Reserves

Royate Hill

Grid ref: ST618748 / Area: 2 hectares

Two disused railway embankments linked by a seven span brick viaduct.

How to get there
The entrance to the reserve is on Edward Street, next to Greenbank Cemetery in Eastville.

We encourage visitors to use environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Most of our reserves are easily accessible by bicycle, with many close to the National Cycle Network. Royate Hill reserve is very close to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path (NCN Route 4). Click here to view a location map of the reserve on the National Cycle Network website.

Access
Fairly steep steps lead up to an embankment footpath.

Wildlife and conservation
The site comprises two disused railway embankments linked by a seven span brick viaduct. It was constructed in the early 1870's to form part of the Clifton Extension Railway. As a whole, the site spans a distance of some 450 metres in a shallow curve from Edward Street in the north west to Clay Bottom to the east, crossing Royate Hill and the Coombe Brook at its centre.

The railway embankment creates a varied local topography with long and short, steep and gentle slopes. The source of the fill to construct the embankments is not known. The bed of the railway track is mainly limestone ballast, with ash on the outer margins.

The habitats on the site range from limestone flora on the embankment top, to flower rich grassland, developing woodland and scrub on the embankment sides. Species such as ox-eyed daisy, mouse eared chickweed and bee orchid have been recorded at the site.

Hedgerows, a stream and an old orchard are also present within the reserve boundary.

Further information
The site was compulsorily purchased by the former Avon County Council in 1996, following a five-year high profile campaign by local people to save it from development.