Perspectives of Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge and the first Severn Road Bridge

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

The overall height of a Mercedes Sprinter van is 9' 6" - but I reckon I needed a lot more than that, to gain the required view. 

My opinion remains that the best vantage point is located on the ground even higher up on Dundry - with a powerful telephoto lens. 

And, as it was, I received a quizzical look from a passing Royal Mail van driver, who saw me climbing down from that hedge: what he would have thought if he'd seen me attempting to climb up onto the roof of my van defies belief. 

[JayMac]

Attached is a view of the Severn Bridges taken from the site of the former Aust Services. It's a bit cheeky of the newer service area calling itself 'Severn View'. No view of the Severn whatsoever from there. You have to drive up to the Travelodge and then walk up the hill. In my case telling a member of Travelodge staff that I wasn't planning on jumping off the cliff when she asked where I and the dog were going.

[chrisr_75]

And crucially you also caught the longest power line span in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) (1618m) which also has, if I have correctly determined, the second tallest pylons in the UK at 147.75m

[Chris from Nailsea]

I rather think that you two really ought to 'get outdoors a bit more' ...   

Oh, hold on a minute. 

[Surrey 455]

Attached is a view of the Severn Bridges taken from the site of the former Aust Services. It's a bit cheeky of the newer service area calling itself 'Severn View'. No view of the Severn whatsoever from there. You have to drive up to the Travelodge and then walk up the hill. In my case telling a member of Travelodge staff that I wasn't planning on jumping off the cliff when she asked where I and the dog were going.

Two Bridges? I see only one broken bridge. Has there been an earthquake?

Edit... Oh, I've just seen the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the picture. Yes, there are two bridges

[JayMac]

Didn't notice that. It was a phone camera panorama shot. Badly stitched it seems.

[bobm]

Attached is a view of the Severn Bridges taken from the site of the former Aust Services.

Well you learn everyday.  I didn't realise Aust Services had gone. Used to stop there on the way to grandparents in Swansea.  Took some black and white pictures there. Wish I knew what happened to them.

[Chris from Nailsea]

You could try this: http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Gallery:Aust 

[JayMac]

Attached is a view of the Severn Bridges taken from the site of the former Aust Services.

Well you learn everyday.  I didn't realise Aust Services had gone. Used to stop there on the way to grandparents in Swansea.  Took some black and white pictures there. Wish I knew what happened to them.

The site of Aust Services is now the headquarters of insurance broker Brightside Group.

Severn View (no real view, just the tops of the Severn Bridge towers) services are further down the hill nearer the motorway junction.  That junction being M48 J1, formerly M4 J21.

The building used for the current services is the former truckers cafe. It's probably the smallest services building on the motorway network. The reality is it's all that's needed. The M48 is such a quiet stretch of motorway since the M4 was diverted over the Second Severn Crossing.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've just realised that the revised costings for Portishead come out at somewhere between £15 million/Mi and £17.5 million/Mi. However I think this is a special case - most of this is apparently required to straighten the Avon Gorge and re-locate the Clifton Suspension Bridge a few metres to the left of its current site.

Hmm. 

Any such relocation of the Clifton Suspension Bridge would completely screw up that perspective view of the First Severn Crossing, so I really do hope that it doesn't happen.