Portishead, Somerset, UK

We had a rare half day out yesterdegg. Despite being dull and overcast it luckily stayed dry.
Upon arriving at Portishead on the English side of the river Severn, also known as the Bristol Channel, we had a most excellent 99 (soft ice cream in a cone with a chocolate flake) from a cafe by the boating lake before firing up the burner in our little camper van for a brew.

Views from the seafront. Muddy marsh off the promenade, then the muddy river, and Wales the other side.

Did you spot the fishing boat? Yer tiz in case you missed it.

Looking upstream along the prom’. Portishead (Battery) Point Lighthouse and Denny Island in the distance.

The Lighthouse.

Denny Island at low tide. I don’t know if they still do, but barges used to be beached on the adjacent sand bar, filled with sand, then floated off on the next tide.

After a refreshing brew, we drove to the other end of the prom’ and walked up to the Point. Millennium Stone, Lighthouse, and my Lovely Cousin.
The stone commemorates all the explorers and people who sailed to far off lands from Bristol past this point.

Our campervan.

Free entry to the back of the Lido, (open air swimming pool.).

The Park Keeper tending to the lawn.

Local information.

View from the Windmill Pub car park downstream a short distance where we stopped for tea and watched the world go by. You can just make out the Millennium Stone roughly in the centre of the photo’, with the Lido in orange, and the new and old Severn Road Bridges in the background joining England to Wales.

The little boat from earlier returning to port.

Dredging up the past.
Suction dredger, the Arco Dart.

Hopper Dredger, City of Cardiff.

After that, we headed home.

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I’m glad you explained it for non UK ers .They are unknown here in this part of Oz.Which I’ve found very disappointing,that was my go to treat when the ice cream van turned up.

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99 was simply the re-order number for shops when they needed more chocolate flakes, and then somehow the name (number) became synonymous with ice cream cones with a flake.
The ice creams vary in size and quality across the country, but ours were nice and creamy, and very generous portions at a reasonable price.

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Thanks for the photos - been a long time since I visited Portishead, these brought back some memories

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