Portishead. nice place? or?

KIPAX

KIPAX

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KIPAX Lancashire UK
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Anyone been? Am there for three days staying at side of marina.. first week in Aug ... Anyone been or live near.. anyhting must see/do there?
 
If you mean the one on the river Severn, near Bristol, I used to have an office there. Its largely industrial area. If you pass near Bath on your way that is worth a look or go further SW from Portishead into Devon for more picteresque countryside. I guess it depends on what you want. The main thing I wanted when in Portishead was to come home!
 
About the only photogenic bit of Portishead, for me anyway, is Black Nore Lighthouse and Portishead Esplanade which looks out over the Bristol Channel. There is a lake and Lido all around Esplanade Road.

There is also the

The town is more Suburbia than traditionalal Seaside. Plenty of coffe and food shops in the high street.

There is a cafe down by the sea front and the Lido has a cafe you can use.

It is fairly flat and a bit featureless on the fronrt but, that said, it can be lively when the weather is stormy as the Bristol Channel has multiple tidal speeds and fast moving tidal timings.

Clevedon is along the coast from Portishead but akl the mansion flats etc seemed to be undergoing refurbishment when I went there in March. Builders vans and lorries everywhere.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Nore_lighthouse

View: https://youtu.be/_2Kph5Ng0ag
 
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thanks guys.. i think :)

there for three days.. probably not take proper camera then.. heard marina area was good but thats all.. .. no train station?
 
I lived in Portishead for nearly 15 years, moved away in 2010, it's not notable for very much. There used to be a railway line from Weston-super-mare to Portishead via Clevedon and I got invited (by my former mother-in-law, of all people) to a talk about it at a local history society. It closed during WWII having spent most of its life in receivership and there's not much trace of it left. You certainly used to be able to see the remains of one of the buildings at a halt just outside Portishead from the road to Clevedon, but no idea if it's still there. The old Portishead station is has been replaced by a Waitrose and its car park, though it was gone long before that was built, looks like the new station will be built along the route of the old GWR line into Bristol, just short of where the old one stood.

If you need to eat, the pizzas at Antonios were always good, and the fish and chips at the chippy at the far end of the high street from the coast likewise.


As previously noted the old lighthouse and esplanade is about the only area of photographic interest. These were taken when there was all that ash around from a volcano in Iceland and no aeroplanes in the sky. The lights in the background of the first one are Newport or Cardiff (can't remember the angle I was standing). Just noticed I neglected to correct the horizon on the second one :o



 
Is this part of a holiday mate, surely not, other than a few boats around the marina the only thing worth looking at are the signs pointing you out of town
 
What sort of photography are you in to?

Portishead is really nice if you are not the sort of person seeking nightclubs. If you like walking its great as there is a lot of variety.
Its one of the few areas locally with a thriving High Street.

Things worth a look:
Portishead art trail (various installations, quite interesting).
Marina. You might get to see the new lifeboat launch if there is a call out.
The lake / seafront area - includes bowling and cricket and various other events.
Lots of annual events - carnival, raft race, flowershows, Portishead in Bloom events, Am drama events at hall.
Nature reserve between Portishead and Avonmouth docks
Its the closest point in the UK for deepwater shipping to pass the land, so huge car transport ships etc REALLY close
Open air Lido. Heated. Great new cafe run by voluteers to support the community owned pool. Night swims sometimes available.
Indoor swimming pool and sports centre
Costal path walk entirely off road to Clevedon arriving near Clevedon pier and a lot of nice cafes
Woodland walks
Tinca Gallery in High Street, lots of nice stuff, not snobby, wide price ranges
Huge open space by the Windmill Pub (dine there, view is fantastic. open all day). Public golf course next to it, put money in tin!
The Royal at the far end of marina and up the steps is also good for food and view of water.
Lots of old buildings
Quircky little lanes not far off High Steet to little old cottages, though you have to look to find the lanes.
Interesting building near local church (view from road only)
The new housing areas are flat, the old areas are definitly not, other than the high street.

Nearby
Woodland walks in nature reserves
Clevedon (ride the Balmoral preserved ship from here or from Bristol)
Portbury (used to be good dining in the pub there, not been for a while)
On road to Bristol is Brakenwood garden centre. very prettily done and the cafe food is very good
Towards Bristol (15 min drive) - suspension bridge, Leigh woods, Ashton Court, circular dock walk, Clifton village, Bristol zoo, Bristol aquarium, SS Great Britain. Lots of good museums look them up.

Only downer is rush hour - try to avoid leaving Portishead in morning rush hour (7.30 start) and try not to enter it around 4.00 - 6.00 as it has few access roads and its a very popular location to live, prices have soared there the last few years.

Let us know how you get on.

I took a friend around the marina on a sunny day - they said it was like being on holiday in some nice European coastal area because of the atmosphere.

You can get 'poulty mix' grain from the pet shop in the high street to feed the swans at the marina, the price is only 50p or a quid.
 
