I have had my last stay at Baltic Wharf, assuming no further reprieve. The major road works on Cumberland Road, with heavy machinery, are noisy. I was pitched on the penultimate row before the waterside, but the clattering and banging was still quite noticeable in the early morning stillness, but I cannot say it was a significant disturbance to me. It might disturb those nearer the road. Entering the site requires care and you can only enter and exit from and to the City side. I gather some had had scrapes, but equally some had turned up with outfits bigger than advised! 8m vans or 12m car and caravan. There is a traffic light control to exit the site. For me, Baltic Wharf is all about location, which is truly wonderful and shall be sorely missed; otherwise, the site is small and cramped and has a claustrophobic feel. The majority of outfits were motorhomes, which is just as well. Cars belonging to tuggers were, as always when I come here, parked with no discernible order whatsoever and some were closer to the neighbouring van than the caravan they belonged to. I saw one car parked on communal ground. Personally, my need for neatness and order is such that I dislike this chaos, but that is the nature of this site and one has to get on with it. The wardens were just superb; they organised the hectic arrival melee on the Sunday perfectly and had to be continually conscious of keeping the main road clear. I was very appreciative of this and also Nick’s kind visit to see that I was settled as well as their help in other ways. I walked to the location of the new site. I have seen talk about the proximity of the new site to the present site, but I wonder how relevant this is. Presumably, the point is made to promote the notion that people can still easily access, on foot, the floating harbour or places like the M Shed, SS Great Britain and even the city centre. The walk from Baltic Wharf is about 15 minutes, through not the most salubrious of parts, and some of this journey involves an uninviting, dreary, uneven, overgrown, unlit path including a dilapidated, graffiti-strewn footbridge, with slippery wooden steps, over a single line railway. Even on a warm July day it was far from a pleasant walk and, at night, it would be a scary challenge. Perhaps there are plans for an alternative or improvements. I hope so. The suspension bridge is very slightly nearer, but only to the west side of the gorge so, to access Clifton, you need a head for heights – not something I could manage. The city centre is too far to walk, there and back, for most I suggest; those without cars (or bikes) will need the bus; the Portishead buses do pass the entrance or, if you take the aforementioned grim path, you can reach the route of the Long Ashton Park and Ride. I am sure the new site will be lovely and welcomed, but it won’t be a substitute. Just a different site with different qualities. There's no doubting that the loss of Baltic Wharf, after 35 years, is terribly sad.
