Avon Gorge

The Avon Gorge is a 2.5km (1.5mi) long Gorge on the River Avon in Bristol , South West England . The gorge runs south to north through a Limestone ridge 2km west of Bristol city centre and about 5km from the mouth of the River at Avonmouth . The gorge forms the boundary between the Unitary Authorities of North Somerset and Bristol. In the past, when Bristol was an important Port , the gorge formed a spectacular defensive gateway to the city.

On the east of the gorge is the town of Clifton , part of Bristol city, and The Downs , a large public park. To the west of the gorge is Leigh Woods , the name of both a village and the National Trust Forest it is situated in. There is an Iron Age Hill Fort on the side of the gorge in Leigh Woods.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge , designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel , spans the gorge and is perhaps the best known Landmark in Bristol. The A4 Road runs through the gorge, linking Bristol city centre to the M5 Motorway , which bypasses the city near Avonmouth . Two railways run through the gorge, on the east side the passenger railway to Avonmouth and Severn Beach runs through part of the gorge, and through a tunnel under the Downs, while on the west side is the former railway to Portishead , which was closed by the Beeching Axe in the 1960s , but has now been reopened for freight traffic as far as Royal Portbury Dock , 4km (2.5mi) downstream.

At various times the sides of the gorge have been quarried, leaving steep gorge walls, now popular with climbers and a Habitat for Peregrine Falcon s.

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Avon Gorge