Are you staying in Bristol over summer? Now the sun is shining and exam season is (very) nearly over, you should definitely make the most of Bristol’s green spaces! Check out our handy guide below for our top five green gems.  

1) Frome Valley Walkway (Eastville Park, Snuff Mills and Oldbury Court Estate)

Follow the river Frome towards the Cotswold Hills, and explore a green corridor of woodland, open spaces, freshwater habitats and historic parkland! If you’re lucky you might spot herons, kingfishers, owls, and even otters!

Why not become a Frome Fairy and help keep this beautiful waterway clean?

Check out the whole 18 mile route here!

2) University of Bristol Botanical Gardens

Let your inner plant dork run wild! Visit the Mediterranean, cloud forest, Amazon rainforest, South Africa, an oriental herb garden or discover some of the rarest native plants in the south west! Home to over 4,500 plant species, there’s nowhere quite like it in Bristol!

Throughout the year, you can enjoy science picnics, art exhibitions, jazz and a range of courses covering everything from botanical painting to tree identification!

Read their full events schedule here!

3) Avon Gorge and Downs (Leigh Woods, Abbots Pool, The Avon Gorge, The Downs)

With over 30 different types of nationally rare plant growing in the Avon Gorge, as well as peregrine falcons, whitebeams, the Bristol onion and awe-inspiring geology,  it is no surprise that it’s one of the best places to see wildlife in Bristol!

Why not hire a mountain bike and explore Leigh Wood’s Nature Reserve, a beautiful ancient coppiced woodland on two wheels? The National Trust has a series of designated paths with a range of difficulties to suit everyone!

Just slightly further out is Abbotts Pool, a local nature reserve that has been around since the medieval times (when it was used for fishing by monks!). Surrounding the pool is a mature woodland – see if you can spot the massive oak or beech trees!

4) Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower

Brandon Hill is not only the oldest public park in England, but also home to Bristol’s most famous leopard slugs (featured on David Attenborough’s Life in the Undergrowth!). If you’re feeling particularly active, we’d recommend climbing all the way to the top of Cabot’s 105ft tower to enjoy spectacular views over the whole of Bristol (it’s worth it, we promise!)!

5) Arnos Vale Cemetery

Just 2 miles from the centre is a 45-acre Victorian Garden Cemetery. Stroll amongst the wildflowers and find out more about the history of the city in a magical, tranquil (and leafy!) setting. Arnos Vale is also an important wildlife corridor, so keep your eyes peeled for badgers, owls, deer and bats!

Why not take a tour of the site?

This article connects to the UN Sustainable Development Goals