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MidnightUK said:
Only downer is rush hour - try to avoid leaving Portishead in morning rush hour (7.30 start) and try not to enter it around 4.00 - 6.00 as it has few access roads and its a very popular location to live, prices have soared there the last few years.
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This is a big reason why I moved, my journey times to work were so erratic and if there was a problem on the bridge in the evening it could just get absurd, the whole centre of the city would stop as well. Three hours was the record, left work in north Bristol at 5pm, home at 8pm.
 
They need to sort out the roads or rail, but I guess house prices there would rise even more. I know at least 3 people who would move there if they could - its a really nice area and lots of community stuff goes on.

Sympathy over the driving Onomatopoeia. Much of Bristol is similar - they keep building but dont put the infrastructure in. I believe they are completing part of Bristol Ring Road now, with big sections of it intended to be limited to 30mph instead of the higher speeds of the main section. I have heard (could be wrong) they intend to put shops facing on to it, something like a high street. Madness given the congestion in that area. Such a shame the buses and trains are either poor, expensive or both.
 
MidnightUK said:
What sort of photography are you in to?

Portishead is really nice if you are not the sort of person seeking nightclubs. If you like walking its great as there is a lot of variety.
Its one of the few areas locally with a thriving High Street.
.
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Your list sounds perfect to me.. not all doom and gloom then.. didn't know wether to take camera.. probably just the pocket one then.... get some walks in.. have a look round.. go out for a meal and a few drinks :) Its the first week in Aug sunday aft to wed aft... so hopefully weather nice... ta :)
 
Portishead is posh now, fancy around the marina. Plenty to see around that coastline
 
In 15 min you can be at Clevedon - perhaps the best bit of coastline and Victorian pier in the whole south west. I wouldn't bother with Bristol right now - Clifton bridge was still in scaffolding just couple weeks ago and the rest is personally less than inspiring. Even Devon and Cornwall are just 2-3 hours away.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
In 15 min you can be at Clevedon - perhaps the best bit of coastline and Victorian pier in the whole south west. I wouldn't bother with Bristol right now - Clifton bridge was still in scaffolding just couple weeks ago and the rest is personally less than inspiring. Even Devon and Cornwall are just 2-3 hours away.
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I personaly would place Porlock Weir ahead of Clevedon and Seaton Sands can be interesing on a wild weather day. Clevedon seafront is a bit of a timewarp and thankfully so. Trouble is getting somewhere to park at the moment.
 
My brother lives in Portishead so I know it quite well. All the old industrial areas have been bulldozed and it is a huge newly built commuter town for Bristol. I forget how many new-builds there are, but I understand that 4 or 5 years ago it was the largest privately funded development in western Europe. The new estates are a bit bland but the Marina development is pretty smart with cafes and restaurants and on a sunny day can make for a bit of people watching. The coast is nothing special (I live in Pembrokeshire so I'm a bit spoilt), but there are some nice villages tucked away close by with decent pubs and nice walks. The other side of the M5 is millionaire row, set on a high wooded ridge, with some spectacular houses and home apparently to a few celebs.

So nothing special, but there are certainly worse places to spend a couple of days.
 
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DeadpanDodo said:
My brother lives in Portishead so I know it quite well. All the old industrial areas have been bulldozed and it is a huge newly built commuter town for Bristol. I forget how many new-builds there are, but I understand that 4 or 5 years ago it was the largest privately funded development in western Europe. The new estates are a bit bland but the Marina development is pretty smart with cafes and restaurants and on a sunny day can make for a bit of people watching. The coast is nothing special (I live in Pembrokeshire so I'm a bit spoilt), but there are some nice villages tucked away close by with decent pubs and nice walks. The other side of the M5 is millionaire row, set on a high wooded ridge, with some spectacular houses and home apparently to a few celebs.

So nothing special, but there are certainly worse places to spend a couple of days.
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Ahh Pendine... calls

I will probably return from Ireland later in the year via Pembrokr Dock and do a winter weem by the Sands. Ths winter sunsets are fun.

I will give Portishead another go in the spring next year. I had a look on OneDrive at my last few years of popping over to Portishead and not a lot of keepers so therea challenge there.
 
MidnightUK said:
They need to sort out the roads or rail, but I guess house prices there would rise even more. I know at least 3 people who would move there if they could - its a really nice area and lots of community stuff goes on.

Sympathy over the driving Onomatopoeia. Much of Bristol is similar - they keep building but dont put the infrastructure in. I believe they are completing part of Bristol Ring Road now, with big sections of it intended to be limited to 30mph instead of the higher speeds of the main section. I have heard (could be wrong) they intend to put shops facing on to it, something like a high street. Madness given the congestion in that area. Such a shame the buses and trains are either poor, expensive or both.
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Is this the new long ashton to hartcliffe link? Presumably the 30mph limit is due to the fact that it is largely passing through a residential area - these days people don't take kindly to having a traditional "motorway style" link road pushed through their neighbourhood.
 
