Sand Bay to Bridgwater
KC3 ECP Leg Number 1b2a
8th October 2022 – 10th October 2022
35.0 official miles
36.6 miles walked
Guest walkers:
Pete, Ellie & Ani The Dog
A 37 mile walk from Sand Bay, round the headland into Weston-super-Mare, and then along the beach, which was vast at low tide. At the southern tip, the path heads inland along the east bank of the River Axe, crossing the sluice into Brean to complete day one. Day two started at Brean, heading north to climb Brean Down, before heading back down the beach towards Burnham-on-Sea to finish the day. The final day started with a long and almost human-free walk along the winding east bank of the River Parrett, eventually reaching Bridgwater.
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Day by day
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How we approached this leg
We drove from home on the first morning and left our car at the Diamond Farm Holiday Park, which we had pre-arranged with the site. The 20 Coaster bus runs from outside the gate every hour north to the Interchange at Weston. From the Interchange, we caught the 1 Coaster north to Sand Bay. It's around 9 miles back to Brean Sluice which crosses the River Axe, and which is in the holiday park. The following morning we caught the 20 Coaster south from Weston to Brean, from where we walked up the beach to Brean Down, then back down to Highbridge & Burnham railway station, from where the train takes ten minutes back to Weston to complete day 2. On the final day we caught the train to Highbridge & Burnham then walked to Bridgwater from where we caught the train back to Weston to complete the leg.
Where we stayed
We stayed in Weston-Super-Mare, a lively seaside town with plenty of places to eat and drink and lots to do, even at the very end of the season.
Useful links
Places to stop
The Cafe at Diamond Farm Holiday Park
Where we parked on the morning of day 1 after driving from home - did a nice bacon sandwich and then an ice cream at the end of the day
Waterfront Restaurant at Smiths Hotel
We stopped here for a drink and lunch on our way back through Weston on the first day of walking
The Old Thatched Cottage, Weston super Mare
We had dinner here on the evening of day 1
Brean Down Cafe
Good coffee stop on day 2 after the exertions of walking up and down Brean Down!
The Iron Duke
Pub on the Esplanade in Burnham-on-Sea - a very welcome stop after walking for a couple of miles into the wind down Bridgwater Bay. Couldn't find a website or social media links, so this link is to the local news item announcing its opening.
Loco Mexicano
Delightful Mexican restaurant, we ate here evening 2.
The New Foresters
We fell into this pub for a finishing drink after a long walk on day 3 - it's by the station at Bridgwater
The Old Colonial
We had a drink here on our way back from Weston station to our accommodation.
Il Michelangelo
Posh Italian restaurant on the front at the northern end of Weston. Nice and close to our accommodation, one of its main attractions as a location for dinner on our final evening!
Resources & information
National Trails - England Coast Path - Brean to Minehead
Gov.uk Brean to Minehead England Coast Path
1 Coaster bus timetable
Timetable for the bus from Weston to Sand Bay
20 Coaster bus timetable
Timetable for the bus that runs south from Weston towards Burnham.
Trains from Weston-super-Mare to Bridgwater
It's part of the inter-city line - zipping between Weston, Highbridge and Bridgwater.