Bristol

As part of the Bristol Festival of Nature we've highlighted some other wild walks in Bristol where you can enjoy the varied sights of autumn wildlife. Page references are to the Bristol A-Z

Avon Gorge

Arnos Vale Cemetery
(P81) A spectacular Victorian cemetery, overgrown with cedars and cypresses, haunt of badgers and woodpeckers.

Avon Gorge and Clifton Downs
(P68) Bristol whitebeam, Bristol onion, and Bristol rockcress grow here and nowhere else, and other rare limestone plants abound. Raven and peregrine nest, and can be seen all year. Fine trees include three huntingdon elms, which are the last of two great avenues, black walnut and Italian maple.

Avon Walkway
A signposted path runs from the Cumberland Basin (P68) through the heart of the city to Hanham Lock (P83), and on to Bath. Thirty feet of tide swirls up and down the New Cut daily, bringing salt water through the heart of the city, and a variety of saltmarsh plants flourish on the banks. Kingfishers have been seen among the gulls.

Bishops Knoll Woodland Trust Woods and Sneyd Park Reserve.
(P55) (Off Bramble Lane) Bristol's oldest sessile oak with a six metre girth and a vast Monterey cypress are among many treasures. The reserve has good meadows and a pond.

Blaise Castle Estate and the Trym Valley
(P39, 40) This 18th century estate has a triangular folly, huge cedars of Lebanon, the city's tallest black poplar, a wellingtonia dating back to 1856 and a sprawling wingnut. A cliff of beech trees is at its best. Every common woodland bird species can be found.

Castle Park and City Docks
(P70) The site of the massive norman castle at the heart of the city has been recently planted with some unusual trees including strawberry tree, Turkish hazel and Lebanon oak. The dock walls have a giant ancient fig, and the docks are home to a flock of up to 100 swans.

Eastville Park and the Frome Valley
(P59) The lake has coot and moorhen. The narrow valley is framed by steep wooded cliffs, and has resident dippers and grey wagtails. The signposted Frome Walkway follows the river to its source on the Cotswold scarp.

Eastwood Farm, Brislington
(P82) A landscaped former rubbish tip, with steep cliffs above the Avon, riverside meadows and ponds and ancient oaks.

Oldbury Court Estate
(P60,61) A mini arboretum was planted in 1960 including dawn redwood, willow oak and big-leaf magnolia. There is a vast ancient sweet chestnut among many veteran trees.

Sea Mills and the Tidal Avon
(P55) From this Roman port there is a walk along the edge of the Avon on the old towpath. Excellent for wading birds on the mud.

Stoke Park and Duchess pond
(p59) The woods in the park contain plane and holm oak from 1750. Duchess pond is a new replacement for a more ancient lake.

Troopers Hill
(p72) An old industrial site, once quarried for coal and iron, covered in acidic grassland with heather, broom, golden rod and woodsage.

Goblin Combe

A visit to Goblin Combe takes you from the shady depths of the yew-lined combe to the sun parched slopes of the limestone cliffs and gives far-reaching landscape views across the North Somerset countryside.

This reserve is only accessible on foot and visitors can enjoy the delights of walking through the wooded valley of the combe before reaching the boundary of the reserve. Parking is limited to the small quarry car park on the left of Cleeve Hill Road near the Goblin Combe Environment Centre (signposted from the A370). From here walk back down to the road, bearing right and past the Centre on your left, following the footpath signs that lead you through a gate and into the combe bottom.

After almost a mile you’ll enter the reserve as you pass through an old stone wall. As you walk along the combe you’ll begin to notice the low scrub that has colonised the grassland slopes as well as the arching hazel overhanging the path. Majestic pollarded oaks tower over you, a shadow from a long-forgotten time when grazing activity kept most of the smaller scrub at bay. Further along the path the old gnarled yews grow in their own deep shade and it is here where the mysteriously named moonwort was first ever recorded. Butterflies such as speckled wood can be found as well as gatekeepers flitting within the dappled light. It is here that the uncommon white admiral may be seen in July.

As the path divides, stay in the valley bottom, keeping to the route turning off left after 40m. Here the ferns of the combe are at their best with hart’s-tongue and male ferns covering the greatest area and limestone fern can be found growing amongst the moss-covered scree. Winding your way up the footpath, follow the yellow markers on the trees that take you through an area with a high dormouse population. Eventually you’ll come out onto the grassland where in the summer the site is full of insect life. Common blue butterflies, along with marbled white and silver washed fritillaries will be seen across the species-rich grassland, and in the purple heath areas both woodland and common green grasshoppers can be heard singing during July and August. In the shorter areas of turf and bare rock grayling butterflies may be seen occasionally and stripe-winged and mottled grasshoppers heard singing quiet hissing song.

