Tuesday 11 August 2015

The weather today started off very overcast and a bit chilly then early evening the sun broke through.  We had a nice easy day just wandering around Portishead.  We went for a walk along the beach and the cliff in the morning, then in the afternoon I strolled into town and Steve read his book!

Early evening the lock opened and into the Marina came Narrowboat Liza – she featured in my blog back on 29 July as I commented that it was the first nice looking boat with nearly my name!  We were chatting (shouting) across the Marina with Peter and Jan on board so they said come over for a glass of wine which we did!  They are also going up to Sharpness hopefully tomorrow, if there is another pilot available.

Apparently Portishead town has the fastest growing population in Europe.  We were speaking to a couple who moved here in 1997 when the population was 14,000 it is now 28,000!  And they have no direct rail link – it has a small high street and retail park and all seems to be well looked after even though around the Marina and lining the estuary it is, in my opinion, completely overdeveloped.

Portishead Marina was featured on BBC News Points West today as planning had been sought for a wake boarding centre in the Marina and we (The June Rose) and Liza were on the telly!!!  Planning was refused.

I took this photo last night when we went for a walk - we came out into the Channel somewhere near the nearest windmill.



Did we have a nice day yesterday....look at how grey it is this morning - at least we have quite a nice view.

 

Can you see how developed it is around here?

 

The tide is out this morning - no access to Portishead Marina at this time!



And looking back towards the lock gates leading to the Marina.

A walk along the pebble or should I say boulder beach!

 

Hiding behind the rocks - that's Wales behind.

 

On the rocks.



That looks like a nice house hiding on the cliff edge - what views they have.

 

Zoomed in!



Where do these steps lead to?

 

Denny Island from the cliff top



Black Mountains in Wales

 

And here is that house from the cliff top!

 

Come on keep up...



The Marina is huge - we are down the bottom on the left

 

Zoomed in - there we are!

 

Portishead High Street

 

Liza!