Whitchurch Way 2 - Brock's Bridge to Bloomfield Road

 This section is a continuation from Whitchurch Way 1 - Bedminster Bridge to Brock's Bridge   

 Looking at Brock's Bridge, the route is to the left, where this scooter is emerging.

Past the information board,

and down towards the river.

Here the view opens out and you can see the original course of the river. The information board tells us that the starting point of this part of the route is the site of the dam across the river Avon as part of the works that created the floating harbour.

The next structure along the route is St Philips Footbridge  which is blocked off on the opposite side of the river. The bridge was designed to allow access to the planned Bristol Arena, however, the Arena project was scrapped by Marvin Rees in September 2018 wasting over £3 million.

The following structure is a railway bridge and there are bollards in the route at this point.

There is also an uneven patch of tarmac, 

and access to Victoria Street.

Further along, you can see how the power of the river is continuing to erode the banks.

Next is access to Albert Road.

Here the path starts to run behind industrial buildings.

Followed by a bridge under Totterdown Bridge.

 

Watch out for the large pothole here.

 

The only access to the road here is via steps.

The path opens out on a concrete platform behind BBL Batteries. From here you can see the yellow shape of Sparke Evans Park Bridge which is in the process of being refurbished.

 

 

As a result the path through the park is diverted round the outside of the park, to the left in this image.

 

You can see the path on the left in this image and the fencing leading to the bridge on the right. 

 

 

Going out of the par the path passes under the St Philips Causeway bridge. At this junction take the right hand fork to avoid the steps.

However, the path then goes over steeply projecting tree routes, 

 before sloping steeply up towards a sharp 180 degree bend.

 At the top of the slope the route hits a barrier which blocks the path for anything other than a standard bicycle.

Turning sharp left, the route goes over the bridge. At the entry to the bridge, the barrier protecting the path and footbridge and cycle path has been punched into the cycle path by a motor vehicle. This is a chilling reminder of the damage that motorists can do to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and endanger lives. 

After the bridge there is a new light controlled crossing.

which leads onto the path besides the Bloomfield Road Link. This is near the route of a former railway line which passes the Sainsbury's site on the right.

At the end of the road you can see the fence following the bank of the disused railway embankment. Here Bloomfield Road is bollarded to restrict motor vehicle access. However, I saw a motorbike being ridden illegally over the pavement and through the road closure.

 

 

From here there are two possible routes. The route south tries to follow the route of the old railway. 

 

This is to be followed as Whitchurch Way 3a, the missing link.

Meantime the official Whitchurch Way route turns right and into the path of the motor vehicles along Bloomfield Road.

This is to be continued in Whitchurch Way 3b, the back road diversion.