Trams are probably more likely to be blocked than trains as they share a greater length with other traffic. This leaves them vulnerable to general congestion and to the effects of car crashes.

Somewhat OT:"Three counties"? Well, yes; or three unitary authorities to be technically correct. But in this case "the two cities" and the towns between them form such an obvious functional single area that it does show up how artificial local authority boundaries can be.

In one of the villages in the Stroud Valleys (I'm afraid I can't remember which one) there are houses called the Old Police Station and the Old Nick. Both accurate but I'm not sure which was first.

Someone who knows the regulations will be along in a minute, but I'll just comment that at age 5 my son was put on a plane all by himself from India to Heathrow.

(Yes, this is probably easier than taking a bus, and yes he had an assigned crew member to take him through passport at each end, as well as a parent at each end, and in fact I don't think he was even the only unaccompanied child on that particular flight: but hey, it sounds dramatic!)

Some of them, possibly all, are also grown in the botanical gardens in Stoke Bishop. Not that that's a substitute for growing in the wild, but as Tony K says, there won't be new track or even a new introduction of trains. At least not in the foreseeable future: perhaps in 2099 it'll be "maglev to Portishead now!"

Up to a point. Conversion of the disused railway into a cycle path was started in the early 70s by a group calling themselves Cyclebag (still around in some form). Sustrans grew out of that but they weren't the creators of the path. They have been, however, instrumental in making it as successful as it is.

The bit that's really hazardous IME^▸ (in my experience) is where it goes under the St Philips Causeway, where it narrows, dips, is divided in two by a kerb (though this is one of the very few places in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) where pedestrian/cycle segregation actually seems to be followed) and there are bollards in the track. And on  a rail note, is there any plan for the track alongside, which used to transport waste to/from the St Philips recycling facility, to be used in future? As a cycling friend pointed out, the only way to increase width there would be to tarmac over the rails...

As for the rest of it, more plants, seating and sculptures and so on would actually be nice – as long as it doesn't reduce capacity of the path as a path.

It will be, one way or another...

You know what, I've never stopped at the Lower Lode Inn, except to inquire about the ferry last September (it wasn't running).

Via Oxford (to Reading) looks promising. 

Time not much of an issue at all.
Don't currently hold a railcard.
No other rail travel planned on this occasion but will be visiting York in the summer, so North East Rover might be worth investigating; but doesn't help with the problem south of Birmingham!
Thought of Hereford, didn't think of Oxford so will look at that.

Starting from Bristol, but it's only the return leg that's a problem. Midway between Temple Meads and Parkway – well, quite a bit closer to TM^‡(resolve) but PW^▸ (Permanent Way) equally acceptable as a destination.

Actually, it seems there's another question. I thought I'd solved it by going:
XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to Mordor Central (Birmingham New Street)
West Midlands to Worcester Shrub Hill
then the Great Malvern to Bristol train; but this is replaced by buses, all day, due to those same engineering works (I presume).

I might be going up to Darlington for the weekend of 21st/22nd March. I can get up there on a direct train for £60, or just £48 if I don't mind arriving till 14:59, so that's excellent. But coming back on on Sunday there is nothing under £100 and no direct trains listed at all. Even worse (cos I'll be taking a bike up there), every other service includes a bus. There seem to be two problems: LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) timetable not finalised beyond the end of February – but this need not matter as I'd rather take a direct XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) than travel via London; and XC services replaced by bus between Worcestershire Parkway and Gloucester – I presume there are engineering works.

Obviously I could just ride the bike from WOP to Gloucester. So I checked tickets from Darlington to WOP and they're more expensive than all the way to Bristol.  But at least they're direct. So I guess my question boils down to, are there any "clever splits" or other ways to reduce the cost, other routes? Thanks!

I don't entirely agree. If we were serious about cutting carbon emissions from transport, we would raise rail fares to discourage travel; but not by as much as we'd raise the cost of flying and driving.

But even if we were serious about cutting emissions, we couldn't face the changes needed to reduce travel and consumption, so we'll carry on as we are until we can't.

When my son (now 15) was a toddler, we lived in Poland. Most of the buses were old – made in the '80s, based on (or under licence from) an older French design – and had quite steep steps, three of them. Taking a push chair up those steps was difficult. A pram would have been impossible and as for a wheelchair, I doubt anyone thought they ever would use a bus. Even an old person with a walking stick could have trouble, but that was just "accepted". Now almost all the buses there are completely flat floored and aligned with the kerbs. It's easier for everyone to get on and off the bus. And, because there's no stairwell (stepwell?), there's actually more space inside the buses.

Unless there are different rates according to whether a fare is classed as regional or national?