Temple Meads Station

Backwell Station

YattonStation

Worle Station

Weston-super-MareStation

21

20

19

18

18A

Strawberry Line Heritage Trail

Strawberry Line Heritage Trail

Avon Timberland

Trail

River Avon Trail

Gordano Round

Gordano Round

Community Forest Path

West Mendip

Way

TidalTrail

Weston Woods

Dolebury Hill Fort

Butcombe Bay

Scratchy Lane

Crook Peak and Wavering DownCrook Peak and Wavering Down

Brockley Combe

Ashton Hill Plantation

Clevedon Court and Norton Woods

Abbots Leigh Ponds

Coastal Path

Weston Woods

Dolebury Hill Fort

Butcombe Bay

Scratchy Lane

Brockley Combe

Ashton Hill Plantation

Clevedon Court and Norton Woods

Abbots Leigh Ponds

Coastal Path

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

CLEVEDONNAILSEA

PORTISHEAD

Uphill

Burrington

Butcombe

Regil

Winford

Felton

Brockley

Cleeve

Claverham

North End

Kenn

Walton in Gordano

Weston in Gordano

Tickenham

Wraxall

Portbury

Sheepway

Clapton in Gordano

Easton-in-Gordano

Abbots Leigh

Ham Green

Failand

ChelveyWest Town

Flax Bourton

Barrow Gurney

Redcliff Bay

Hewish

Kingston Seymour

Wick St Lawrence

Kewstoke

Worle

West Wick

Puxton

Rolstone

Blackmoor

Sandford

Dundry

Nempnett Thrubwell

Chew Stoke

Lulsgate Bottom

Bristol International

Airport

Pill

BRISTOL

LeighWoods

Ashton Court

Bleadon

Christon

Loxton

Hutton

Locking Banwell

Winscombe

Axbridge

Cheddar

Churchill

Blagdon

Bishop Sutton

Chew Magna

Redhill

Yatton

Backwell

Long Ashton

Congresbury

Lower Langford

Wrington

Chewton Mendip

A371 A368

A38

A38

A371A371

B3140B3140

B3133B3133

B3440B3440

A370A370

A3033A3033

A369A369

B3151B3151

B3151B3151

B3371 B3134B3371 B3134

B3114B3114

B3130

B3130

B3130

B3130

B3128B3128

B3124B3124

M49

M5

M5

M5

Brean Down

Chew Valley LakeBlagdon

Lake

Bleadon Hill

Court Farm Park

Tropical Bird Garden

Sand Bay

Worlebury

Animal Farm Adventure Park

Burrington Combe

Cheddar Gorge

Weston Bay

Sand Point

Woodspring Priory

NORTH RTSOMERSETTSETETSSOMERSMERSSOMERSET

Battery Point

Cadbury Camp

Clevedon Craft Centre

Tyntesfield

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm

Goblin Combe Environment

Centre

Barley Wood Walled Garden

Action Centre

Puxton Park

Clevedon Court

River Kenn

River Yeo

Welcome to our favourite family routes in the area. From the wild Mendips to the windswept coast and sheltered woods there’s always somewhere new to discover or an old favourite to visit again.

The Family Explorer has been designed with you in mind. There is clear simple advice about each route from the family viewpoint. The routes may not be suitable for all ages so we’ve given advice based on our experience. Each route is in an area where there are loads of other routes to explore.

We’ve also suggested great things to see and do when you’re walking or riding the routes. A family walk should never be just a walk, it’s an adventure of sticks, wildthings, views and memories.

Explore the North Somerset Countryside

Make a day of it. There’s always another place to visit nearby like the majestic Tyntesfield or cosy Clevedon Craft Centre. Stop in a local pub or café and help to make North Somerset a vibrant area.

The rural attractions of North Somerset help to make the area a better place for residents and visitors. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Enjoy the North Somerset Countryside

More copies are available from your local rural attraction, or from;

Weston-super-Mare Tourist Information CentreBeach LawnsWeston-super-MareNorth Somerset County Council BS23 1AT

Tel: 01934 888 800 Fax: 01934 641 741

Email: touristinfo1@n-somerset.gov.uk

www.somersetcoast.com

or your local libraryDesigned, produced and distributed by the Blue Skies Rural Visitors Group.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this publication is correct. But we cannot guarantee it is free from errors and omissions, particularly information sourced from third parties.

Key

This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. (North Somerset Council) (100023397) (2007)

Map not to scale.

3130

2827

26

29

29A

25A23A

25 2423

2

1

1

22 21

16

18 18

19

20

Ò21

S

S

SS

S

S

S

22

23

24

25

26

19

3

1718A

1520

M48

M49

M4M5

M5

A4

A4

A37

A37

A357

A372

A358

A358

A378 A359

A371A359

A303

A30

A46

A46

A420

A36

A36

A38

A38

A39

A39

A39A39

A371

A361

A361

A361

A368

A370

A368

A366

A362

M32

North Somerset has great countryside ready for you and your family to explore. Use this map to find the detailed routes overleaf and to discover other trails around this beautiful area.

