This continues to be one of our all time favourite walks along this stretch of coastline, passing under the Prince of Wales Bridge and along to this point, from where you have a good (fog/mist allowing) view of both bridges crossing the Severn.
The "old" Severn Bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in September 1966. It was built over 3.5 years and cost £8 million. The Severn Bridge replaced the Aust Ferry, which operated for 137 years (a plaque to which is situated further down the coastal path). The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge and has 2 lanes, a cycle path and a narrow footpath.
The "new" Bridge (The Prince of Wales Bridge) was built in 1996 to supplement the traffic capacity of the first Severn Bridge. The new crossing carries more traffic than the Severn Bridge. It is wider than the Severn Bridge, having three lanes and a narrow hard shoulder and is a cable-stayed bridge.
Both bridges had tolls, from the opening of the first bridge (1966) until 2018.
Bring some binoculars! Many birds can be seen near the Severn crossings, including ducks, geese, swans, waders, and other water birds. The Severn Estuary is a major migration route and one of Europe's largest estuaries, making it a vital wildlife habitat.
To claim this cache you need to message me the answer to these three simple questions (answers for the first two may be obtained from a nearby noticeboard). Please do not post the answers in your log or post photographs of the answers. You must physically visit this cache in order to log it (I regret that I will delete logs that do not meet these requirements).
1) What 3 items does the curlew feed from in this area?
2) Of the 240 species of bird that have been recorded here, name 3 countries the birds have travelled from.
3) What is the colour of the lights on the very top of the pillars of the Prince of Wales Bridge (if it's bright this might need a Google)?
Please also attach a photo of yourself (or a bit of you!) with one of the bridges in the background.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.