Whoosh 26 Day 5
May 5th, 2026
Whoosh 2026 Day 5 Newent to Bristol 66 miles; 1,165 ft of climbing
It was about nine miles into Tuesday’s fifth day of this year’s Whoosh ride that things began to feel distinctly maritime. The old docks on the Severn at Gloucester were full of huge old warehouses and granaries, testimony to the period when ocean-going ships were small enough to come this far up the river to deliver and collect goods.
The buildings made it clear we were close to completing the original purpose of this year’s Whoosh ride – to follow the River Severn from its source in the Cambrian mountains until it met the sea. Drops that started out in the peat bogs high in the Welsh hills will have made up some of the vast quantities of water in the slow-moving tidal river we kept seeing during the day’s riding.
The day also had a more general sense of purpose about it. Most of us were booked on trains on Tuesday evening from Bristol back home. With more than 60 miles to cover to get from our starting point in Newent to get there, everyone was at least mildly anxious to get on with things. There were still, nevertheless, moments of pure enjoyment along the way.
We rode the first five miles from our overnight stay in Newent along a busy road. While the harassment from impatient motorists was frustrating, we had the wind at our backs and made good time.
Much of the rest of the day’s riding was along far quieter side roads, amid nearly perfect conditions. The wind was giving us gentle help, the weather was intermittently sunny and we sped through neat little villages with thatched cottages and ancient churches. They made it clear that the Severn has always brought both fertility and prosperity to these areas.
The transformation we had witnessed in the Severn, meanwhile, from babbling mountain brook to majestic, stately waterway testified to the mysterious natural balance that irrigates and shapes our landscapes. Restoring balance to that process in the Thames basin is the ultimate purpose of Thames21, the UK charity that this year’s ride Is supporting.
The mounting pollution and congestion we encountered as we approached Bristol, meanwhile, was a reminder of the important work of World Bicycle Relief, our other charity. It is critical that the poorer countries where World Bicycle Relief sends its bicycles do not become as dependent on motor vehicles as rich countries have already done. It seeks to ensure people in developing countries have access to cheap, reliable, robust bikes.
Yet not all of Tuesday’s riding was made up of speeding through pretty villages. Around Severn Beach, we suddenly found ourselves amid the kind of distribution sites and manufacturing that cluster around a working river. The route alternated between shared-use paths along pavements and sections where we had to share the space with big, frightening lorries. There were also plenty of heavy vehicles along Portway, the road we followed along the Avon Gorge to reach the centre of Bristol.
But, as we turned into the courtyard in front of Bristol Temple Meads station, we were able to reflect on having followed the river from a trickle to the point where it could support such a huge volume of commerce. The interest of watching that process had added to the satisfaction. We hope that the money raised for charity will spread some of that sense of satisfaction to others as well.