Out & About around Bristol

Bristol makes a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside. You can choose to visit dramatic caves, country houses, castles and wildfowl centres, all within easy reach of the city.

The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds are the largest designated 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' in England and Wales and world famous for its quintessential Englishness in its totally preserved in 'aspic' 400 year old 'chocolate box' limestone villages where time has stood still for over four centuries.

Places to visit near Bristol are Bath and the 'must see villages' include of Castle Combe, Lacock and Painswick (known as the Queen of the Cotswolds).

Towns and villages further afield but well worth the journey in the beautiful North Cotswolds include Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden and Broadway.

Cheddar Caves and Cheddar Gorge

To appreciate some of the natural beauty of Somerset, visitors to Cheddar Caves and Gorge can discover illuminated caves, dramatic cliffs and Britain’s biggest gorge.

Cheddar Gorge is in the Mendip Hills North Somerset and is a huge geographical structure carved from carboniferous limestone on top of red sandstone running some 120 metres in height. Much of the gorge has no river but shows all the characteristics of being formed by river erosion.

Cheddar is of course also the home of cheddar cheese. The caves in the limestone are an ideal place to store and mature the cheese. Locally produced cheese is on sale at many outlets in Chedar village including the Caves.

Cheddar Caves & Gorge
Cheddar   Somerset   BS27 3QF   Tel  01934 742343

Description
Britain's biggest Gorge and most beautiful Caves.

Location
On the B3135, about 1 mile from the town of Cheddar

Opening Times
10.30 - 4.30  Sept - June  10.00 - 5.00  July - Aug

Admission Prices 2008
Adults £15.00  Children £9.50  Family £39.50

Wookey Hole and Paper Mill

Wookey Hole, Wells, Somerset, BA5 1BB

Wookey Hole Caves and Papermill feature spectacular caves, a 19th Century papermill, cave museum, Victorian arcade and mirror maze.

Tyntesfield

Wraxall, North Somerset BS48 1NX
Telephone: 0844 800 4966 (Infoline)

7 miles south west of Bristol, the National Trust’s Victorian Gothic Revival estate of Tyntesfield was home to four generations of the Gibbs family. Restoration of this 19th century estate is still underway, with two new rooms, the Oak Room and the Morning Room, having been added to the visitor route in 2007.

Berkeley Castle

To the north of Bristol in Gloucestershire, Berkeley Castle is England’s oldest inhabited castle. Visitors can discover the cell and dungeons where Edward II was notoriously imprisoned and murdered and stroll around the beautiful terraced grounds. Admission also includes the Butterfly House.

For something special, a unique tour with Charles Berkeley, the heir to the Castle, can be pre-booked throughout the season, subject to availability. Morning coffee, light lunches and afternoon tea and homemade cakes can be arranged in either the Castle Tea Rooms or, for pre-booked groups of up to 60 people, a separate upstairs room, ‘The Old Laundry’, is available. A joint ticket with the nearby Jenner Museum can be purchased. Edward Jenner’s discovery of a vaccine made from cowpox against smallpox has now been developed into one of the most important parts of modern medicine.

Westonbirt Arboretum

Near Tetbury, Westonbirt Arboretum – The National Arboretum is the largest arboretum in the UK featuring a historical collection of over 3,000 different trees and shrub species, many of which are rare or endangered. Guided walks through either The Old Arboretum or Silkwood can be arranged. Led by knowledgeable guides, this is an ideal way to find out about the history of the arboretum and the many unusual plants. Westonbirt belonged to the Holfords, a wealthy Victorian family from 1665 until 1926.

Slimbridge Wild Fowl and Wetlands Trust

A short drive north of Berkeley, the world famous conservation and education centre, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Centre is home to the largest collection of waterfowl in the world. With an astounding array of wildlife from water voles to waders and hares to dragonflies; Slimbridge is the only place in the world where you can see all six species of flamingo.

Avon Valley Railway

Travelling along a six mile section of the former Midland Railway east of Bristol, the Avon Valley Railway offers passengers the opportunity to see the River Avon valley from a different perspective. Bitton Station, midway between Bristol and Bath, where the Railway is based, has been painstakingly restored from a derelict state to provide visitors with refreshment and toilet facilities, a railway shop, a pleasant garden and outdoor seating. As well as a number of themed trips, Avon Valley Railway is now offering a combined rail and boat trip to include a 40 minute scenic boat trip along the Avon valley on board the River Princess.

Bristol Out & About