1.
River Wye
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The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 215 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales, the Wye Valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for conservation and recreation. The Wyes Latin name is Vaga, an adjective meaning wandering, the Tithe map references a Vagas Field in both Whitchurch and Chepstow. The modern Welsh name Gwy may be derived from old Welsh Gwybiol or Gwyr, the source of the Wye is in the Welsh mountains at Plynlimon. Its total length is 134 miles, the lower 16 miles of the river from Redbrook to Chepstow forms the border between England and Wales. The River Wye forms two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, one covering the Upper Wye above Hay-on-Wye, and one covering the Lower Wye downstream to Chepstow. The criteria for inclusion of the river as an SSSI include geology, topography, flora, mammals, invertebrates, fish and birdlife, as the river, the Wye abuts a range of other SSSIs in England and Wales, including the Upper Wye Gorge and Lower Wye Gorge. It is also a Special Area of Conservation and one of the most important rivers in the UK for nature conservation and it is an important migration route and wildlife corridor, as well as a key breeding area for many nationally and internationally important species. The river supports a range of species and habitats covered by European Directives, in Powys the river lies within the Radnorshire Environmentally Sensitive Area. Much of the valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Lower Wye has been designated as a salmonid fishery under the EC Freshwater Fish Directive, the Wye is largely unpolluted and used to be considered one of the best rivers for salmon fishing in the United Kingdom, outside Scotland. In the 1980s and 1990s salmon in the Wye declined dramatically, in 1967 the Wye rod catch was 7,864, and as recently as 1988 it was 6,401, but by 2002 it was only 357. It is now recovering from this low in response to the extensive habitat improvement work carried out by the Wye and Usk Foundation, set up to restore the spring salmon runs. In 2015 the five-year average once again climbed above 1,000 and it is now the third best salmon river in England and Wales, surpassed only by the Tyne and Wear. The Wye was particularly famous for its large spring salmon that had spent three or more years at sea returning to spawn. The last recorded 50 lb rod-caught salmon from the Wye was taken in 1963 by Donald Parrish, since the early 2000s the spring catch has been steadily recovering and salmon of over 35 lb have been reported every year since 2011. The Romans constructed a bridge of wood and stone just upstream of present-day Chepstow, the River Wye was and still is navigable up to Monmouth at least since the early 14th century
2.
Bigsweir Bridge
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Bigsweir Bridge is an 1827 road bridge crossing the River Wye, straddling the boundary between the parish of St. Briavels, Gloucestershire, England, and Llandogo, Monmouthshire, Wales. It carries the A466 road, and is located about 2 miles north of the village of Llandogo,2 miles south of Whitebrook and it is the Normal Tidal Limit of the River Wye, and navigation below this point falls under the jurisdiction of the Gloucester Harbour Trustees. There is no village at Bigsweir, the bridge is about 600 metres upstream of the fishing weir and ford of Bigsweir, which is close to Bigsweir House. Recorded early spellings of the name include Bikeswere and Brithekeswere, fishing rights at Bigsweir were mentioned in the Domesday Book. By 1331 the rights were held by the monks of Tintern Abbey, some 4 miles downstream of the weir, the rights over the weir transferred to the Earl of Worcester in 1537, later passing to his successors, the Dukes of Beaufort. The Bigsweir estate, on the Gloucestershire side of the weir, was part of the lands of the Bishops of Hereford. It remained the seat and estate of the Catchmay family for several centuries. Bigsweir House itself was rebuilt around 1740, probably by William Catchmay and it is a building of two storeys built of sandstone, with a symmetrical five-bay front. Additions were made to the house after it passed to James Rooke, the estate was enlarged by purchases of woodland, and the house itself was refurbished with rich internal decoration, including panelled rooms and elaborate cornices and architraves. Further extensions were added in the 20th century, Bigsweir House is a Grade II listed building, added to the register in 1954. The elegant cast iron bridge was built in 1827 as part of the new turnpike road constructed up the lower part of the Wye valley between Chepstow and Monmouth. The bridge connects the English and Welsh sides of the river, with an abandoned, the bridge comprises a single arch of 50 metres, and was designed by Charles Hollis of London and cast at Merthyr Tydfil. A pair of flood arches were added at each end some years later. Because of its width, modern traffic using the A466 is controlled by traffic signals at either end. Bigsweir Bridge became a Grade II* listed structure in 1988, Bigsweir Woods List of crossings of the River Wye List of bridges in Wales
3.
