Ashton Court Mansion Woodland Deer Fiesta & Festival Activities Visitor Centre

Links

Most of the links on this page are external sites and will open a new window. The small thumbnails photo's also open new windows to larger photos on the Bristol jpg photo gallery site.

Neighbours

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

The Avon Gorge

The Avon Tow Path running through the Avon Gorge now forms a part of the Avon Trail. Its also a well used footpath and cycle route, during weekends in Summer it can get busy!

If you can get to or park close to the Create Centre its a good place to start, see a street map centred on the Create Centre.

Cross the river either on the busy dual carriageway (the Avon Bridge) which is shown on the map. Or cross on the rusty iron foot and cycle path (the Ashton Bridge) shown in grey on the map and about 150m upstream.

After crossing the river you are in Greville Smyth Park once part of Ashton Court Estate and given to Bristol by Greville Smyth, Then it was known as Bedminster Park, after his death it was given its present name. Turn right here and keep to the riverside path, walking towards the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Suspension Bridge crosses the Avon Gorge joining Clifton and Leigh Woods. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel at the age of 24, worked started in 1831 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.
Burwall's Wood Walk - footpath from Clifton Bridge to the Avon Trail and Bristol Docks.

Leigh Woods

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

North end of Leigh Woods, view upstream of the River Avon 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.

Bristol Docks Walk

If you park near the Create Centre (see Avon Gorge link). You are at the start of circular walk round the western end of Bristol Docks too. Note this involves a brief ferry trip across the docks by The Matthew and SS Great Britain.

Bristol Docks Walk.

History

Anton Bantock (local historian): talks about Ashton Courts History.
About Bristol: Ashton Court.

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