DeadpanDodo said:
The other side of the M5 is millionaire row, set on a high wooded ridge, with some spectacular houses and home apparently to a few celebs.
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Cadbury camp lane, which is a private road, though also a bridleway and footpath so one can walk / cycle / ride along it to look at the expensive houses.
 
Nearly moved to clevedon 40 + years ago I used to work for hales cakes in those days and had a offer of a transfer to head office ,despite looking into it quiet deeply the ex wife wouldn't move to far from mummy , come to think of it she also put the block on a move to Hollywood when I worked for MGM for the same reason . Bitch
 
If you cant find anything to photograph in Bristol, chuck your camera in the river now! Though I do admit to doing loads of photography that is not Landscape so I have a much wider choice of subjects than those who specialise in that field.

I forgot to add in the National Trust properties near by
Tyntesfield
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/place-pages/2362/pages/opening-times-calendar

Clevedon Court
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/place-pages/84/pages/opening-times-calendar

If you are a landscape lover, try Minchinhamton, Rodbough and Selsey commons up above Stroud. Very high up on the edge of Costwold escarpment Lots of valleys views and long distance views and a big variety of cows grazing about on the at the moment. sometimes the kite flyers are out at Rodbough and they have multiple massive kites shaped as whales and suchlike.

Also towards Stroud but not as far is

Woodchester Mansion and park
http://www.woodchestermansion.org.uk/History.aspx

Portishead art trail map
http://www.publicartportishead.co.uk/trail.cfm

I hope you post on here after your holiday to let us know how it went. Hope you have a great time. I really like Portishead and often go for a wander round. It has a pebbled costline from below the Windmill pub and along the coast trail to Clevedon. The pebble beaches (not suitable for swimming, not safe) are pleasent for perching on a rock and contemplating the sunset, as Portishead faces the right way to see the sun drop over Wales.
 
KIPAX said:
Anyone been? Am there for three days staying at side of marina.. first week in Aug ... Anyone been or live near.. anyhting must see/do there?
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Hey Kipax,

I work in Portishead - just up the road from the marina. There's a new Witherspoons just opened there is you fancy a drink one lunchtime or maybe just a mooch around the marina :)
 
Heyup well I will soon know.. Arriving late sunday and leaving wed morning... its not a photo trip .. but will be there two full days and three nights so wondered if much on.... heading down souf to lands end and a few places from wed.. anywhere we go has to be somewhere we have never been before.. so looking at the map just picked out portishead.. looked like it was being made nice.... staying in travelodge so right on the marina... birfday monday so meal and night out then probably recovering most of tuesday before leavign wed :)
 
Bristolian said:
Hey Kipax,

I work in Portishead - just up the road from the marina. There's a new Witherspoons just opened there is you fancy a drink one lunchtime or maybe just a mooch around the marina :)
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I didnt get a notification for this post SORRY .... few days away with the missus who i daresay will have summat planned :)
 
You're okay, mate. Better keep 'er indoors happy :)
 
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Got there sunday.. plan was a quiet evening.. then explore monday and out mon night for my birthday (60) then recover tue and down souf wed.. hmm.. that changed when sunday nights quiet drink was us getting drunk :).... did a lot of walking mon round portishead.. the beach.. the wood walk and back... didnt fancy drinking mon night so had a meal.. went to W-S-M- and cleavedon on tue...Oh yeagh on monday we went in a cafe in portishead.. ordered a sausage and a bacon butty at around 11.30 .. was told stop serving hot food at 11.. this is AM !! not pm.. so feeling daft had a quick sken at the menu and ordered 2 cheese and tomotoe butties and 2 coffees and nearly fell over when she charged us 15 quid!! :(


all in all the area is very nice...pubs nice and welcoming.. poshest toilets i ever saw in the Possett Cup.

Got a fe pics.. took the pocket panasonic camera :)

Wed went souf.. couple of hrs in newquay (wow great waves really nice place) then on to lands end ...oh dear.. rip off britain at its best :( Couple of weeks ago at john o groats took a pic (passer by took it for us) of us at the big pointy sign... was gonna take one same at lands end.. even wore same clothes so it would look like same day :) got there and sign is cordoned off while official photogrpaher takes your pic for a tenner :(

thu went to St Michaels mount .. wife was keen on this and the walk accross the bay to it...

friday home.. Burnley v real sociead to photo tonight :)
 
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Glad it went well. enjoyed your update. What was the name of the expensive cafe in Portishead?
 
I dont know that one. The one attached to the sea front Lido is good and very fair prices. Did you actually like Portishead and area?
 
MidnightUK said:
I dont know that one. The one attached to the sea front Lido is good and very fair prices. Did you actually like Portishead and area?
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yeagh we had a brew and a bit of cake in that one as well :) the other one is in town center and set back in a side yard type thing..

yes portishead was exactly as wanted.. not full of tourists but nice for a visit.. nice walkabout... nice clean place...
 
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