Gordano Valley from Hill Top.Gordano Valley Riding Centre.
Gordano (or the Gordano Valley; /ɡɔːrˈdeɪnoʊ/) is an area of North Somerset, in England. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve.[1]
The name Gordano comes from Old English and is descriptive of the triangular shape of the whole valley from Clevedon to Portishead,[2] being the ablative singular of the Latinised form of Gorden meaning muddy valley.[3]
The valley runs roughly north-east to south-west, between Carboniferous limestone ridges extending along the coastline between Clevedon and Portishead, and another ridge extending between Clevedon and Easton in Gordano. The area includes the villages of Clapton in Gordano, Weston in Gordano, Easton in Gordano, Walton in Gordano, Portbury and Sheepway. The M5 motorway runs along the south side of the valley, splitting briefly into two levels - the south-west-bound level running above the north-east-bound carriageway. The Gordano motorway service station is at the eastern end of the valley, near the Royal Portbury Dock and the Avonmouth Bridge. There is no river Gordano - much of the valley is reclaimed land barely above sea level, and it is drained by ditches (known in the area as "rhynes"). The rhynes previously managed by the now amalgamated Gordano Valley Internal Drainage Board are now the responsibility of the North Somerset Internal Drainage Board.
An area comprising a total of 161.68 hectares (399.5 acres) has been designated as a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, for ornithological, entomological and stratigraphic interest, notification originally having taken place in 1971. Several sites in the valley are managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust as nature reserves. These include; Weston Big Wood, Clapton Moor, Weston Moor and Walton Common.
The unimproved wet-meadow communities largely consist of variants of the nationally rare Blunt-flowered Rush–Marsh Thistle (Juncus subnodulosus–Cirsium palustre), Soft/Sharp Flowered Rush–Marsh Bedstraw (Juncus effusus/acutiflorus–Galium palustre), Purple Moorgrass–Meadow Thistle (Molinia caerulea–Cirsium dissectum) and Crested Dog’s-tail–Common Knapweed )Cynosurus cristatus–Centaurea nigra) community types. In total over 130 species of flowering plant have been recorded including 3 species of orchids, 21 grasses and 14 sedges. The extensive system of rhynes and field ditches contains a rich flora which includes three nationally scarce species: Water Parsnip (Sium latafolium), Whorled Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum verticillatum) and Fen Pondweed (Potamogeton coloratus).[4] The site is now connected to the Severn Estuary by the Portbury Ashlands nature reserve.
^"Gordano Valley NNR". Natural England. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
^"Footsteps into History - Clapton in Gordano". Western Daily Press. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
^Cameron, Kenneth (1988). English Place-Names. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-7134-5698-1.
^"Gordano Valley SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
Gordano (or the GordanoValley; /ɡɔːrˈdeɪnoʊ/) is an area of North Somerset, in England. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve. The name...
Gordano may refer to: GordanoValley in Somerset, England Gordano Round, a long-distance trail in the GordanoValleyGordano Messaging Suite, a brand of...
Gordano School (/ɡɔːrˈdeɪnoʊ/) is a comprehensive school with academy status located in Portishead, North Somerset, England. In 1999, the school was awarded...
Walton in Gordano is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It is situated in a small valley at the side of the south-western end of the...
the GordanoValley, immediately adjacent to the M5 motorway. The parish has a population of 348. There is a village football club, Clapton in Gordano FC...
which is situated on moorland at the northern edge of the Gordanovalley, between the Gordano services on the M5 motorway and Portishead, near the Royal...
40-hectare (99-acre) Avon Wildlife Trust nature reserve and part of the GordanoValley, Clapton Moor, Middle Bridge and rhynes Site of Nature Conservation...
known as St George. The name Gordano comes from Old English and is descriptive of the triangular shape of the whole valley from Clevedon to Portishead...
split-level carriageways where the M5 ascends the hillsides above the GordanoValley, between Portishead, junction 19 and Clevedon, junction 20. Between...
The Gordano Round (/ɡɔːrˈdeɪnoʊ/) is a 27-mile (43 km) recreational Long-distance trail, running as a figure of eight around the GordanoValley near Portishead...
example of this is on the M5 motorway as it climbs up the side of the GordanoValley south of Bristol. In Birmingham and many other cities, suburban dual...
visitors from nearby cities. Notable geographical features include: GordanoValley Mendip Hills – the ridgeway forms part of the district boundary Sand...
much larger Somerset Levels to the south in Somerset, and the smaller GordanoValley to the north. The water level management and maintenance of rhynes in...
GordanoValley Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Nigel Christopher Ashton * 686 49.1 –3.2 Liberal Democrats Thomas Stephen Gravatt 542 38.8 +28.9...
industries have declined. Tourism is one of the main sources of income. The GordanoValley west of the Port of Bristol stretches past the coastal towns of Portishead...
Weston in Gordano is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the middle of the Gordanovalley on the north side, and in the...
other sites. Cadbury Camp is situated on a natural ridge between the GordanoValley and the North Somerset Levels, next to the Limebreach Wood ancient woodland...
Threatened Landscape. Victor Gollanz Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-575-03453-2. "GordanoValley SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF)...
formerly notified, such as Braunton Burrows in Devon, are not included. GordanoValley Leigh Woods Barton Hills King's Wood, Heath & Reach Knocking Hoe Chobham...
GordanoValley Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative P. Burden 1,863 48.0 –9.9 Labour J. Clark 1,412 36.4 +22.7 Liberal Democrats J. Morgan 608 15.7...
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