My walk starts on the green slopes above Mariner’s Path, Portishead.
[This wide open area – glowing a vibrant green – is clearly visible from the other side of the Bristol Channel, and its slopes become a way marker – a reminder of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come – when I continue my walk in Wales. But I’m getting ahead of myself…]
Across the bay I can see the squat lighthouse of Battery Point. And the low structure, brightly coloured, of Portishead’s open air swimming pool.
After a frustrating and frightening struggle yesterday – through brambles, obstructed footpaths and fields of mad cows – I am really hoping my route will be easier today.
My husband drops me off by St Andrew’s Church, right on the southern edge of the Clevedon coast. I walk past the cemetery chapel and head for the bank of the river with the strange name – Blind Yeo.
I am walking along the southeast bank of the River Yeo, heading for Phipp’s Bridge, only a few hundred yards away. Technically speaking I am trespassing. But this shortcut saves me over two miles of needless walking along official footpaths to get to the same place. (And there is no guarantee the official paths would be passable anyhow.)
This is farmland, with fields of cattle. There are no stiles, but the fences I come across are easy to climb over. I wave to some watching cows, who ignore me.
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I am anticipating a difficult day today. My first challenge is to find the bridleway from the Woodspring road to Wick St Lawrence. The start of this public right of way is cunningly disguised as a Private Road!
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The sun is shining. From the garden of my B&B in Kewstoke I can see right across Sand Bay to the peninsula of Sand Point. The air is a little hazy, but it’s still a beautiful view.
We leave the pub in Uphill in pouring rain. But soon, by the time we reach the beach, the rain stops and the clouds begin to clear. Out comes my camera. Ahead, across Weston bay, is the beautiful Brean Down peninsula. I can see where I sat and ate my snack yesterday. The island beyond is Steep Holm, the last English outpost before the Welsh coast.
It is raining when my hubby drops me off at Diamond Farm Caravan Park. I hate walking in the rain. But the next section is mainly boring, inland, road-walking, and so maybe it doesn’t matter very much. I obey the highway code and set off facing the oncoming traffic.
[Continued from this morning.]
There are a lot of steep steps to climb to get to the top of Brean Down – about 150 I think, although I don’t bother to count.
And this is a popular walking route, so there are plenty of people trudging up alongside me.
Normally I simply puff and pant my way to the top, but when surrounded by other people, petty pride makes me restrict my breathing. This means I end up feeling more tired and short of breath than I normally would. Silly really. Continue reading
There are plans for a continuous coastal path to link Minehead to Brean Down. Until then, coastal walkers must find their own route. But I don’t anticipate any problems as I walk from Burnham-on-Sea to Brean. My map shows a footpath/cycle track running along the beach. And its a lovely morning for a walk on the sands.
Today I am walking up the east bank of the River Parrett, from Pawlett to the mouth of the estuary at Burnham-on-Sea. I anticipate a flat walk but am apprehensive about the state of the path. This is not a national trail, just an ordinary footpath.
I needn’t have worried. The grass on this side of the river bank is either cropped short or worn into a farmer’s track. Apart from occasional debris caused by winter flooding, the going is easy.
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Report: 1243 Date: 14/5/26 Location: The incident happened on the Dales Way. In the field between the railway line on Lambrook Beck and the Beck houses. This field is in the Dales Way between Sedbergh and Burneside. Rajiv’s post: We were walking on a public footpath on the Dales Way when our path was blocked […]
We published a post recently about being careful while planning new walking routes for fear of meeting cattle Ensuring Safety on a Walking Holiday: Cattle Management – Cattle Safety . This fear is not unusual, and is well founded, we have hundreds of reports where walkers have been frightened or hurt. Below are three recent […]
Report number: 1244 Date: 15/5/26Location: Greywell Hill Estate. Nr Odiham Hampshire. ///reverses.motel.ambitions 1 person no dog Graham’s report: “I was following the bridleway on a bicycle. The cows were 50 yards away from me, I was moving away from them when they came running towards me. Aggressively charging me, pawing the ground with their hooves. […]
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 