Kennet & Avon Canal Walk
Bristol's Floating Harbour
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Clifton Suspension Bridge
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Bristol to Avonmouth
Low tide Avon
Saturday 6 April 2019
I was going to walk from Bath to Bristol today. However, inexpliquably, I ended up in Newport! My usual careful travel planning obviously wasn’t up to scratch. I will not go into details about how I managed to end up there but I now had to make a decision of what to do with my day. Looking at the departure board I was tempted to take the next train to Cardiff and spend the day there. However, I decided to take the slow train back to Bristol. It would have continued to Bath but my original plan to join the 10.30 walking tour of Bath before walking along the canal was now not possible so I felt it best to postpone that walk and instead follow the River Avon from Bristol to Avonmouth on the Bristol Channel.
It is only a very short walk from Bristol Temple Meads to the canal and I was soon walking through Bristol, mostly along its canals but occasionally wandering away from the water to sample what else Bristol has to offer, e.g. the Castle Park and ruins of St Peter. My plan was to follow the Avon Trail but I found the sign posting absent or confusing. I crossed the river Avon a couple of times, alternating between walking along the river or enjoying the hustle and bustle of the floating harbour. The harbour was created by installing lock gates between river and harbour to ensure a constant water level, allowing ships and boats to enter Bristol city centre. The river Avon between Bristol and Avonmouth is strongly tidal and during my walk today the tide was low (unfortunately!). After leaving the city I was soon drawn to the magnificent sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The bridge spanning the Avon Gorge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel He won a competition with his design. Walking at river level gave me a good view of the size and elegance of the bridge. However, next time I’ll visit the area I’ll walk on the bridge.
Soon after passing the bridge, I left the riverside walk to head uphill through the delightful Leigh Woods (managed by the National Trust). Reaching the top I continued walking along a woodland path, roughly parallel with the river, particularly enjoying the sights of early spring flowers, such as wood anemones and violets. Eventually I found a path that descended through the almost alpine scenery to return to the Avon Trail. This trail is also part of the London to South Wales national cycle route and cyclist outnumbered walkers. The sun was out and spring was definitely in the air. After reaching the end of the Avon Gorge, the path, which was now bordered with flowering blackthorn, continued to the small town of Pill. There is a harbour here but the tide was still low and the few small boats anchored there were stranded on the muddy sand. The walk now continued through Pill to soon reach the very long M5 motorway bridge at Avonmouth and the had the dubious pleasure of walking on that bridge. There was a dense metal barrier between road and cycle/pedestrian path and there was a not unpleasant view through the barrier away from the road, but I was glad to get to the end of the bridge and finish the walk in Shirehampton. There is a railway station there for trains commuting between Avonmouth and Bristol. I wished there was a café or shop near the station as I had a 45 minute wait! But never mind – at least there was a seat and I had a book to read.
This was going to be the final leg of the K&A canal walk but I will now return to Bath in the near future for the guided tour and the walk to Bristol.
I was going to walk from Bath to Bristol today. However, inexpliquably, I ended up in Newport! My usual careful travel planning obviously wasn’t up to scratch. I will not go into details about how I managed to end up there but I now had to make a decision of what to do with my day. Looking at the departure board I was tempted to take the next train to Cardiff and spend the day there. However, I decided to take the slow train back to Bristol. It would have continued to Bath but my original plan to join the 10.30 walking tour of Bath before walking along the canal was now not possible so I felt it best to postpone that walk and instead follow the River Avon from Bristol to Avonmouth on the Bristol Channel.
It is only a very short walk from Bristol Temple Meads to the canal and I was soon walking through Bristol, mostly along its canals but occasionally wandering away from the water to sample what else Bristol has to offer, e.g. the Castle Park and ruins of St Peter. My plan was to follow the Avon Trail but I found the sign posting absent or confusing. I crossed the river Avon a couple of times, alternating between walking along the river or enjoying the hustle and bustle of the floating harbour. The harbour was created by installing lock gates between river and harbour to ensure a constant water level, allowing ships and boats to enter Bristol city centre. The river Avon between Bristol and Avonmouth is strongly tidal and during my walk today the tide was low (unfortunately!). After leaving the city I was soon drawn to the magnificent sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The bridge spanning the Avon Gorge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel He won a competition with his design. Walking at river level gave me a good view of the size and elegance of the bridge. However, next time I’ll visit the area I’ll walk on the bridge.
Soon after passing the bridge, I left the riverside walk to head uphill through the delightful Leigh Woods (managed by the National Trust). Reaching the top I continued walking along a woodland path, roughly parallel with the river, particularly enjoying the sights of early spring flowers, such as wood anemones and violets. Eventually I found a path that descended through the almost alpine scenery to return to the Avon Trail. This trail is also part of the London to South Wales national cycle route and cyclist outnumbered walkers. The sun was out and spring was definitely in the air. After reaching the end of the Avon Gorge, the path, which was now bordered with flowering blackthorn, continued to the small town of Pill. There is a harbour here but the tide was still low and the few small boats anchored there were stranded on the muddy sand. The walk now continued through Pill to soon reach the very long M5 motorway bridge at Avonmouth and the had the dubious pleasure of walking on that bridge. There was a dense metal barrier between road and cycle/pedestrian path and there was a not unpleasant view through the barrier away from the road, but I was glad to get to the end of the bridge and finish the walk in Shirehampton. There is a railway station there for trains commuting between Avonmouth and Bristol. I wished there was a café or shop near the station as I had a 45 minute wait! But never mind – at least there was a seat and I had a book to read.
This was going to be the final leg of the K&A canal walk but I will now return to Bath in the near future for the guided tour and the walk to Bristol.
My highlights:
Transport:
- Bristol Floating Harbour
- Clifton Suspension Bridge
- Leigh Woods
- Birds, e.g. blackbirds, blue tits, finches, crows, a jay
- Seagulls
- Rabbits, Squirrel
Transport:
- Train Reading to Bristol Temple Meads
- Return: Train Shirehampton to Reading {via Bristol Temple Meads)
- Bristol
- Pill
- Avonmouth/Shirehampton
Walking in Leigh Woods (NT)
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The M5 Bridge at Avonmouth
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