Arlingham peninsula, a finger of land in a deep bend of the River Severn where the estuary starts to narrow, is so near and yet so far from the Forest of Dean. A prehistoric ford once connected the iron and coal mines of the hilly Forest with this flatter side, and it’s said that the Romans crossed at this point on elephants. A morning walk here is a chance to witness the power of the Severn Bore, an almost-daily tidal phenomenon, as it begins its surge upriver. Stay the night at the lonely Old Passage inn at the tip of the peninsula and you may hear and see the wave – plus a surfer or two – from your bedroom window. When a particularly large bore is forecast, its seafood restaurant-with-rooms does Bore Breakfasts, a perfect start to this walk.
1. START From the Old Passage inn, where there is a small car park (SO710110), walk a few paces to the end of the road and the River Severn. Until shortly after WWII, there was a ferry connecting with the village of Newnham on Severn, opposite. Turn right onto the flood defences, a low dyke that gives you elevated views of the river all along this stretch, following signs for the Severn Way. Newnham church, high on a sandstone cliff, chimes a tune on the hour. Through the metal gate, follow the footpath on top of the floodbank. At the next gate, after about 1km, a footpath to the right takes you into the village of Arlingham. However, unless taking a detour to The Red Lion pub, continue along the Severn Way, following waymarkers of a blue pilot cutter. May Hill, crowned with a copse, is visible in the distance.
2. One field’s length after passing under pylons, the path disappears into brush before reappearing on the riverbank and then onto a small road that you should follow to the left. Take the quiet road through the riverside hamlet of Priding, for 1km. Follow the road as it turns sharply right, then turn immediately left to follow the cul-de-sac for about 100m to an archway through a hedge. When you reach a stile and gate side-by-side, choose the gate to follow the riverbank until you reach the head of a small road and St Peter’s Church, Framilode. Follow the road for 100m until you cross the reed-choked Stroudwater Canal, opened in 1779, which once linked the Severn with Stroud.
3. Leave the Severn Way here to follow the canal to your right, past the backs of houses. You soon come across The Ship Inn. Continue following the path beside the canal until you reach Wycliffe College Boat Club on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, where you should turn right to follow this canal – once the widest and deepest in the world. You’ll pass the Cotswold Canals Trust visitor centre, toilets and a café. After just over 1km, turn right onto the road at Fretherne swing bridge. Follow the left junction of the two roads, signposted towards Arlingham and Fretherne.
4. After the garden wall of a house, turn left onto the footpath. Follow to the back of a large house, Saul Lodge, and cross the stile marked with a Severn Way marker. Beware of holes belonging to badger setts along this stretch. After 100m, turn left at the stile to cross a field where you should ignore a ‘Please do not proceed beyond this point’ sign that is to deter people straying onto the wetlands. Climb over the low fence and follow the footpath immediately to the right between fences. This exits into a field. Follow along its edge and up onto the floodbank. Turn left towards the river then immediately right, following the floodbank upriver, with a small signposted diversion at a sluice gate. The views here look down the length of the estuary and The Noose sandbank, where legend says that a Roman legion was drowned by the incoming tide while trying to capture Caractacus. This is a good spot to sit on the grass for a picnic. Continue following the river through two small woodlands and the edges of fields until you return to the Old Passage inn.