Portishead Marina and Eastwood Nature Reserve Walk.Total Walk Distance: 3-4 miles about 6-7 Kilometers. The marina development is to recent for online street maps. Portishead Marina.
Click on any photo for a larger pop-up.
Portishead Marina has enormously developed since my last trip there. Nice enough to visit and photograph but the six story flats at the side of the Marina and everything else behind the marina are certainly packed into quite a small space. The walk is a mix of dockside, seaside and countryside. On a sunny day very pleasant indeed. Getting to Portishead Marina.From the M5 Portishead junction, travel to Portishead. After reaching Portishead, follow the marina signs its well sign posted. When you reach Harbour Road keep on, at its end there is a large car parking area beside the Marina. Free in October 2005 when I write this.Marina Sea Entrance and Mock Lighthouse.
Walk to the lock gates keep to the path closest to the water.
On reaching the impressive locks, cross and continue seaward.
When you pass the mock lighthouse you get a good view of the two Severn Bridges as well as Bristol's industrial port Avonmouth. Tides here are the 2nd highest in the world, 32 feet I recall, thats just under 10m for any youngsters. Plenty of mud here today at low tide too. Access Note: If you continue following the coast after the mock lighthouse, there are about 12 steps with good hand rails on both sides between it the road above. There are also 4 or 5 steps to cross the lock gate. Continuing upwards, you pass a pub on a brief but moderately steep slope then go right for a pleasant level woodland walk in Woodlands Road on a minor roadway. Views of the Severn Bridges.
I took the two photos of the two Severn Bridges from beside the entrance of the pub.
The pub is called The Royal and it has a great view. There is a little more information on it in and more photo's in a cycle ride to Portishead beach external link.
The Old Bridge crosses the Severn in a single span, then crosses the Wye in another span (not visible on the photo). Its single span across the Severn is seen here, behind the new Bridge about 12 miles upstream. Beware of the ...
Street Map: Woodlands Road.
Take the first right and you pass 'Spot' in Woodlands Road whose owner has interesting and very entertaining taste. Its my first visit here since the demolition of the old power station. Today at least it remains a very quiet and pleasant woodland walk, with some coastal views and at least one path down to the Sea. You can either follow the roadway all around Eastwood and back to the Royal, just keep to the left. Or go into the woodland on one of the many small foot paths or on two larger paths. If you go though the woods at the top of the hill is a wide ridgeway path that runs along the brow of the hill. If you get to it from one of the minor foot paths from Woodlands Road go left when you reach this path. The Eastwood Nature Reserve.
The Eastwood itself is very quiet.
Views at this time of year are occasional glimpses through the woods, both inland or into the Bristol Channel.
The view here is looking down on to Portishead Marina, it shows how packed the development there is.
North Somerset Council are considering 'improved signage, path repairs and opening up and maintaining viewpoints' (external link) which I hope gets done. To get back to the Royal pub just continue along the wide footpath that runs along the hill top. It descends down a set of (roughly - I didn't count them) about 20 irregular steps onto a roadway. Go left, the Royal is about 100m (100 yards) away. Forest of Avon: Eastwood external link.
Photos were taken between 2pm and 4pm on Sunday 2nd of October 2005. A final note is that you can extend the coastal walk further if you wish, to Battery Point and easily beyond that to Clevedon. I had a brief visit with a few photo's taken to Battery Point (external site) on the 28th of November 2005, if you want a look about ¼ of a mile further south west on the coastline. Peter. |