Family attraction

Tourist information

National Trust building

Ecclesiastical building

Train station

Motorway

Major ‘A’ road

Minor ‘A’ road

‘B’ road

North Somerset border

Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Trail start/finish

Greenland/woodland

AbbotsPondSnake’s Well

Wood

Snake’s Well Plantation

Three Cornered

Wood

East Tanpit WoodWest Tanpit

Wood

Yew Tree Plantation

Round Hill Clump

Round Hill Log

Fish Pond Wood

Abbots Leigh Ponds

Distance: 3.5km/2m.

Time: 1.5hrs with a 7 and 8yr old.

Surface: Lanes, surfaced and un-surfaced.

Obstacles: Wet and muddy in winter.

Ride Activities: A gentle ride in this beautiful area with orchards and hidden valleys. Stop and play by the pools or pick blackberries along the lanes in autumn.

Local Activities: For the more adventurous riders the Timberland Trail passes nearby in Fifty Acre Wood, Ashton Court and Leigh Woods, where there are more trails than you’ll know what to do with.

Local Services: Abbots Leigh has a pub. Tyntesfield (National Trust) and Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm are to the west along the B3128.

Parking: A public car park down a lane from Manor Road.

Discover this tranquil hidden piece of countryside on the edge of Bristol. A great place to ride on quiet lanes and woodland tracks.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

AshcombeWood

Worlebury

Worlebury Hill

Weston Woods

Town Quarry

Weston Woods Walk

Distance: 3km/2m.

Time: 1.5 hours with a 6 and 8 yr old plus a dog – gentle pace with no stops. Other loops on foot and bike are possible.

Surface: Compact gravel path and woodland path with small stones the further on you go (once past the iron age fort).

Obstacles: A few small inclines – the paths are suitable for bikes (not stabilisers), 3 wheeler prams (the off-roading type).

Walk Activities: Follow the path in a straight line and you come to the iron age fort, lots of rocks piled up in heaps, then onto the dug out bunkers, large holes that are great fun for hide and seek. Fantastic views of Sand Bay from a clearing in the woods on your right.

Local Activities: Birnbeck Pier and Sand Bay.

Local Services: Various local pubs and shops.

Find a moments peace with your family in the woods above Weston. Where glimpses of Sand Bay and the coast punctuate playing in the woods.

Churchill Batch

Churchill Quarry

LimestoneLink

Dolebury Hill Fort Dolebury

Warren

Dolebury Hill Fort

Distance: 2km/1m.

Time: 1.5 hrs with 6 year old twins and plenty of playing ‘Robin Hood’ in the trees and on the fort’s embankments.

Surface: Concrete track, then stoney lane and then grass slopes.

Obstacles: Very steep terrain.

Walk Activities: Really steep slopes to play on and trees to hide in and climb. For the really energetic you can follow the ridge line along which leads to Rowberrow Forest and Black Down above Burrington Combe.

Local Activities: Rowberrow Church, High Action Centre – tobogganing, snow boarding, dry skiing (Churchill), swimming pool at Churchill Community School.

Local Services: Churchill Post Office shop, Fish bar, 24 hour store, 4 pubs in Churchill and the Swan Inn at Rowberrow.

Parking: Small car park in Dolebury Bottom, off the A38 south of Churchill.

A challenging climb that takes you back in time to the top of a hill fort. Dominating the countryside below Dolebury Hill Fort is a place of high adventure where imaginations can run riot.

Cook’sWood

Land Yeo

ShipleyBrake

George’s Hill Plantation

Ashton Hill Plantation

Ashton Hill Plantation

Distance: 3km/2km.

Time: 1hr riding with a 7yr old.

Surface: Compact gravel forest roads.

Obstacles: Some long gentle descents and climbs.

Ride Activities: Good wide trails and a variety of slopes are great for practising braking on descents and pedalling out of the saddle! More adventurous challenges can be found on the ‘singletrack’ in the woods.

Local Activities: The Timberland Trail for more experienced young riders starts at nearby Ashton Court. Tyntesfield, National Trust, is only 2 minutes drive along the B3128. Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is 5 minutes drive on the B3128.

Local Services: Failand village has a shop and pubs. Long Ashton has several pubs and shops.

Parking: Car Park for the woods at the top of Belmont Hill on the B3129.

Swoop down through the plantation and pedal hard up the climbs. Ashton Hill Plantation is a fun family ride through woods.

Yorkhouse Cave

Willis’s Batch

Brockley Wood

Brockley Combe

ChelveyWood

Tap’s Combe

CHELVEY BATCH Backwell Hill

Brockley Combe

Distance: 3km/2m.

Time: 1hr with a 12 yr old.

Surface: Lanes and tracks, loose and rocky.

Obstacles: Long descent and climb with loose stones.

Ride Activities: A more challenging route for off road riders where the surface will change from un-surfaced lanes to slippery rocks. A technical challenge for novice mountain bikers of all ages but a great sense of achievement can be found at the end!

Local Activities: Brockley Combe has loads of bridleways to be discovered.

Local Services: Nearby Backwell and Cleeve have shops and pubs.

Parking: Informal parking at the entrance to the timber products centre.