A49 road
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The A49 is an A road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. The stretch between Ross-on-Wye and the A5 at Shrewsbury is a road, maintained by the national Highways England. From the A6 at Bamber Bridge, south of Preston, the road parallel to the M6 motorway. Through Ashton in Makerfield and Newton-le-Willows, reaching Warrington via Winwick, from junction 9 of the M62, there is a dual-carriageway through Warrington, as far as Loushers Lane. During this section, it passes under the Liverpool to Manchester Line railway, then has the Cockhedge Green roundabout with the A57 and passes to the east and it passes over a roundabout with the A5061 situated on the River Mersey, then goes past Priestley College. It passes over the Manchester Ship Canal, Cheshire Ring Canal Walk, at Pewterspear there is the Owens Corner roundabout. The road has crossroads with the B5356 at Stretton and meets the A559 at junction 10 of the M56, the road enters Cheshire West And Chester. There is crossroads with the A533 and the crosses the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk. The three-mile £6m Weaverham Diversion opened in September 1992, the old route is now the B5144, passing near Weaverham High School. The road passes over the West Coast Main Line railway after the Weaverham Roundabout, the section from Weaverham to Cuddington is a new much-straightened section. In Cuddington it crosses the Mid-Cheshire Line near Cuddington railway station, there is the Oakmere Crossroads with the A556 south of Cuddington, before the road crosses the Whitegate Way. It then crosses the A54 near Abbots Moss Hall, and the passes through Cotebrook. The two-mile £3. 8m Tarporley Bypass opened in September 1986, Tarporley Community High School is near here. The road leaves the A51 to the west at Four Lane Ends near the Red Fox, the road travels over the Shropshire Union Canal and under the Welsh Marches Line railway south of Tiverton. It crosses over the River Gowy north of Bunbury next to the Beeston Castle, the road briefly overlaps the A534 Wrexham Road from the junction at Ridley and crosses over the River Weaver. At Cholmondeley there is Cholmondeley Castle, at the crossroads of Bickerton Road and Wrenbury Road, there is the Cholmondeley Arms. Moving from the parishes of Cholmondeley to Bickley east of Moss Wood, it moves back into Cheshire West. It crosses the Shropshire Union Canal again at Tushingham cum Grindley, the road enters into Shropshire and is crossed by the South Cheshire Way near Hinton
4.
A40 road
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The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Goodwick, Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts. The road still begins and ends in the places, but a number of changes have been made to its route. The first change dates from 1935, between Ross-on-Wye and Abergavenny, the original route of the A40 was via Skenfrith, this road was renumbered the B4521. Subsequently, the A40 was rerouted within west London, Western Avenue dates from the 1930s, but was originally opened as the A403. After the Second World War, the A40 was rerouted along part of the A219, the old route was renumbered the A4020. For the A40 in London, see A40 road, in central London it is named High Holborn, then Oxford Street. At Marble Arch it joins the A5 Edgware Road as far as the Marylebone Flyover to become Westway, formerly classified A40 as an elevated motorway and it takes the A40 to meet Western Avenue. With two exceptions, Western Avenue forms a grade-separated motorway standard dual-carriageway between Paddington and the M40 motorway, which continues towards Oxford and Birmingham, the two at-grade intersections are Gypsy Corner and Savoy Circus, both of which are traffic light controlled. For the greater part, the road is six lanes wide, at Denham Roundabout, the six lane Western Avenue flows into the M40. The A40 branches off Denham roundabout and runs alongside the M40 as a dual carriageway, after the A413 branches off the A40 becomes single carriageway, still roughly following the route of the M40, passing through the towns of Beaconsfield and High Wycombe. Beyond Stokenchurch the road is much quieter, when meeting the B4009, east of Oxford the A40 becomes a busy dual carriageway again, carrying traffic from the M40 to Oxford and beyond. The route forms the eastern section of the Oxford ring road, crossing the A44, after the road passes under the A34, the A40 reverts to single carriageway for 10 miles. It then turns to dual carriageway again to form the Witney bypass, the dual carriageway then finishes at a roundabout. For the rest of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire until Cheltenham, other than for a few short stretches and this section has the highest point of the entire A40 which is 250 m above sea level, located 5 km west of the A429 junction. Before Andoversford the A436 breaks off to the west to try to take away from descending into the centre of Cheltenham itself. The road travels through Cheltenham town centre along at least two parallel routes, afterwards it becomes dual carriageway out of Cheltenham and has a junction with the M5 motorway. The junction is a three-level stacked roundabout, where neither road is interrupted, in February 2015, the Witney Oxford Transport Group proposed the reopening of Yarnton railway station as an alternative to improvements to the A40 road proposed by Oxfordshire County Council. There is a case to reopen the railway given the severe traffic congestion on the roads to
5.
