Best walks to or from Clifton Down

Clifton Down Station Circular via Durdham Down

A circular walk from Clifton Down station through the Victorian neighbourhoods of Cotham, Redland and Durdham Down, rich in architectural and historical curiosities. The route crosses Whiteladies Road and passes through Hampton Park, lined with Grade II listed Victorian houses, then crosses the Severn Beach railway by a road bridge. Among the points of interest are a war memorial of 1920 bearing the unusual dates 1914 to 1920, the residents' garden of Clyde Park, and Victorian tilework commemorating the second-century Roman road, the Via Julia. The walk passes the Georgian Redland Parish Church of 1742 and a King Edward VII pillar box of 1902, then reaches the open grassland of Durdham Down, scene of a 1910 aviation display watched by 30,000 spectators. Other features include the Seven Sisters cluster of trees planted in 1871, the Durdham Down Bone Cave discovered in 1842, a water tower added in 1954, and a memorial fountain and clock tower of 1903. Trains usually run every 30 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads, making this an easy and curiosity-filled town circuit.

5km. 1h30.

Highlights: Durdham Down (An expanse of open downland above the Avon Gorge, long used as Bristol's common grazing and recreation ground).

Documented by Bristol Rail Campaign.

Clifton Down Station to Stapleton Road Station

A linear walk across Bristol's inner suburbs from Clifton Down to Stapleton Road, tracing the city's social and railway history through changing neighbourhoods. From Clifton Down the route ascends Cotham Hill and crosses Warwick Road into Redland, passing the lime-tree avenue known as Lover's Walk and the historic Redland station of 1897, then crossing the railway by a cast-iron bridge near Redland Court, a house rebuilt in the 1730s. It descends through Zetland Road into Montpelier, passing beneath the railway arches, and continues along a quieter stretch where the Severn Beach line runs in a tunnel underfoot. Dropping down Ashley Hill past Horfield Brook's culvert and a line of historic gas lamps, the walk enters St Werburgh's, where a Victorian church relocated from Corn Street in 1877 now houses a climbing centre, and threads through St Werburgh's Park. It then follows Norman, Warminster and Saxon Roads, crosses the M32 by footbridge, and finishes near the Grade II listed turreted tower at Stapleton Road, thought to be an old gazebo. Trains run on the Severn Beach line.

5km. 1h.

Documented by Bristol Rail Campaign.

Sea Mills Station to Clifton Down Station

A linear walk from Sea Mills station up through Bristol's leafy north-western suburbs to Clifton Down, taking in parks, woodland and the open expanse of the Downs. The route starts near the Roman building foundations beside the Portway and climbs past Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve and the woodland gardens of Bishops Knoll. Its highlight is Sea Walls, a clifftop viewpoint giving dramatic views over the Avon Gorge to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The walk then crosses Durdham Down, passing the Victorian villa of Towerhurst and a specimen of the rare Bristol Whitebeam tree planted in 1973, before dropping down through Clifton's streets. Along the way it passes the closed Pembroke Road stone quarry, a ventilation shaft of the Clifton Down railway tunnel, the tower of Emmanuel Church on Guthrie Road, and All Saints Church, rebuilt after bomb damage in 1940. The walk ends near the Alma Tavern, a combined pub and theatre, close to Clifton Down station. Trains usually run every 30 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads.

5km. 1h.

Highlights: the Sea Walls (A clifftop viewpoint on Durdham Down overlooking the Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge), Durdham Down (An expanse of open downland above the Avon Gorge, long used as Bristol's common grazing and recreation ground), and Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve (A small lake-and-woodland nature reserve in the suburbs above Sea Mills).

Lunch: The Alma Tavern, a pub and theatre near Clifton Down station, lies at the end of the walk.

Documented by Bristol Rail Campaign.