“We completed our walk on Monday and have had an enjoyable three days exploring Tewkesbury. Thanks to the Let’s Go Walking team for organisation of our accommodation along the way. Each place we stayed at was different and all safe, clean and comfortable, and each with their own unique atmosphere. The Falcon in BridgeNorth and the Tudor Barn B&B in Arley were standouts, particularly the Tudor Barn. Our hosts were very welcoming and the B&B setting was stunning. We did have a couple of Fawlty Tower type incidents here and there, which were funny and memorable…..The Severn Way winds its way through beautiful countryside and fascinating historical sites and surrounds. We had glorious sunny days which was great, with only one wet day.Judging by overgrowth over the track in many parts of our trek, much of the Severn way is not frequently walked. We had many encounters with boot wide paths heavily overgrown with hip high stinging nettles and brambles. We met Ian and Patrick who were also walking with Let’s Go Walking in Stourport at the Guesthouse, and from there came across one another each day, along the track, including an Indian dinner and then breakfast together at Upton upon Severn, sharing our adventures.
On the Way from Wroxeter the Way was difficult to pick up, using the somewhat scant Cicerone guide which doesn’t include any information about distances, so often it’s very difficult to know whether they mean, go ahead two hundred yards or two miles ??

On the way from Wroxeter we finally found the rise referred to in the guide, then by serendipity the gate bearing the illusive Severn Way sign we were looking for, collapsed and covered in brambles, we walked on briefly before we lost the trail again almost immediately, so we climbed out of the field and walked the next mile into town along the road.
On the day we were headed to Worcester we ran across Patrick and Ian by the Holt Fleet Hotel, together we managed to find the trail fleetingly, then lost it again due to lack of signage and scant information in our Cicerone books. Ted and I found the trail briefly, near the old quarry, picked up another walker who was also lost and together found the trail by again finding a collapsed Severn Way sign, hefting it back into its correct position so we knew which direction to head and then bashed our way through a long patch of nettles and brambles that the only other people to broach that day were Ian and Patrick. We met them again at the ever so convenient pub on the outskirts of Worcester and alked in with them.

The next day there were major freeway works under way a couple of hours walk out from Worcester and the Severn Way signs are no longer locatable around that point, and the road work pedestrian signs are few and far between. We asked directions from a caravan park manager, a dog walker, road construction workers and a member of the nearby Sailing club. None were able to assist us back to the trail and after an hour of nettles and brambles near the river, we headed to Kempsey along the road, accompanied again by Ian and Patrick who were also lost. Once out of Kempsey and back on the track the rest of the day to Upton was relatively well signed.
On the last morning on the way to Tewkesbury signage was good and the walking was easy with the exception of a couple of treacherous patches of overgrown track where the narrow track was right on the edge of of the steep river bank. Not for the faint hearted!
Overall we have thoroughly enjoyed our Severn Way walk and hope to be in touch with Let’s Go Walking for another adventure soon.”
Denise and Ted Australia 2019