A48 road
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The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam 3 miles west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen, before the construction of the first Severn Bridge in 1966 it was the principal route between South Wales and South West England. For most of its journey through South Wales, it runs almost parallel to its successor. Before the construction of the Second Severn Crossing, during times of high winds at the Severn Bridge the A48 was used as part of the diversion route, there is a motorway section which is a spur from the M4 running from junction 29 on the west side of Newport. The A48 has the feature of having no junction options at both ends – it leads into limited-access junctions. Near the east of Cardiff, at St Mellons, it ends by flowing onto the A48 and it is 2 miles long and is a 2-lane motorway throughout its length. At St Mellons it runs continuously into a further 6 miles of the dual-carriageway A48, the original A48 continues to link Newport and Cardiff. Just before Junction 44 of the M4 motorway, there is a dual carriageway trunk road. This road used to have two stations, which have been demolished. The A48 from Highnam to Newport runs adjacent to the River Severn and it runs through a series of villages, until it reaches Chepstow where it crosses the Wales-England border. From the M4 Motorway at J15 near Swindon, traffic is directed for Wales if it is over the Severn Bridge weight limit of 44 tonnes, traffic is directed onto the A419, then onto the A417 after Cirencester, and at Gloucester, onto the A40. This road has some speed cameras, as there have previously been incidents here, during busy periods, such as the Severn Bore, this road may become busy with parked cars near the rivers edge. The road is quite empty and free running, with no heavy traffic reports. The road also runs next to the Forest of Dean, the woods may be viewed from the roadside, as may the hills of the Dean. There is a crossing in Lydney. Until Chepstow, there is a height limit under the low railway bridges, tall vehicles are directed to Newport on the A40. For some parts of route, short distance dual carriageways occur. At Chepstow, the road links Gloucestershire with Monmouthshire, there is access to the Forest of Dean in Chepstow
6.
M48 motorway
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The M48 is a 12-mile long motorway in Great Britain, which connects Gloucestershire, England, and Monmouthshire, Wales, via the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway thus falling into zone 5 of the numbering system. It is one of three motorways in Wales. Travelling from east to west, after leaving the M4 at Awkley, Junction 21, near Olveston in England and it then passes through a toll booth for westbound traffic only, and crosses the Severn and Wye rivers via their respective bridges. Entering Wales, the M48 heads south-west after Junction 2, passing to the south of Chepstow, past Crick and continuing in a westerly direction, passing Caldicot. The motorway rejoins the M4 at Undy, Junction 23 to the east of Magor, Junction 2 can be reached via the A466, which leads to the A48. The junction gives access to the Wye Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, when travelling either east or west on the M4, the M48 is the most direct route for Chepstow and Caldicot. The M48 was opened as part of the M4 in 1966, after opening, the route became increasingly busy, and in 1984 a report was commissioned into a Second Severn Crossing. After four years of construction this new route was opened in 1996, the original stretch of motorway was renumbered as M48 and now shares the traffic between England and Wales. Junction 1 is the location of Severn View services, which can also be accessed by the A403, there is a footpath leading from the service station to allow pedestrians to cross the bridge. When the M4 was diverted over the Second Severn Crossing, it was anticipated that these services may close, data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and start and end points are available, information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs May 2011 List of motorways in the United Kingdom CBRD Motorway Database – M48 The Motorway Archive – M48
7.
Chepstow
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Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, about 2 miles above its confluence with the River Severn and it is 16 miles east of Newport,18 miles north-west of Bristol and 110 miles west of London. Chepstow Castle, situated on a clifftop above the Wye and its bridge, is cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain. The castle was established by William FitzOsbern immediately after the Norman conquest, a Benedictine priory was also established within the walled town, which was the centre of the Marcher lordship of Striguil. In the late eighteenth century the town was a focus of tourism as part of the Wye Tour. Chepstow is also known for its racecourse, which has hosted the Welsh National each year since 1949. The town had a population of 10,821 according to the 2001 census and it is served by the M48 motorway, and its accessibility to the cities of Bristol, Newport and Cardiff means it has a large number of commuters. It is administered as part of Monmouthshire County Council, and is within the Monmouth parliamentary constituency, Chepstow is on the western bank of the Wye, while adjoining villages on the eastern bank of the river, Tutshill and Sedbury, are located in England. The name Chepstow derives from the old English ceap / chepe stowe, the word stow usually denotes a place of special significance, and the root chep is the same as that in other placenames such as Chipping Sodbury and Cheapside. The name is first recorded in 1307, but may have used by the English in earlier centuries. However, the used by the Normans for the castle and lordship was Striguil, probably from a Welsh word ystraigyl. The Welsh name Cas-gwent refers to the castle of Gwent. There are also Iron Age fortified camps in the area, dating from the time of the Silures, at Bulwark,1 mile south of the town centre, and at Piercefield and Lancaut, some 1.5 miles to the north. During the Roman occupation, there was a bridge or causeway across the Wye, Chepstow is located at a crossing point directly between the Roman towns at Gloucester and Caerwent. Although historians think it likely that there was a small Roman fort in the area, after the Romans left, Chepstow was within the southern part of the Welsh kingdom of Gwent, known as Gwent Is-coed. To the north of the town centre, a small church was established dedicated to St. Cynfarch. This later became an Augustinian priory on what is now Kingsmark Lane, the town is close to the southern point of Offas Dyke, which begins on the east bank of the Wye at Sedbury and runs all the way to the Irish Sea in north Wales. It is possible, though not clearly substantiated, that Chepstow may have superseded Caerwent as a trading centre, after the Norman conquest of England, Chepstow was a key location
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M48 motorway Junction 2
Media related to A466 road (Great Britain) at Wikimedia Commons
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