with well spaced benches and a magnificent view looking south towards Bristol.

Thats how close to the west side we were.

In these strange times, it just shows what can be done and safely.