Feeling the urge to escape the city? Andrew Swift can help, having recently walked part of the Somerset Coastal Path for some peace and quiet, and a generous blast of sea air. Follow in his footsteps on this three-hour adventurous jaunt…
There is no better time than August for taking a walk along the coast, and if you add in a stretch of ancient woodland and a nature reserve on a high and windy common, the combination is unbeatable. This month’s walk, only four miles long and less than 30 minutes’ drive from Bristol, is ideal for anyone in need of a quick blast of sea air amid spectacular scenery.
To get to the starting point, head to Walton in Gordano, which lies on the B3124 between Clevedon and Portishead. Turn north along Walton Street (signposted to St Paul’s church) and follow a narrow lane for 600m, until you come to a wider section with room for parking on the left (ST423735: BS21 7AP). Pull in here, walk back a little way along the lane and, just after passing Spring Head Cottage, turn right.
After a few metres, bear left up steps to follow a rough track up through Rock Wood. The track eventually levels out and after 650m you emerge on the edge of a golf course (ST418731). Carry on for another 200m before turning right along a stony track – passing a sign warning of golf balls from the right.
After the track leads through a kissing gate (KG), continue along it for another 175m before turning right when you come to a tarmac drive (ST415729). When you reach a car park, carry straight on along a footpath past a five-bar gate. After another 50m, turn left at a T junction and follow the path through a gap in the hedge to be greeted by a view of the estuary far below.
Follow your sense of adventure
Carry on along the path for 200m before turning right to follow it steeply downhill. Care is needed here, as there are not only tricky steps to negotiate but also ferns spilling luxuriantly across the path. At the bottom you come to the Somerset Coast Path (ST410732). You cannot turn left here as the path is closed due to a serious landslip at Ladye Bay – some of the cliffs along here are particularly friable. A right turn, however, leads to what the Coast Path Guide describes as ‘the best bit of the path anywhere between Bristol and Stert Point’, running along a ‘lovely, charming, coy stretch of coastline, all secretive coves and bays’.
It is also overgrown, but, as most of what impedes your progress consists of ferns and similarly innocuous vegetation, forging your way through this green tunnel, with the sound of the surf for company, only adds to the sense of adventure. The views are stunning and there are some fascinating rock formations and small caves, as well as a rock arch near Roger’s Seat, which you pass around 1200m further on (ST420740). There are also several places where you can scramble down and clamber around on the rocky ledge below. Caution is needed, however, as not all of this stretch of coastline is so benign, with cliffs rising to over 30m at some points.
A recent episode of Saving Lives at Sea featured the rescue of a man who had fallen while trying to scramble down such a cliff to save his dog. If you stick to the path, however – and keep dogs on leads – you should be absolutely fine.
An ancient monument
Beyond Roger’s Seat, you pass below Portishead Signal Station, which was built in the early 20th century on the site of what maps describe as a ‘pigeon house’ – the cove below it is still known as Pigeon House Bay. The station was manned by watch-keepers who signalled to ships anchored offshore, using flags, to let them know when berths were available at Avonmouth. It was later converted to a communication relay station.
After passing the signal station, the path runs below the chalets of Walton Bay Caravan Park. As you pass a gate on the right leading into the caravan park, you will see a rough track on the left leading down to Walton Bay, a pebbly cove hemmed in by seaweed-strewn boulders.
Continue along the coast path, and, 300m further on, after passing a waymark on your left, turn right up an overgrown path which leads through a KG and past a massive crab apple tree (ST430747).
Continue uphill alongside a hedge through a field where there are likely to be cows. Go through a KG at the top, cross the road and head straight on along a lane which soon degenerates into a stony track.
After 250m the track leads into Common Hill Woods, designated by Natural England as Ancient & Semi-Natural Woodland.
As you enter the woods, bear right when the track forks and continue on in the same direction, to emerge, 700m or so further on, on Walton Common (ST428738). This secluded spot is not only a nature reserve, managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust, but also a scheduled ancient monument, with Bronze and Iron Age remains. Although encircled by trees, it also has some spectacular views out to sea and across the Gordano Valley.
Walton Common richly rewards leisurely exploration, and, although it is easy to lose your bearings, if you head for the west end of the common, you will find that all tracks eventually curve downhill to converge and swing north through a KG before heading down to the lane where the walk started.
Try it yourself
Length of Walk: Four miles
Approximate Time: Three hours
Terrain: Steep climbs and descents, one flight of tricky steps, along with rough and overgrown paths. A short section across a golf course and one or two places where cattle may be encountered.
Map: OS Explorer 154
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