Secrets of The Motorway - M48 

"...in modern money is more..." this is the insightful commentary we are here for.

The humour, the quarry and the hidden slip roads. We’re here for it all, love it!

Shout out to the wasp for its admirable work ethic, still contributing to RU-vid videos when all of its mates have buggered off on holiday or whatever wasps do in winter....

If the subtle intro of the playdays theme that often stopped at the “Why” bird stop while talking about the river “Wye” bridge was on purpose, then you have truly excelled yourself.

"When constructed was £8 million, which is today's money is more." - CLASSIC! I love the granularity of insight!

After this episode I definitely think you should do a ‘secrets of the railway’ episode 🤣

I was a teenager when the old Severn bridge was built and it was a huge deal back then. So much so my mum and I took a coach trip to view it from South London. Yep a coach day out trip to view a bridge. We travelled over the bridge, turned round at the next junction and returned back over it and stopped at the services on the English side. The cafe had a huge viewing area to see the bridge and to be totally honest, it was a hell of a sight back then. Of course as I got older and was driving, the bloody bridge was shut every time there was a strong breeze!! The last time I went to Wales I went down the M48 and stopped at the sadly rather run down services for old times sake. It’s still a good looking design of the 60’s. Thanks for your videos who knew I cared about Motorways? But it seems I do. I watch all your videos thank you.

Playdays and Home and Away? You spoil us!

Two genius pieces of commentary that sums up why I watch your videos: 1. 2:04 - "... and it's here that you'll find Severn View Services. Not only is there a services, there's also a view of the Severn". 2. 2:13 - "... at the time it cost £8m to build, which in todays money is more". 🤣😂

Pressing the appreciation button before I have watched this as I know it's gonna be quality.

Jon, there isn't a single video you've made that I haven't enjoyed. The amount of interesting facts and detail you cram in at such a rate along with the excellent humour is fantastic. Seriously hoping you blast past 100k subscribers - this channel is one of the best out there! Cheers. Si.

Around 15 years ago I did a lot of work in South Wales (I live in London). I always used the M48. You get a much better view from the bridge and the traffic levels are tiny compared with the M4. Even during the day I would find myself on an empty road, so foot to the floor. It's also nice driving on an old-style motorway.

_"Why is there a wasp"_ - We get some free philosophy with this week's expisode 🙂

Nice Top Gear swipe 👊🏻

6:00 Woof!

Can I just pause to say how much I appreciate your music choices. I can't think of anyone else on RU-vid that would end a video on an obscure motorway with a hauntingly beautiful piano cover of the theme from Home and Away.

TV Theme Tunes I recognise on the Secrets of the M48 motorway are Playdays and Woof! plus the piano instrumental version of the theme tune from Home & Away.

I am old enough to have done the Aust ferry, a primitive drive on, drive off ferry before the first bridge was built

You definitely need to come up to Newcastle for the A167M, which has got to win the prize for the most bizarre motorway in the country

Genuinely think this is one of the best geeky channels on the u tubes. Thanks, I love it

Another ace video full of facts and Humour! The Playdays theme tune and the "Wye Bridge" love that obscure connection.

1:35 Probably the greatest single sentence of script you've written yet, well done sir.

Another great video. I like driving along the M48. The low traffic volumes remind me of, being driven by my parents, motorways in the 1960/70's.

The outro's are just perfection each time I see them. What an amazing view. UK is a beautifull island!

-floodplain field is part time lake *housing developer* Yes this seems like the perfect place to put a random, disconnected neighborhood with no surrounding jobs or highstreet.

Great video, John. I'm afraid that I did laugh when you were spotted by that wasp. The bad tempered stripy bastards always go for me, too. I was at work once, and was surprised to see a biggish wasp grabbing spiders from their webs and flying off with them. That's a wasp I am not going to argue with.

I grew up some 40 miles from this area (on the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary, near Bridgend) and had no idea the military stored so much ammunition in the Caerwent zone, nor that this was involved in the Gulf wars. I've lived in Oxford for around 25 years and it's only now, thanks to your videos, that I'm learning about things that used to be 'on my doorstep', so to speak. Many thanks!

