North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary district in South West England that runs along the Bristol Channel from Clevedon and Portishead across to Weston-super-Mare, and inland to Nailsea, Yatton and surrounding villages. The coastline includes sandy beaches, mudflats and promenades used for walking, fishing and boating. Bristol Airport lies on the district’s high ground at Lulsgate Bottom and handles scheduled and charter flights for the wider region, while A roads and local rail stations connect towns to neighbouring employment centres.

Inland the district covers low-lying agricultural land, small limestone combes and the western foothills of the Mendip Hills. Portishead’s old dock has been remade as a marina and waterfront quarter, and Clevedon Pier, a restored Victorian seafront structure with a Grade I listing, reaches out into the channel and is a regular subject for local photographers. Local economy combines service and light industry, tourism linked to the coast, and farming, with town centres that host markets, small businesses and community facilities serving the district.