Author Archives: mikewilberforce

We have been taking the ‘stay local’ advice pretty seriously during lockdown, but the half term holidays call for slightly more flexibility if we’re going to stay sane. Despite the grey weather, therefore, we went out to do a walk that we could reach with only a short drive from home. Walk Seven: The NewContinue reading “Unfinished business in south Bristol…”

Greetings, dear readers! As we round out what will probably be the coldest week of this winter, the time has come to look ahead to the spring. Having exhausted most of my original planned walks, I have entered a new phase of searching the Bristol urban area for new routes that I can add toContinue reading “Future additions”

In recent years, it’s become a bit of a family tradition that we do this walk with my parents at around the New Year period. As such, hot on the heels of Friday’s major new update, I’m bringing you a little something extra. Walk Twenty-Eight: Chewton Keynsham is one of the shortest walks in thisContinue reading “Beyond Bristol: The perfect winter stroll”

Shirehampton is a north Bristol oddity, a suburb that is part of the city but also feels like a self-contained village. In part this is because it is surrounded by a number of unique and interesting green spaces that separate it from much of the rest of the urban area. Walk Thirty-Two: Shirehampton and King’sContinue reading “Green spaces of Bristol’s northwestern suburb”

As we were searching for things to do in that funny period of time between the end of school and Christmas itself, December threw up another one of its rare golden sunny days. Walk Eighteen: Brislington and St. Anne’s has been delayed for some time for the simple reason that we didn’t get round toContinue reading “Waterways of southeast Bristol”

I’m very pleased to be bringing you a new walk tonight. Despite it being one of my favourite Bristol walks, the publication of Walk Six: The Clifton Hillside has been delayed by the long-term closure of a small but important part of the route. However, the opportunity of a rare beautiful Saturday afternoon in DecemberContinue reading “Quirky corners of Clifton and Hotwells”

As the autumn days close in, walks in the city can seem a bit dark and walks in the countryside can seem a bit muddy and hard going. Not so the Severn Estuary, however, which offers the same big, uplifting sky all year round. Walk Twenty-Seven: Portishead Coast Path follows the estuary coast from Portishead’sContinue reading “Beyond Bristol: A coastal adventure”

On the far eastern edge of the urban area, the territory featured in this walk will be familiar to anyone who has cycled the Bristol and Bath Railway Path. Walk Thirty: Siston Common explores this lovely historic common and reveals the many intrusive changes that have been made to it over the years in theContinue reading “Beyond Bristol: Common land and rail history”

There’s lots of autumn colour out there at the moment, and this walk is one way you can take some of it in. A longer circuit, Walk Seventeen: The Malago, Crox Bottom and Novers Hill follows the Malago river from Bedminster all the way out to Bishopsworth and the edge of Hartcliffe, taking in theContinue reading “Dabbling with deep south Bristol”

It’s time to return to the leafy quiet of Ashley Vale with Walk Thirteen: St. Andrew’s and Ashley Down. This uplifting walk contrasts leafy streets with wild and semi-cultivated spaces. The circuit connects the bustling high street of Gloucester Road and the tree-lined quiet of St. Andrew’s Park with the secluded inner-city delights of St.Continue reading “Park, Down, Vale and Farm”