This deep valley leading down to the Portway is one of the hidden gems of the Bristol Downs. Walcombe Slade and The Gully may be one and the same place, but some older maps place Walcombe Slade down at the bottom of the Gully, and also show a small stream down through the centre.
In the picture you can see the terrible effect of removing trees from the Black Rocks side of the Gully, an effect which will be repeated on the remaining trees when Natural England get around to it! In the draft management plan there are proposals to fell half the woodland on the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge!
Since the Austrian pines were felled a few years ago, the two sides of this region look very different. The tree canopy on the Black Rocks side has been ruined.
The attempt to improve this region would be greatly helped if the initial enthusiasm for clearance were followed up by proper management, i.e. rubbish was cleared, the broken wire fench at the top of the cliff was removed or repaired, and a proper path was established through the middle, and down to the Portway, where some means of establishing a safe crossing for walkers (and cyclists) would also be welcome. Putting goats in to nibble the bushes, and the many small Whitebeams which have seeded since the trees were felled, is not a solution.