When I was a puppy I was an avid Blue Peter watcher, and they featured the building of the Severn Bridge, so you can imagine how grown up me got rather excited about crossing the bridge for the first time! Despite having crossed the bridge a millionty times, in a professional capacity, I still get a buzz from visiting engineering marvels featured on Blue Peter, and I've travelled the world to do this, including walking up to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Lived in Chepstow for 32 years and I’ve never seen these landmarks from these angles. Great video thanks.

Does anyone else enjoy their Sunday Night notifications, letting us know that we all have another informative, educational but comically and entertaining post to watch ? When I was young, the 'Antique Roadshow' triggered fear and denial of incomplete homework or assignments that were overdue at school / college. Sundays now are about John giving us a 'feel good' post, and we all know that life in the World is good, with his content and presentation style. We know things are a little crazy in the World right now, but this man has given us all a unique and honest way to remind ourselves of the things we like and enjoy, and we shouldn't feel bad about it. Oh Bugger, I have just remembered that I have a presentation to write before 8am........ Arghhhhhhh See you all next week 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bladdy hell, is that the theme from "Woof"!? Classic.

Interesting choice of music today. Sure I heard Playbus, Woof and Home and Away! It's clear I'm getting old!

Severn View services... the services you can't actually see the Severn from, where as the office building that you see when standing at the viewpoint used to be the old services building.. and was called Aust Services

So theres the Forth Bridge and the Severn Bridge... still looking for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th Bridges... At least there is also an Exe and Wye bridge...

My mate asked me why I was watching a bloke half yelling facts about roads. The next day, he subscribed and said the word bollocks isn't used enough but it'll do.

There was a time when you could see the Severn from the actual Severn View Services. The great big glass building on site used to house the services and I can well remember it. But then someone must have realised it could make more money as a commercial space and the services were removed to the brick built sheds they are today - a great shame. I love your videos and your humour especially the 'throw away' lines. Brilliant.

I'm actually very fond of the M48 and use it fairly regularly. It feels like a portal back to an earlier era of the motorway - two lanes, low traffic volumes, and of course the original 1966 Severn Bridge, which is still a thing of elegant beauty. Also occasionally visit the viewpoint you show at 2:08. It now has a melancholy atmosphere of being forgotten and neglected, but back in the 1960s the bridge was one of the world's engineering marvels and that viewpoint was once a destination in its own right.

The other thing worth noting is that the Severn Bridge section is now limited to one lane for HGVs and buses, if you look at the signs in both directions - 7.5 tonne limit on the second lane.

I love driving down this quiet motorway compared to the new M4 - Especially as they didn't take the opportunity to go three lanes when making all that new section so it often gets very busy. As a local resident it's also been very convenient since the toll booths were taken out, making trips into Wales more of a 'thing' rather than really having to consider it for the exorbitant tolls previously.

Subtle playdays music just before the river Wye segment. Made me think of Whybird 😂 good job nice touch

The piano tune at the end is absolutely killing me. incredible work.

Missed opportunity for a "YOU SHALL NOT PASS" but I did chuckle at the home & away theme

The original Aust services were much bigger and quite 'posh' when launched. As teenagers, we used to drive to the Aust services from Cardiff in the evenings as it was about the only place open :-) They are now an office complex, with smaller, meaner services built nearby.

So the 4th Bridge is in Scotland, the 7th in Wales. Where are the other ones ?

i have pressed that button that is specifically designed for liking . have a good week all

Perfect comment. Back in the old days when it was good. Yes indeed Top Gear was GOOD!

I enjoy the wasp interactions.

Sevenview services where there's a services and also a view of the river Severn. Fuck that slayed me!

The wasp from your M3 video came back for you! 🤣

the M48 is also home to one of the UK's few non-motorway Special Roads - the footpath next to the main bridge, which allows pedestrians, cyclists and moped riders to cross the Severn

Hurrah! Another enjoyable episode of "Jon visits quarries under the guise of making a video about a motorway"

"Closer each day... Home & Away..." As always an excellent insight into the fascinating world of UK motorways. Thanks John!

