A Day Trip to Brean Down

Our nearest bit of coastline that has anything even vaguely approaching a sandy beach is to be found on the North Somerset coast between Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. These towns both offer a fairly traditional British seaside experience of amusement arcades, donkey rides, candy floss and fish and chips by the sea (all of which my kids love!)

However, if we just fancy a day by the sea, a stretch of sandy beach on which to play cricket or boules, throw a frisbee, fly a kite or build sandcastles and a spot of walking with some amazing views, then we head for Brean Down.

Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, standing 318 feet high and extending 1.5 miles into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. On the Burnham-on-Sea side of the promontory is Brean Down beach. It is owned and managed by the National Trust.

If you choose to make the climb to the top of Brean Down the path is an obvious set of zig-zagging steps all the way to the top. This is the quickest route but the steepest. If you have pushchairs, bikes or mobility scooters there is also a wide, fairly steep Tarmac path all the way to the top.

Once on the top, the path forms a loop all around the promontory and a full circuit will take about two hours at a leisurely speed.

There are examples of Brean’s military past all over the down. This gun platform is one example of the important part Brean Down has played in defending the Bristol Channel over the years.

Palmerston Fort was built at the far end of the down to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion. The fort is now a ruin, but you can still wander around the buildings and imagine what life must have been like living and working on the down.

In the Second World War, bomber planes practised flying around Brean and the Somerset coast.
This large concrete arrow is on the top of the down. It used to be painted white and was used to direct planes to their practice ranges.

Soldiers trained on the six Lewis Guns mounted in gun emplacements here in the Second World War. They practised by shooting at targets in the bay at Weston-Super-Mare.

If military history isn't your thing you may be more interested in the flora and fauna on the down. The southern slopes of the down have three rare plants, they are the white rock rose, dwarf sedge and Somerset hair grass. In high summer, this almost unique vegetation community in Britain has an almost Mediterranean appearance.

In May, the north side of Brean Down is covered in a dazzling carpet of bluebells, which makes it a great time to visit and see this spectacular sight.

The slopes also play host to a herd of wild goats who seem quite at home on the steep cliffs, munching away on vegetation.

The down is also haven for bird watchers, so bring your binoculars. It's a sanctuary for breeding peregrine falcons. A link on the National Trust website will take you to an up-to-date list of bird sightings on the down.

The beach is mainly sand with some mud flats when the tide is right out. There are a few rock pools to investigate too. It is such a wide bay that it doesn't feel crowded at all and there is plenty of room for games.

There is ample parking here too. The National Trust have a car park that is free for members and operates a pay and display for non-members. There is also a private pay and display car park right at the far end of the road, adjacent to the cafes. However, one of the things we particularly like at Brean is that you can drive onto the beach and park right on the sand (for a fee). If you do this there is no need to lug vast amounts of picnic gear for what can seem like miles only to realise you have left the sandwiches behind!

There are two cafes, one National Trust and the other private, there are toilets and a National Trust gift shop that sells the usual beach toys and also some very nice ice cream!

DOG OWNERS PLEASE NOTE: According to a fairly small sign that you could easily miss they lose, on average, one dog a month over the cliffs - so please keep your dog on a lead if you make the climb to the top (the same goes for small children, obviously!)

Getting There

Address: Brean, North Somerset, TA8 2RS

OS Grid Ref: 182:ST290590