Bristol is blossoming with green spaces – perfect enjoying a spot of fresh air, seeing local wildlife, mushroom, wildflower spotting and more.
Beautiful countryside envelopes the city and Bristol makes a good place to go out exploring South Gloucestershire and South Cotswolds or Rural Somerset.
Some of the largest parks in Bristol City Centre are Castle Park, Brandon Hill, Queen Square and Clifton Downs and if you happen to come during #SummerInBristol you will find them hosting some of the biggest festivals in Bristol.
Just a short journey out of the city centre and you will find the extensive grounds of Ashton Court Estate, once home to the Smyth’s of Bristol, the picturesque Leigh Woods, the sprawling Stoke Park, or Blaise Castle Estate, another exceptional mansion house to explore.
Conham River Park is part of the Avon Valley Woodland local Nature reserve – keep an eye out for woodpeckers, kingfishers and herons (across the river from Conham River Park is a Heronry!).
A cemetery may not be your first thought when it comes to parks in Bristol, but Arnos Vale Cemetery is one of the earliest and best examples of a Victorian Arcadian Garden cemetery in the UK and you will find many listed building and monuments of significant importance here. The University of Bristol Botanic Garden is filled with a diverse range of plants and set to a backdrop of a remarkable Victorian house.
Parks and estates near Bristol
Tyntesfield, in North Somerset is a spectacular Victorian Gothic Revival house with extensive gardens and parklands. Dyrham Park near Bath is an ancient parkland with 17-century house and garden.
In South Gloucestershire, explore the gardens at Berkeley Castle, Dr Jenner’s House Museum & Garden and Jekka's.
In Weston Super Mare you can find Grove Park, The Italian Gardens, Clarence Park, Bluebell Woods, and more.
Local producers
Yeo Valley Organic Garden runs workshops, tours and talks on their six and a half acres of Soil Association certified garden in Somerset. To the north of the city, you’ll find culinary and medicinal herbs at Jekka’s Herb Garden in Almondsbury. Jekka’s run masterclasses, herb experiences, open days and private tours throughout the year, as well as their HerbFest in summer.
Nature reserves in Bristol and the surrounding areas
You are never more than a couple of miles from open space, nature and wildlife. As well as our parks and gardens, huge arboretums on our doorstep Bristol is home to nature reserves, streams, rivers and lakes.
Bristol’s Nature Reserves include: Avon Cut, Badock’s Wood, Callington Road, Eastwood Farm, Lamplighters Marsh, Lawrence Weston Moor, Manor Woods Valley, Narroways Millenium Green, Old Sneed Park and Troopers Hill.
In North Somerset, you can find Uphill Nature Reserve which a site of Special Scientific Interest is part of the Mendip Limestone Grasslands Special Area of Conservation, (SAC) supporting a diverse flora and valuable insect habitat.
The extensive network of waterways and parks in Bristol means that 90% of Bristolians live within 300m of green space, so when you stay in the city, make sure you make the most of them!