Well this presses a few buttons. As a kid in the 60s I remember crossing the Severn on the Aust ferry with my grandparents and watching the bridge being built. Fast forward to the 90s, I work in TV and was the sound guy for a documentary about the building of the new bridge. You mention the army training area and its use as an Airsoft site? Well that is Dragon Valley Airsoft. And guess who is a Marshal there.

Love the effort you put in to each episode. Looking forward to you reaching the 100K subscriber mark

"Which in today's money is more." Fantastic insight there. 🙂 5:55 _Woof!_ That's a theme I haven't heard in a long time.

I wonder how many Doctor Who or Blakes 7 episodes were filmed in that quarry!

Great video and extremely accurate details. I was an Army Apprentice at Beachley 1963-66 when it was the Army Apprentices College Chepstow. I watched the Severn and Wye Bridges and the viaduct constructed, having arrived as the underground work reached ground level. It was fascinating to get such a close up view of these incredible structures. As I was being trained as an Ammunition Technician, an Army explosive expert we visited Caerwent and watched the Royal Navy propellants and nitroglycerin being manufactured. I went back to Beachley 1973-76, and again 82-86 as a member of the staff. The area has been a great part of my life. It is so deserving of its Grade 1 listing - mention of which was your the only omission.

Ah, Happy memories of when it used to be the M4, a 55 minute journey, riding my Triumph Bonneville from Cardiff to Oldbury Power Station through winter snow- just thinking about it makes me shiver!

"which in today's money is more" 🤣 Another great video John, thank you.

The M48 is one of the few motorways that has an organised half marathon on it crossing the Second Severn Bridge. (The Great North Run is the other one I know of as you briefly go along the entire length of the tiny A167(M)). The group that organises this half marathon also does night runs along the Second Severn Bridge starting in the graffiti'ed tunnel you were standing in front of.

It would have been a castle crossing. Sheep aren't very high. It was like that at atherstone, cattle bridge and crossing.

This was absolutely awesome... I love your style of humor mixed with interesting (and often obscure) information about the motorways.

I can’t not watch this every week. I don’t know why, I’m just drawn in. I found myself today talking bollocks to my nephew about Lancaster services and I know exactly where I learnt it.

"You know, in the old days when it was good..." Priceless, catty, but Priceless 😄 🤣 😂 😆 If Carlsberg made insults.......

2:16 "Which in Todays Money is More" dunno why but that made me laugh

"Which, in today's money, is more." I can't even be mad

My grandad worked on the 2nd Severn Bridge - I got to to go a third of the way across whilst it was being built... it took me until 2019 to cross the rest of the way. (This comment would probably make more sense on one of the M4 videos, but you know algothrim etc)

3:42 “The modern boundary between England and Wales is marked out by the river. Why?” Probably because it was a convenient place.

I've ran the maths, and 8 million pound in today's money is indeed more.

I live in Chepstow and the M48 is the best motorway as it exists outside the realms of which speed limits exist in

liking the choice of music, nostalgic after school cartoons 👍

The newer M4 route is actually longer than the old route by about 1 mile. I measured it in my car once!

As a Dutch guy and no more knowledge about the UK other then a fortnight London, I can't wait for the next vid. It baffled me to see that hardly any motorway looks the same (junctions - fly overs and such). But your quirky way of telling, and then the little things, hardly known to those that live nearby, yep, perfect. Keep on being yourself, I love it.. 👍👍👍

The commentary always makes me chuckle!

Hi John. This has got to be one of the best channels on RU-vid. Love the content, even better with your hilarious comments. Brilliant 👍

Some quality deadpan one liners. That cycle path is obviously imminent!

One thing you missed John. At the Severn View Services is also an office block housing a company called Brightside Insurance who operate illegal practices in their sale of insurance products.

