Thornbury Wayfinders

I have been looking at the Slow ways network website, which has a lot in common with our Bus Walks.

There are two versions of our Deer Park walk from Berkeley, which is accessible from the 62 bus from Thornbury. This is a very good route, especially the bit through the Deer Park, and there is a good story to go with it. The difference is between the routes taken into Thornbury, one of which goes through the garden we had a problem with. These are either 8 or 9 miles long. There are two longer routes from Berkeley: one follows the Severn Way and the Severn Way Link to Thornbury; the other, which I haven’t done yet goes through the Point to Point course and a tributary of the Little Avon to Heneage Court where it joins the Dursley route.

There are similarly two versions of the Dursley route, which start by following the Cotswold Way and end following the route over the hill from Falfield. The difference is in how they deal with the arable land around Katherine’s Farm. They are 11 and 12 miles respectively. I have found an alternative route that I think is easier, especially if you are leading a group, as it avoids dodgy stiles. The first version was devised before a path diversion near the Wind Turbine.

I have also followed the route from Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre to Thornbury. This is 7 miles long and makes use of the T1 bus. The route is fairly straight forward, except that they have also missed a path diversion.

I haven’t followed the 10 mile route from Wotton under Edge yet, bit it looks straight forward. I have already walked most of the route, and I don’t know of any problems. You would need to catch the 60 bus to Dursley from Thornbury.

The two routes to Aust follow the Jubilee for the most part, but the shorter version cuts off a bit to go straight to the Boar at Aust instead of keeping to the Jubilee Way to the motorway bridge and walking back to the pub. The problem with this is the fact that there is no bus from Thornbury to Aust, but you could take the T1 to Almondsbury and walk to the Boar for lunch (4.7 miles) and then take the shorter (5 mile) route back to Thornbury.

Similarly, the route to Frampton Cotterell is straightforward. There is only one problem, which is a dodgy exit onto a road. That is apart from the absence of a bus. However, you could get the T1 to Great Stoke and follow a well worn track along the Frome Valley Walkway to the Globe for lunch (4 miles) with a six mile walk back to Thornbury in time form tea.

The last route follows the Jubilee Way from Yate to Thornbury (about 10 miles). My version goes from Chipping Sodbury instead, as I prefer the link though the Ridgeway Nature Reserve. But both version lack a bus link since they took off the 622. You would need to engage with the West Link minibuses.