Gordano Valley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gordano (or the Gordano Valley) (grid reference ST435730) is an area of North Somerset, in England. The valley runs roughly north-east to south-west, between a ridge of hills extending along the coastline between Clevedon and Portishead, and another ridge extending between Clevedon and Easton in Gordano. The area includes the villages of Clapton in Gordano, Weston in Gordano, Easton in Gordano, Walton in Gordano, Portbury and Sheepway. The M5 motorway runs along the south side of the valley, and the Gordano services are at the eastern end of the valley, near the Royal Portbury Dock and the Avonmouth Bridge. There is no river Gordano - much of the valley is reclaimed land barely above sea level, and it is drained by ditches (known in the area as "rhynes").

An area comprising a total of 161.68 hectares has been designated as a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notification originally having taken place in 1971.

[edit] Sources

• English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed on 19 July 2006)

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon

Ashton Court • Avon Gorge • Banwell Caves • Biddle Street, Yatton • Bishop's Hill Wood • Blagdon Lake • Bodkin Hazel Wood • Brockley Hall Stables • Brown's Folly • Burledge Sidelands and Meadows • Burrington Combe • Chew Valley Lake • Cleaves Wood • Cleeve Wood, Hanham • Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines • Compton Martin Ochre Mine • Congrove Field and The Tumps • Dolebury Warren • Ellenborough Park West • Folly Farm • Goblin Combe • Gordano Valley • Harptree Combe • Hawkesbury Meadow • Hinton Charterhouse Field • Horseshoe Bend, Shirehampton • Iford Manor • King's Wood and Urchin Wood • Long Dole Wood and Meadows • Lower Woods • Max Bog • Middle Hope • Midger • Monkswood Valley • Plaster's Green Meadows • Purn Hill • Puxton Moor • Severn Estuary • Shiplate Slait • St. Catherine's Valley • Steep Holm • Tickenham, Nailsea and Kenn Moors • Uphill Cliff • Upton Coombe • Walton Common • Weston Big Wood  • Yanal Bog Neighbouring areas: Gloucestershire • Somerset • Wiltshire

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon

Aust Cliff • Avon Gorge • Banwell Caves  • Banwell Ochre Caves  • Barnhill Quarry  • Barns Batch Spinney  • Bickley Wood  • Bleadon Hill  • Bourne • Bowlditch Quarry  • Brinkmarsh Quarry  • Brown's Folly  • Buckover Road Cutting  • Burrington Combe  • Cattybrook Brickpit  • Clevedon Shore  • Compton Martin Ochre Mine  • Court Hill  • Cullimore's Quarry  • Damery Road Section  • Dundry Main Road South Quarry  • Gordano Valley  • Ham Green • Hampton Rocks Cutting  • Hartcliff Rocks Quarry • Hawkesbury Quarry  • Hinton Charterhouse Pit  • Hinton Hill, Wellow  • Holly Lane  • Huish Colliery Quarry  • Kenn Church, Kenn Pier & Yew Tree Farm • Kilmersdon Road Quarry  • Lower Woods  • Lulsgate Quarry  • Middle Hope  • Newton St. Loe  • Nightingale Valley  • North Road Quarry, Bath  • Portishead Pier to Black Nore • Quarry Steps, Durdham Down  • Severn Estuary • Slickstones Quarry, Cromhall  • Spring Cove Cliffs  • Stidham Farm  • Tytherington Quarry  • Weston-in-Gordano • Winterbourne Railway Cutting  • Writhlington Neighbouring areas: Gloucestershire • Somerset • Wiltshire