Another titbit of information to those who are interested, including the author (massive fan btw) - the first Severn bridge (M48) as depicted in your video, has access hatches along the walkway (they look like submarine hatches, its the easiest way I can explain them) upon which the engineers can inspect the deck and cables. I did a job about two decades ago for Laing O'Rourke, who at the time were in charge of the maintenance of the bridge, no idea if they still are, upon which I had to upgrade the firmware and config on a Cisco router housed within the bridge. I got escorted along the walkway via one of their cars (standard car but it had an amber flashing light they stuck on the roof) It was very odd driving along the walkway, and even more odd to actually go underneath the road section of the bridge. Think cramped dark hole with 70MPH traffic going past above and a massive drop below you, with only the bottom of the bridge to keep you safe. It was an ADSL connection to that router with the exchange being miles away, which meant the signal losses were big, again no idea of the situation nowadays. It was used so the engineers could remotely monitor the integrity of the bridge, cables and whatnot. Anyway, that might explain the access you question at 2:39 as their vehicles needed access along the footpath both east and westbound, and there are specific sections for them to turnaround.

The Aero deck was revolutionary in 1966. Slender bridge looked lovely.

Caerwent (pronounced (c-eye-r went) is right on my doorstep. It has also been used as filming for Doctor Who and Torchwood, and also briefly in the first Captain America movie in 2011. Caerwent also backs directly onto Wentwood, the most ancient woodland in Wales. Also Chepstow, the biggest town on the motorway, has what's considered the oldest stone castle in Country, with the oldest part constructed in 1067. And Rogiet is pronounced rog (like log) -et!

The maintenance road was similar to that on the SSC that allowed people who couldn’t pay the toll to be turned around. What’s often forgotten about the original crossing was it used to have tolls on both sides prior to the second opening, at that point they reverted it to just entering wales. Severn view services was amongst the busiest in the country back in the day and a fine services at that. It literally died on its arse overnight when the SSC opened which was a shame and the original building sold off. I still have my certificate for walking across the SSC the day before it opened, something you can’t do unlike the original which you can still walk/cycle across. Roll on the M49 and ‘that’ junction fiasco

Ding ding! It's the Wye Bridge stop!

Unseasonable wasps! We had one the other day as well! Little blighters! 🐝

Buttoned..it.good one mate.

I use this stretch from Almondsbury to Aust almost everyday. It’s a wonderful stretch of motorway to traverse. Thank you for doing this video, I always love watching your content.

Nice 5ft 9 Bridge I have seen a 4ft 9 Bridge in bedford where the bedford Bletchley line crosses the river great ouse

Another of my preferred routes into Wales, especially when the toll was removed! 😅 The Welsh and Roman names caught you out again - Roj eeee et (Rogiet) and Ki er went (Caewent). Caerwent is a special Roman settlement with lots of remains to see.

Showing my age, I remember driving over the M48/M49 when it was part of the M4!

Always a pleasure to watch your videos John. Keep up the great work.

I'm sure you know this but if the Google Street View image for a particular road has been updated, you can see the older images by clicking the little clock icon at the top-left (desktop only, not on mobile) and choosing an earlier time stamp. Obviously only goes back to about 2007-08 when Street View first started but you can get a decent 15 years' worth of context for some frequently updated locations.

"Why is there a wasp?!" Wasp: " Why is there a RU-vidr?!"

I like lotomotives too John! 😂

Home and Away piano outro brought a tear to my eyes.

There aren't many videos I click as soon as I see them, but this series is up there! Great work as always John!

Love the M48, it's like a trip back in time 😃

I used to live near the Aust junction and go to uni in Newport, so I got to know the M48 very well. It was glorious at about 7:45am, rarely another car in sight, it made it REALLY easy to do exactly the speed limit and never drive any faster. Cheers for this, this is as close as this series will get to "home turf" for me so I really enjoyed it

Wasp 🐝 😂😂 “Why is there a wasp 🐝” 😂

Subscribed. A+ for the use of Playdays music. Must be a 90s kid to

Fun fact: When crossing from Wales to England, the first sign for J1 (Severn View Services) still has the old junction number of J21 but with the 2 blanked out/removed. You can still see the outline of the 2 though. Also, Aust is pronounced "ost"

I am liking the asides. Adding a few potatoes, the meat of the meal. erm, nope, that didn't come out right. But you get my drift, right?