Tuesday 5 August 2008

PASSAGE FARM - SLIMBRIDGE [84]



Tuesday 22nd July – Saturday 26th July 2008

The piece of land formed by a horseshoe shaped sweep of the River Severn is home to this wonderful CL. Situated a few hundred yards from the end of the road that leads to the former Newham Ferry and within a mile of the village of Arlingham. The flat grassed pitching area is situated behind the owner’s home and wonderfully kept gardens and is adjacent to a fenced course fishing pond, which, according to photographs is the home of some very large fish. The toilet block doubles as an information room and library and has a folder with advice on local attractions and places of interest.

The last time I spent any time in this area was in the mid 1980s when I worked on a ship loading waste just south of Gloucester on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. I asked a few of the British Waterways staff if anyone could remember the occasion but no one could. I think it would cause problems if anything of that size used the waterway now, although pleasure craft and commercial traffic manage to exist side by side on the Aire & Calder Navigation in Yorkshire.

The nearest shop is in the village of Arlingham with a small supermarket, other shops and banks in Stonehouse. There are bus stops in the area but I didn’t see a bus during my stay. The Old Passage which is close by on the banks of the Severn and was probably once a pub, now seems to be a restaurant specialising in seafood. The Red Lion less than a mile away in Arlingham is more of a village pub and offers a menu which should suit most needs.

Analogue TV good
Digital signal available

£10.00 per night

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