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Neighbours

Leigh Woods, the Avon Gorge, Brunel's bridge across the Avon Gorge and Bristol Docks are all close neighbours and may be worth a visit too:-

Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Suspension Bridge crosses the Avon Gorge joining Clifton and Leigh Woods. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but only opened in 1864 after his death.

Reach it from the estate's Clifton Lodge entrance on the A369. From the Lodge there is a pedestrian crossing over the A369 then Bridge Road leads directly to it. Its a toll bridge, 50p per crossing by car but free by foot or cycle.

The bridge is about ½ a mile (less than 1km) from Clifton Lodge in Ashton Court.

Free guided tours through out the summer months at 3:00pm on Sundays.

Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Leigh Woods

Leigh Woods are a large wooded area just to the North of Ashton Court Estate and Leigh Woods Village in North Somerset.

View from the north end of Leigh Woods looking South towards the Avon Gorge. The photo was taken from the Grotto path.

The woods are National Trust owned woodland. Two of the longer paths in the northern part run down to the old Avon Tow Path, with earth works from an Iron Age Village, Stoke Leigh at the woods Southern end.

Leigh Woods were part of Leigh Court Estate. With the old Leigh Court Mansion (built in 1814) now a conference centre at the North end of Leigh Woods. In the early 19th Century I imagine there was some competition between it and the Ashton Court Estate.

Perhaps that is still true today as Ashton Court Mansion too, is now run as a similar facility.

• Leigh Woods
• Leigh Woods Walks leaflet needs adobe reader.

Note: the map shown on the link above only shows the southern end of Leigh Woods, there are more foot and some cycle paths at the northern end - leading to Paradise Bottom, the Grotto and the Avon Trail.