Bristol Channel – Avon Stories

Portishead railway and the footpath to Clevedon

I try not to repeat walks too frequently, but I really loved exploring the disused railway line in Portishead, and it’s ideally a winter walk, as it would be tons harder when covered in undergrowth, and with the plans to reopen the line, I wanted to do it again, while I still can. So Vik and I went back last Saturday to see the line, and then walk down the footpath along the Bristol Channel to Clevedon.

The map of our walk is here:

and I have an album of photos on flickr, and below. If you mouse over or click on the first image, it should bring up a slideshow, or use this link.

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Bristol Channel Marine Lakes

It’s been hard for me since the Chocolate Path has been closed – I miss my regular walks there. But in the depths of winter, I took some trips out to the Bristol Channel, which I’m counting as connected to the Avon, because after all, it’s the same water.

I’m going to blog more about it soon, but first a couple of pictures, to compare-and-contrast how different the conditions were, three days apart.

Boxing Day at Clevedon Marine Lake (and thank you so much to Matt Gibson for driving us there!) – the conditions varying between drizzly and very definitely raining, but the sea very calm, very still. And three days later, Weston Super Mare had the wind roaring off the Channel and the waves crashing everywhere – exhilarating! First, Clevedon:

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Avon Stories #6 – RB Boatbuilding and the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters

This one’s a shorter podcast than usual, just 9 minutes long. It’s an interview with John Raymond-Barker, who runs RB Boatbuilding in Underfall Yard at the end of the Floating Harbour. He’s one of the last links to Bristol’s long tradition of boat building, and he specialises in making Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters, a type of boat that evolved in Bristol and Cardiff, to deal with the unique and treacherous conditions of the Bristol Channel, while racing to get as much lucrative piloting business as possible.

John told me more about the boats, and his work, and I hope you enjoy it. If you want to know more about RB Boatbuilding, visit his website, which includes a page about the Pilot Cutters – and there’s lots of information about the Underfall Yard, where he’s based.

I got to scramble around a Pilot Cutter while it’s being built, and you can see those photos here (click on the picture to access the slideshow)

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