Cross the grassland until you reach the entrance barrier and turning left just before this will take you along the path at the top of the grassland. This leads you onto the top of the combe - be careful here as the cliff to the left is very steep. The views from here take in the western end of the Mendips northwards across to the coast of South Wales. Ignore the air traffic from Lulsgate and look for the buzzards that freely orbit in the thermals over the combe, often joined by ravens, the largest member of our crow family. In the autumn family groups of crossbills can often be heard as they fly between the conifer plantations.

From the viewpoint follow the path to the right which takes you down across another stone wall and for a short period you are outside the reserve. Follow the path right to the bottom of the combe, taking care when walking down the steep flight of steps, and eventually reaching the point where you entered the site. Turn right at this point and follow the path back towards the Centre and the car park.

Goblin Combe is privately owned and part of it is leased to the Trust to manage as a nature reserve. The Trust is working in partnership through FWAG with Natural England and SITA to re-establish grazing at this site. We are also working with Goblin Combe Environment Centre and North Somerset Council to improve visitor access to this reserve via a series of paths and upgraded steps that link the whole combe. Improvements are also planned to the site interpretation which will inform visitors about the special wildlife value of Goblin Combe.

Chew Valley

Chew Valley Lake, owned by Bristol Water is the largest inland water body in the South West.

Thousands of visitors arrive at the lakeshores every year, but this impressive number is dwarfed by the huge numbers of birds that live around or passes through Chew during every season of the year.

Public access to the lake is restricted to the north-eastern shore where two easily accessible trails lead to a bird hide that gives impressive views across the water. It is here at the northern of the two picnic areas that the walk begins, taking in a flavour of the habitats and species that can be found elsewhere around the shore...

From the café and picnic area near the northern dam, take the path that leads south along the reed-fringed shore. Here you are able to get elevated views across North Shore towards Denny Island. At this point during the late winter and early spring grey herons can be seen constructing stick-nests high in the canopy of the small copse. This magnificent bird is commonly seen throughout the year along the shoreline of the lake and a few breed in a small heronry found on this island. The dark silhouettes of the great cormorant give an almost primeval feel to the banks and trees of the island as this bird sits with its wings half open waiting for them to dry.

The path leads down towards the car park of the second picnic area and along the reed-fringed shore. This is the beginning of the Grebe Trail and where a surfaced path allows people with disabilities or with pushchairs a chance to experience the wildlife delights of the lake. During the spring and summer the reed is alive with a cacophony of birdsong. In April reed and sedge warblers arrive from African wintering grounds and join resident reed buntings in this area. They busily set up territories and attract mates for their short breeding season before they fly off south again. In the winter this habitat can look like a soulless place but the patient observer may be rewarded with glimpses of water rail darting amongst the leaf litter or a flock of long tailed tits noisily patrolling the reed. Also in the winter parts of the reed-bed are cut and the reed removed. This drastic looking management is a critical part of the lakeside management, keeping the reed-bed free from scrub and in the correct condition for our summer visitors.

Follow the path through grassland where black knapweed and devil's-bit scabious flowers into the late summer. Meadowsweet also grows here in the wetter areas. Its creamy rich flowers give off a heavily scented perfume which attracts beetles and hoverflies to the rich nectar. Dragonflies, with their marvellous shapes echoing prehistory can also be found in abundance along this stretch. The blue and green of the Emperor dragonfly gets brighter as the temperature rises throughout the day, and the orangey red of the common darter blends in well with the rich colours of the summer's end.

At a bridge you can either cross over to the less surfaced Bittern Trail or loop back along another path back to the start. Along this stretch you will pass through woodland copse where our two smallest birds, the coal tit and goldcrest, can be heard calling. The scrub is also home to garden warblers whose song - which has been likened to bag of grinding marbles - can be heard in the spring. At the Bernard King hide there are splendid views of the eastern shore of the lake. These waters offer a safe haven to wintering duck when strong westerlies blow, and often rafts of coot and tufted duck can be seen close to the shore. Gadwall, shoveler, mallard and pochard are also found in this area throughout the year and are often joined with goosander and goldeneye during the winter. Following the path takes you back to the bridge and then back onto the Glebe Trail and on to the start. From the serious birder to the family day out there is always something to see at any time of the year.

Note: Other good bird watching points include Herriots Bridge and Herons Green.

Special permission!
You can make your visit even more special by obtaining a permit to the bird hides that are scattered through the reserve. And if you are keen to get closer to wildlife on our other reserves, you can apply for permits to the other sites where we operate a permit system. Application forms are available by contacting Fiona McCarthy on 0117 917 7270 or email fionamccarthy@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Permits are available for
Avonmouth Pools
Bathamption Oxbow
Blake's Pools
Chew Valley Lake (part)
Clapton Moor (part)
Cleeve Heronry
Littleton Brick Pits
Max Bog
Monk Woods
Priory Farm
Tickenham Hill (part)
Weston Moor (part

Prior's Wood

Prior's Wood is the Trust's most recent Nature Reserve and although it's well known locally for its springtime show of bluebells it's a delight to visit at any time of the year...

