The towering copper beech trees lining the drive to Leigh Woods, just across the River Avon from Bristol, wend their way through a magnificent kaleidoscope of purples, reds, yellows, oranges, greens and browns.
This wooded avenue, just off Abbots Leigh Road, leads to the forest’s main car park. If you’re lucky, you may see an eccentric local who regularly exercises his parrot here.
Enjoy a day out in Leigh Woods with views of the stunning Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge with our 8-mile walk.
The woods were once part of Ashton Court and signs of the pomp and splendour of this grand estate still remain in gnarled, ancient and veteran oaks, limes and yews. These trees also provide a home for fungi, with more than 300 species growing in the woods, including edibles, such as beefsteak and oyster mushrooms.The nooks, crannies, hollows and deadwood created by fungi on these venerable old trees provide valuable niches for wildlife, including birds, bats and invertebrates.
Stokeleigh Camp
Walkers will find various marked trails, perhaps the most satisfying of which is the 2.5km purple trail that takes you to the edge of an Iron Age promontory hillfort known as Stokeleigh Camp. Its high banks are unmistakable.
Take an off-piste excursion over the ramparts into the hillfort’s partially wooded centre, which has the feel of a meadow or even a secret garden. Venture a little further to the eastern edge of the fort and you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views across Avon Gorge.
Mountain bikers of all abilities can also find trails in the woods, from adrenaline-fuelled runs to slower training routes for those looking to practise their off-road skills. The blue trails trace the western edge of the woods, from the south to the north, before linking with the River Avon trail that continues on to the village of Pill to the west, or Bath to the east.
Bristol Botanic Garden
Across Avon Gorge, Bristol Botanic Garden holds a collection of local and rare native species. Among these are nine whitebeam trees, including Sorbus porrigentiformis – a species common to the gorge with upright leaves and globose fruit – and Sorbus robertsonii, grafted from the only remaining tree of its kind. Find out more at botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk
Leigh Woods walk
8 miles/12.8km | 5 hours | moderate
This walk gives you three alternative views of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, while visiting several of Bristol’s most-loved sites. Some are well known, such as Avon Gorge, but a few less familiar attractions, such as the rockslide, are off the tourist radar but cherished by locals.
1. Bridge walk
From the main entrance to Bristol Zoo, walk left along Clifton Down then turn left and pick up an attractive path to the side of the road. Follow the path as it bears right away from the road to a viewpoint over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Walk past the camera obscura – a convex lens and sloping mirror that projects a bizarre panoramic moving image on to a round table. Continue along the path and bear right past the rock slide – a section of rock that has been worn smooth by countless bottoms.
Cross the suspension bridge. A symbol of Bristol for the past 150 years, the design grew from a competition in 1829, judged by leading civil engineer of the day Thomas Telford. Telford declared his own design the winner, but when this proved unpopular, 24-year-old Isambard Kingdom Brunel won a chance to be project engineer in a second competition in 1830. Sadly Brunel died before his project was completed in 1864.
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2. Woodland wander
Take the first right up North Road, past some grand houses. Turn right when you reach Leigh Woods and take the left path, following blue markers. This ancient broadleaf woodland has been part of Bristolian life for centuries, and has a rich variety of trees, including the rare Bristol whitebeam. Along with the Brecon Beacons, Avon Gorge is home to six of the 11 threatened tree species in the UK.
Turn right towards the National Trust building, then left. Bear right at a stone wall and carry on as the blue Sustrans path turns left. Turn left at the purple fence post marker 18, then left again at marker 19. Turn right on to the estate road, then bear left at signs for Paradise Bottom.
Carry on downhill (left), ignoring the path that bears right through barriers, and past a cottage called Oak Wood Lodge. Go through a barrier then, when Sustrans route 41 goes right, keep ahead towards Paradise Bottom. The path becomes a wide gravel track. Follow it past a pond to a car park.
3. Riverside
Take the path directly behind the noticeboard. Cross a bridge then turn left. Head downhill and around a pond, then uphill through woods and one of the prettiest parts of the walk. Go through a gate then turn left at the main track (from earlier). After 300m, turn left down Sustrans route 41. Head downhill towards the River Avon, until you reach a cyclepath beside the river.
4. Down in the gorge
Turn right and follow the path past several railway bridges, with views up to the suspension bridge. Turn right just before the bridge and follow this path back to the entrance to Leigh Woods. Turn left back over the bridge and left past the camera obscura to return.
Leigh Woods map
Leigh Woods walking route and map
