The best walks and hikes around City of Bristol

Metropolitan Bristol

There are some superb, scenic walks in Bristol’s city centre, where your only concern will be choosing where to stop for a hot beverage and admire the world-class street art. The Floating Harbour is a great place to start, where waterside restaurants, cafes and bars look out onto the many ships, barges and narrowboats moored on its banks. Many visit legendary engineer and shipbuilder Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s SS Great Britain, or continue along the river to take in the majesty of his iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Around the Avon Gorge

Some of the best hiking routes around Bristol are found in the Avon Gorge region, which runs from Sea Walls to Clifton to the west of the city. The Gorge is crossed by Brunel’s famous bridge, a wonderful place from which to take it all in. On the western side, you have the choice of heading for the National Trust owned Leigh Woods and its many gorgeous trails or to venture onto the Ashton Court Estate, which rewards with huge views across the city, more lovely woodland paths and a fallow deer park.

On the city side of the Avon Gorge are the Downs, a huge area of protected parkland that feature some of the most scenic walks in Bristol. Here you can get up close to the top of the cliffs and watch out for the peregrines that nest here, or take in the view of the Suspension Bridge and Leigh Woods from Sea Walls.

Gorges, hills and river valleys

It’s a hilly city, so walking in Bristol can really get the heart going. From Troopers Hill and the Stoke Park Estate in the east to Brandon Hill and its Cabot Tower above the centre, there are numerous places to seek out a panorama. Be sure to keep your eyes skyward on clear, still days, when the city’s famous hot air balloons can often be seen drifting across the heavens.

There are some superb riverside hikes in Bristol along both the River Avon and the River Trym. The latter, as it burbles through a small, wooded gorge in the Blaise Castle Estate, is particularly delightful to follow and feels like a little slice of Middle Earth within the city. It’s possible to follow the Avon all the way to Bath, taking you from Bristol’s urban heart into stunning Somerset countryside.