Edge of the line

For years I’ve looked down at the line from Bristol to Portishead from the top of Clifton Gorge and presumed that since I had on at least one occasion seen a train on it that it was still operational.

This shot was just of a post in what clearly used to be the boundry, before it got moved a bit; and looked kind of classically abandoned.

The condition of the track in that section also suggests that trains do run on it. Although how frequently is a little unclear. The fact that the track’s still there at all lends itself to that suggestion. However, I’ve just been nosing, so I could post the picture above with a location link and I’ve found that incredibly, it’s been closed since 1981. That’s twenty five years.

I’m now going to have to go back and have a proper look; I wanted to get there to see the Clifton Rocks railway building too, and head there with a zoom, ‘cos it looks like you can see a wee bit of the Clifton Rocks Railway…[teaser type snap]