Clevedon Pier, once described by John Betjeman as "the most beautiful pier in England," is about 25 miles and 45 minutes to an hour from Bath by car. Adult entry is £6.50, and unlike most attractions, the ticket is valid for twelve months of free return visits rather than a single day. It's a genuinely different kind of day out from Bath's usual Cotswold villages and market towns: a Victorian seaside pier over the Severn Estuary, with a working restaurant at the end of it.
Clevedon itself is a quiet North Somerset seaside town rather than a big resort, so this suits people after a calmer coastal afternoon rather than an amusement-arcade beach day. Combine it with a wander along the seafront and you've got a full change of scene from Bath's Georgian streets.
The pier itself
Built in the 1860s, Clevedon Pier is Grade I listed and one of the best-preserved Victorian piers in the country, having survived a partial structural collapse in 1970, a long restoration, and reopening in stages through the 1990s. It stretches around 310 metres out into the Severn Estuary on eight elegant iron spans, with a pavilion at the pier head housing the Glass Box restaurant and the Pagoda cafe. An exhibition space near the entrance, Discover at the Pier, covers the pier's history, the local wildlife and the geology of the estuary, with historic images and interactive displays.
Prices and opening hours
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £6.50 |
| Child (4-15) | £4.00 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £17.00 |
| Under 4s | Free |
The standard ticket gives twelve months of free return visits, not just entry on the day, which is unusual for a UK attraction and worth knowing if you might be back in the area. Cards are accepted; cash is not. Prices confirmed from the operator's own site in September 2026.
Spring and summer opening hours (1 April to 1 November) are Monday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm, with the last entry 30 minutes before closing. Winter hours are shorter and the pier is closed Mondays and Tuesdays from November, so check before travelling outside the main season.
Getting there from Bath
By car it's about 25 miles, typically 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic around Bristol, via the M4 and M5 (leave at Junction 20). There's limited free parking on the Beach and on Elton Road near the pier, plus paying car parks nearby if those are full.
Public transport is workable but slow: the most reliable route is train from Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads, a connecting train to Yatton, then a local bus into Clevedon, which typically takes around 90 minutes each way. It's a viable day trip without a car, but budget the best part of a morning to get there. Our Bath to Bristol guide covers the first leg of that journey in more detail.
Making a day of it
Dogs are allowed on the pier itself on a short lead, though not inside the Glass Box restaurant or Pagoda cafe. Anglers can fish from the pier through a dedicated angling club membership, though casual one-day fishing tickets are no longer available. Beyond the pier, Clevedon's seafront and the Marine Lake, a tidal pool a short walk away, make good additions if you want to stretch the visit into a full afternoon.
Compared with Weston-super-Mare, which is bigger, busier and better known as a classic seaside day out, Clevedon is smaller, quieter and more about the pier itself than a wide sandy beach. If you want the fuller seaside-town experience, our day trips from Bath guide covers Weston-super-Mare alongside other options; if you want something calmer and more architectural, Clevedon is the better pick.
For families weighing this against Bath's own attractions, our Bath with kids guide has plenty of closer options for a shorter day, while Clevedon suits a proper day out when you've got the time to spend on it.
Is it worth the trip?
For most visitors, the appeal of Clevedon Pier is exactly what Betjeman pointed at: it's genuinely elegant rather than a full-scale amusement pier, and the entry price is low enough that it's an easy add-on to a wider Somerset coast trip rather than a destination you need to plan a whole day around. If you're mainly after the classic bucket-and-spade seaside experience, Weston-super-Mare will serve you better. If you want a quieter walk over the water with a decent lunch at the end of it, and don't mind the slightly longer journey, Clevedon earns its reputation.