Visitors are often drawn to Bristol’s exceptional music scene, fantastic culture, and strong links to the country’s storied industrial glory. What many people forget is that Bristol also puts a whole range of outstanding outdoor activities at your doorstep. If you’re staying in the area for longer than a day or two, it’s well worth exploring some of the surrounding great outdoors.
Here are just a few of our top picks.
The Frome Valley Walkway
The River Frome is a tributary of the River Avon that flows straight through the Cotswold Hills before running southwest to the centre of Bristol. The Frome Valley is one of the country’s most important green corridors, and the Frome Valley Walkway is a fantastic recreational path that connects communities, parks, woodlands, meadows, and other waterways. If you’re up for a bit of a challenge, you can walk the whole thing. If you’d rather take things easy, the Frome Valley Walkway can be split into several small walks.
Mountain Biking from Ashton Court Estate
While the Frome Valley Walkway and The Downs are ideal if you’re looking for a more relaxed outing, Ashton Court offers exhilaration likely to appeal to adrenalin junkies. They hire out quality mountain bikes and offer several outstanding purpose-built mountain bike trails. You’ll feel a million miles from the centre of Bristol as you sweep down through tree-lined trails. If you want to go extreme, head to a mountain biking skills session. If you fancy something a little more sedate, there are plenty of gravel tracks, river paths, and cycle routes. If you want to cycle through the beautiful and adventurous track, you can find mountain bikes (see “mountain bikes 29er” to learn more) that could be perfect for bumpy rides.
The Downs
Clifton Down and Durdham Down make up The Downs, a huge area of protected parkland right next to the city of Bristol. Though within convenient striking distance of the hustle and bustle, The Downs feel like a world apart. The area plays host to numerous events, charity runs, circuses, and funfairs throughout the year, and provides stunning views across the Avon Gorge.