Brean Down Fort — Attraction in Brean

Brean Down is honestly one of those places you can wander around and just lose track of time. The first thing that hits you is the scenery. Standing up on the fort, you get this sweeping view of the coastline and the Bristol Channel. The grass, the cliffs, the water all blend together and it is just stunning. You can spend hours walking around, taking in the sights, and just feeling completely away from it all.

The history of Brean Down Fort is really fascinating and adds a whole other layer to the visit. The fort itself was built in the 1860s as part of a chain of coastal defenses to protect the Bristol Channel from potential French attacks. The site has been used for centuries though. There are remnants of Bronze Age and Roman settlements, showing that people have recognised its strategic importance for thousands of years. During the First World War, the fort was used as a lookout point, and by the Second World War it had been updated with anti-aircraft guns and concrete observation posts to defend against German attacks. You can still see the old gun emplacements and concrete structures that tell the story of its military past. On the Down itself, you can spot old markings and large directional arrows that guided planes during the Second World War, which is a really cool detail to see up close.

Walking around, you get this sense of how people used to live and work here, the effort it must have taken to build and defend this spot. The paths are easy to follow and the whole place has this raw, natural beauty mixed with a sense of history that makes it feel alive. Whether you are into history or just love amazing views, Brean Down has a bit of everything. You can easily spend a whole day exploring, snapping photos, or just sitting and...

the fort at brean down. so many people locally have no idea its there. thanks to the national trust taking ownership of it a few years ago they have done a good job rebuilding parts of it. its a great part of weston super mares history. when you park or get off the bus theres a cafe, small shop and toilets. your presented with two ways to the top of brean down. steps or a path. the steps make an easier climb but it can be narrow and very steep at parts. the path is alot safer. once at the top the walk begins along brean down towards the fort at the end. the walk takes about 45 mins at a casual pace. just like the choice with the steps or path. theres two ways to get to the end. a gravel pathway or straight along the top. this involves more hills and is all grass. the fort is so cool. its like a film set. i can imagine what it was like when the military were there. theres educational boards here and there. and a few places to explore. when you find the old gun platforms and walk up a small flight of stairs the views on a sunny day are stunning. you get an idea how big the english channel is. you can see steepholm and flatholm in the distance. if the weather is nice i recommend going here and take a look at it. also see weston super mare from an angle you havent seen it. you can see the whole bay curve around from the old pier to uphill. take a picnic. a friend or go for a cycle. dogs are allowed but i highly recommend keeping them on a lead. there birds. phesants and other small wildlife that could cause your dog to run after. theres alot of very steep cliffs here so go careful. i like to think its a real secret spot here near weston super mare. if you like my review please click the like or helpful...

The Fort is at the end of the peninsula, which was a place our ancestors would have chosen to live on, and they did😊. The fort was built when we were having a little bother with the French and used again when we were having a few problems with the Germans, twice in fact 😊.

The Fort has seen better days with a lot of it in ruins, hence the Free entry. Having said that the views alone are well worth the walk to it. You get cracking views of the River Seven and the coastline of the Land of my Father's,well not My Father's as they came from North of the Border, but you get my drift😁.

There is no road directly to the Fort and no cafe or toilets there. 😢 The car park is on the seafront as is the shop,toilets and cafe. To get onto the Down you have to climb up a steepish bank, not wheelchair or pushchair friendly in my opinion. Once your on the Down its easy walking along its length with the odd up and down bits.

Look out for the bronzeage settlement and roman temple and if you spot them let me know, I couldn't find any 😢. Also look out for the concrete WW2 bomber marker, it was used to line up practice bombing runs. Several dummy bombs have been found on the beach and sea over the years. I found this Ok😁.

A good family day out with lots of space for picnics and good sheltered spots. Keep a close eye on your children for while the Down is wide the drops on either side are steep to darn near Sheer. Enjoy...