On entering the reserve from Portbury village continue up the woodland track after passing the cottage on your right. After half a kilometre, turn left immediately after passing the garden of the dilapidated cottage within the wood. This path now takes you into the reserve and into the heart of the wildlife rich woodland.

After passing down a flight of wooden steps turn right onto the woodland path. In the spring either side of this path bluebells stretch off up and down the slopes, with areas of white flowered wild garlic and patches of wood anemone. A column of mature oak and sweet chestnut rise from the ground and in high summer little light penetrates the rich green canopy above. In places where trees have naturally fallen, glades have formed, and it is here during the summer that spotted flycatchers can been seen catching insects on the wing. Woodcock are sometimes disturbed along this path during the winter, their camouflaged plumage making them invisible to the eye.

As you follow this path it gently rises and bends to the right, bringing you out onto the main ride after passing beside some ancient beech trees. Turning left here will take you past an area that had been felled by the late Lord Wraxall, who owned Prior's Wood as part of the Tyntesfield Estate. This area has now been replanted. During the spring you can wait here and slowly learn the difference between the songs of the fluting blackcap and marbling garden warbler. The track continues and eventually leaves the reserve passing by the site for the new Children's Hospice South West, from whom the Trust bought the woodland. However, do not leave the reserve, but turn right and descend the path that takes you down to the stream. Here you will pass through a large glade that is a carpet of bluebell blue in the spring, and a blanket of bracken brown in the autumn.

Cross the bridge and follow the path up the hill, taking the first right. Following this takes you into another extensive bluebell area that is truly breathtaking in the spring. At the end of this path cross a new bridge that takes you up a slope and along a narrow woodland path through a truly ancient part of the site. Small leaved lime grows here with many oak and ash trees. Herb paris can be found in some of the shadier areas and the ghostly toothwort can be found growing at the base of old hazel coppice.

Eventually this path comes back out on to the ride. Turn left and follow the ride down to an old lane that passes through two fields. You have now left the reserve but still in the spring and autumn the wildflowers on the grassy bank on the right are a splendid sight. After 500m you arrive back at the entrance where you came in.

Walborough

Walborough in winter is not the warmest place to visit, but on an early spring morning there can be plenty of treats
in store...

Walborough Nature Reserve is located to the south of Uphill Local Nature Reserve, south of Weston-super-Mare. It is near the most westerly part of the Mendips and forms the beginning to the West Mendip Way, which stretches across to Wells in Somerset.

The main entrance to the site is found off Uphill Way (OS grid reference ST314584) and from here access can be gained by wheelchair along the surfaced path or on foot along the old sea wall. This description follows the wheelchair friendly route but then deviates off onto an unsurfaced footpath forming a circular route back to the start.

Follow the surfaced path through the boatyard, keeping the yard office to your left. Pass by an old lime-kiln on your left and through the kissing gate. In front of you and to your left is the old quarry of Uphill. In a few places here both kestrels and little owls can be observed roosting in crevices in the rock. Continue along the path and pass a fenced-off area on your left. Many butterflies can be seen here during the summer months and great green bush-crickets can also be heard singing from the dense scrub.

After walking for a little while a field gate can been seen on the right with a new kissing gate which leads onto a recently built sea wall. Once complete the top of this wall will provide permissive pedestrian access across to the old sea wall and back to the start. The long-term aim for this low-lying field on the right is for saltmarsh restoration, with works being undertaken to allow the tide in without removing the public footpath that crosses the top of the old sea wall.

Continue straight on through the gate and on up to Walborough. At the top of the path Wessex Water's disability access continues down towards the bird hides that overlook some of the lagoons at Sewage Treatment Works. Access back to the start is back along the same path to the entrance. From here pedestrian access goes through the kissing gate on your right and onto Walborough. Follow this path along the edge of the grassland, overlooking the low-lying field to your right. Across the hill here from mid April to early May cowslips grow in their hundreds and in some good years they are followed by thousands of green winged orchids. Later in the spring kidney vetch grows in places along with honewort and Somerset hair-grass, with Autumn ladies-tresses finally flowering during September.

Follow the path along the edge of the grassland, which gives elevated views across the Axe Estuary and Bleadon Levels. Wintering flocks of redshank, dunlin and shelduck can be seen with the rising tide. Large flocks of linnet and starling can also be seen flying as the tide covers the saltmarsh areas. These flocks attract birds of prey, and merlin, peregrine and sparrowhawk are often seen.

The path continues round to the left and at the point where a lower path joins from the right (with a hedge and wall also appearing on your right) turn sharp right onto this path and follow it down towards the base of a small quarry. Walk across a short length of boardwalk and over a stile onto the top of the old sea wall. Continue along the top of this wall, following the path alongside the small pill on your left, through a series of new kissing gates, along the edge of the boatyard and back to the start.