Unusual sighting on the hard shoulder has me worried

WHEN it comes to car travel, being the passenger feels like quite a novelty to me.

For someone who is always in the driver’s seat, whether that’s going back and forth from the stables or taking the dog on an adventure, it was good to swap positions when visiting family in Gloucestershire last weekend.

For passengers, however, motorway driving is on the whole rather dull. Compared to road trips passing through the rolling countryside, the M5 isn’t very pleasing to the eye. Perfect for drivers who can’t afford to be distracted, of course, but not so much for those who are trying desperately to pass the time.

While it may have been only fleeting, our drive last Friday did include an unusual sighting between J21 and J22, as we were preparing to stop for a break at Sedgemoor services. Bearing in mind that this all happened at a speed of around 70mph, the story is lacking in detail!

My older brother, who we were going to visit, lives not too far away from Slimbridge Wetland Centre, so that may have been where the four pearly white swans seen flying overhead had come from. Catching a glimpse of bright yellow around their black bills, I’m guessing they were either Bewick’s or Whooper swans. It was a really lovely sight, gliding gracefully over the boxy traffic below, all the while in neat formation with not a single feather out of place.

Only a few seconds later, my smile was replaced by surprise, as there standing on the hard shoulder was undoubtedly the fifth – and youngest – member of the quintet, a cygnet still grey in colour. The poor thing looked so forlorn, wandering aimlessly beside the barrier and clearly wondering where the rest of the family had gone. Thinking about this kept me occupied for the rest of the journey!