Travelling through United Kingdom: Cotswolds Ship Graveyard
On the first Bank Holiday of this month, me and my friend took a day trip to Cotswolds where we discovered a ship graveyard located just by the outfall of Severn River, by Bristol and a beautiful Berkeley Castle.
I am still considering myself as foreigner living in the UK because the Kingdom is vast and therefore a lot of to discover and learn about.
This country is so beautiful and vibrant. With breath-taking nature, exciting architecture and rich history, this place worth to live in, or at least visiting as a tourist (and this is one of the main reasons why I am still here!! :-) ).
The Graveyard is located by the outfall of River Severn and it is known as Purton Ships Graveyard or Purton Hulks and famous for purposely abandoned boats and ships, which are preventing a riverbank from collapse due to rivers strong currents. The wrecks were beached by at the riverbank between 1909 and 1965. Because it has been for so long now, the ground has built up on them, which is the reason why hey don't look as massive as you would expect.
So beached wrecks, originally to prevent riverbank collapse into the close canal can be now considered as an "accidental museum" and visiting site attracting tourists.
I personally, felt like at the archaeological site 😎.
"I was honestly expecting massive shipwrecks, but nothing like that happened. But it was even better. Due to built up ground, decay and corrosion it gave me the feeling of the past.
Some of the boats are made from wood, steel and concrete."
How to get there?
Purton Ship Graveyard is located in lovely small village Purton at Cotswolds (GL13 9HU), just about 36 minutes by car from Bristol. We took the advantage of having a car and drove 1 hour and 33 minutes from Wolverhampton. Mostly just straight drive on M5.
With very smooth drive, firstly we arrived to the place, from where I thought we can easily walk, Sharpness Viewpoint and Picnic Site (GL13 9UF), but that was not the case. I mean we could have walked just few miles, but it would take us about 1 hour (weird). So we went to Purton village, and parked by the Church of St. John (opposite the church is official parking) and walked the rest.
The route took us alongside quiet canal for about 10 to 15 minutes walk. It was quite easy to find. We have been welcomed by a board with name of all ship wrecks that are currently buried there and stunning views.
What to expect?
Years of experience taught me not to expect too much, because who don't expect, is not disappointed.
BUT!
When we came I was immediately stunned by the view and the peace ✌.
Reading reviews online, I saw people recommending waterproof shoes, which I took, but the weather was so beautiful, I did not believed it will be necessary, so I left them in the car. But it was a mistake. I had my summer trainers with which I was slipping everywhere 😁
The whole area is by riverbank, so muddy ground is to be expected (next time!).
The wrecks are located quite close from each other, and it is possible to even walk on them, which I would not recommend due to safety. Some places you don't even see there is a ship, as it was probably made from wood, and somewhere can be seen only remains.
Do you fancy history?
Purton Hulks is not the only place worth to see in this area. If you are fan of castles, just 10 minutes away is located stunning and historically important Berkeley Castle known as a murder place of the King Edward II. in 1327. The Castle is erected beside stunning church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Cotswolds is a region full of great places, from which I saw only a part. Discovering of Purton Shipwrecks definitively made a strong impression on me. The whole area is full of attraction, picturesque nature, farms and stunning heritage sites, which makes me want to discover more of this region.
I would like to recommend, when you will be around Bristol, Bath or Gloucester, come visit this place. It will leave a mark. But do not forget waterproof shoes!
This is all from me for today. My hope is, that you found this post useful and inspiring, so now Purton Hulks and surrounding area is now in your bucket list!
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I hope to see you soon!
Little Pluto xx
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