Llandogo Sunday 10 May 2015
Start: Severn Road Bridge (English side)
Finish: Llandogo
Miles walked today: 14
Total miles: 270
Behind the curtains to my right I can see bright daylight. I reach for my phone and check the time: 8.45 ! I look to my right and see a pair of short, fat, and presumably hairy legs under the covers. Little Ern! Or Jim, in the real world. Who actually has perfect legs. Like his Dad...
We're walking over the older Severn bridge now. Some of the down cables have strange metal objects clamped to them (photo below). I would really like to know what these are. Anyone know? Nigel? Ken? Tim? Mike? They aren't present on the shorter cables, and don't have anything connecting to them. A mystery - for now.
Chepstow! A late breakfast together, then Jim and I embrace, and he heads off to the station :(
My afternoon stroll takes in Offas Dyke:
Offa's Dyke is a great frontier earthwork built by Offa, King of Mercia from 757 to 796 A.D. It gives its name to a long distance footpath, one of Britain's National Trails, which runs from Sedbury, near Chepstow, to Prestatyn through the varied and little-frequented landscapes of the Welsh Marches.
and the Wye Valley Walk. How amazing must it be if over 1200 years after your turn on life's merry - go - round your name is still being mentioned daily by many people. The scenery is stunning. Most of the time I'm high above the river, in the wooded hillsides. Occasionally, the trees part and at the "Devil's Pulpit" there is a view of Tintern Abbey, far below. A shame SJS isn't here to see it.
The score overall today is Wales 2 - 2 England. Every time I cross the River Wye I change countries. I'm staying at the Sloop Inn tonight in Llandogo and it's definitely in Wales.
Chris has emailed me about the grasses with haloes: "You prob don't want to know but - just in case- those 'grassy' flower heads are plantains. they are weeds with strappy leaves. Of course in our garden they never get as far as having flowers.........! If you get an insect bite the leaves are supposed to reduce the itching if you chew them slightly then rub them on the bite." I did want to know - thanks Chris!
PS An email from Ken:
These objects are called Stockbridge dampers. They dampen wind-induced vibrations of the cables, reducing cable fatigue. As wind passes across the cables, they shed vortices which cause them to vibrate at low amplitudes - in the millimetre range - but at high frequency, around 60 hertz.
The oddly shaped masses are called dogbones, for an obvious reason. They are tuned so that they flap when the cable starts to vibrate. The flapping of the dogbones dissipates the energy of the vibrating cable. They are also used on high-tension power lines and for large road-sign support spans. The dampers are tuned so that they flap and dissipate energy when the cable starts to vibrate.
Fascinating. Thanks Ken!