Family adventure in these deep woodlands. Small technical challenges will concentrate your mind in some atmospheric countryside.

Compton Hill

CrookPeak

Yarberry

Compton Bishop

Winscombe

Wavering Down

KingsWood

Barton Hill

Barton

Crook Peak and Wavering Down

Distance: 7km/4.5m.

Time: 2.5 hours walking there and back or 1 hours cycle there and back.

Surface: Grassy and uneven.

Obstacles: Steep in places.

Walk Activities: Great place to fly a kite and feel the wind in your face! The woodland s are rich with flowers like wild garlic and anemones in spring and buzzards are common riding the thermals.

Local Activities: Historic Axbridge is nearby and further on is Cheddar Gorge.

Local Services: Nearest pubs are in Cross. Winscombe and Axbridge have plenty of local shops.

Parking: King’s Wood Car Park, off the A38 south of Winscombe.

Crook Peak towers over the M5 outside Weston. It’s a great place to feel the wind blasting across this open ridge of the Mendip Hills. An adventurous walk or ride with views from Glastonbury Tor to the Severn Estuary on National Trust land.

CourtWood

SwissValley

EastClevedon

NortonsWood

CourtHill

TheWarren

The Gordano Round

Clevedon Court Woods

Distance: A maze of different paths allow you to tailor a route from short 30 minute strolls to all afternoon exploring and den-building.

Time: 30 minutes – 3 hours.

Surface: Woodland paths.

Obstacles: Some steep paths and gates.

Walk Activities: At the western end of the woods there are rocky limestone outcrops and Foxes Cave to discover, some are remnants of the designed landscape behind Clevedon Court. The rest of the woods are ideal for den building and tree climbing.

Local Activities: Clevedon Court, National Trust (check opening times). Clevedon Craft Centre.

Local Services: Clevedon has a wide range of local shops and places to eat.

Parking: All Saints Lane, Clevedon or Hill Lane, Tickenham.

Climb through evergreen oak woods to discover caves and rocky outcrops. Paths loop round the contours and there’s always something new to discover around the corner like the woodman’s cottage or the limestone seats.

Weston Moor

Walton Down

Back Hill

Weston Down

RedcliffeBay

CharlecombeWood

Weston WoodCommon

Wood Hill

CloverCliff

LadyeBay

Walton in Gordano

Weston in Gordano

GordanoValley

Coastal Path, Clevedon to Portishead

Distance: A maze of different paths allow you to tailor a route from short 30 minute strolls to all afternoon exploring and den-building.

Time: 2.5 hrs to walk from one end to the other with a child older than 10. With young children turn back when their interest in rockpools gives up.

Surface: Firm, narrow in places.

Obstacles: CAUTION – steep drops from the path and rocks.

Walk Activities: Lots of places to get down on to the rocks to play in rockpools and scramble around. Watch for the high tides.

Local Activities: Public golf course at Portishead and Weston Lodge Shooting Grounds (paintballing) in between Clevedon and Portishead.

Local Services: Clevedon and Portishead have a wide range of shops and pubs and seaside attractions.

Parking: On-street parking in Bay Road, Clevedon.

Taste the sea air with this walk along the coast from Victorian Clevedon to Portishead. An adaptable route for children of all ages, with younger ones just stop at the many rock ‘balconies’ by the sea and play in the pools.

Bleadon Hill

HuttonHill

ChristonPlantation

ElboroughWood

The Coombe

GlebeWood

ElboroughHill

Christon Hill

East Hill

Scratchy Lane, Bleadon Hill

Distance: 3.5km/2m.

Time: 1.5hr with a 7 and 8 yr old.

Surface: Compact gravel surface then unsurfaced lane.

Obstacles: One really steep climb.

Ride Activities: Easy start to the ride and then some more challenging riding along the lane with some loose stones, ruts and mud.

Local Activities: Helicopter Museum at Locking. Weston-super-Mare and the seafront is only 10 minutes away.

Local Services: Bleadon and Hutton have shops and pubs.

Parking: Small car park on Roman Road.

Scratchy Lane on Bleadon Hill, an introduction to mountain biking on the Mendip Hills!

PicnicField

BlagdonLake

Blagdon Pumping Station

Butcombe Bay

Butcombe Bay

Distance: 3km/2m.

Time: 1hr (with a 7yr old and lots of playing). Numerous other additional loops to the walks for older children.

Surface: Compact gravel path and woodland paths.

Obstacles: Stiles and bridges over streams.

Walk Activities: Field to picnic in before the return leg.

Local Activities: Blagdon Pumping Station, fishing (permits required), Burrington Combe.

Local Services: Village Stores, Blagdon.

Follow the trail to Butcombe Bay, along the edge of beautiful Blagdon Lake. Take a picnic and enjoy the stunning views across the lake to the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Roadside parking available.

• Be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs

• Leave gates and property as you find them

• Protect plants and animals and take your litter home

• Keep dogs under close control

• Consider other people.

Follow the Countryside Code

Walk route

Walk and Ride Key

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

GUIDE

Flat surface

Medium surface

Steep surface

Bike permissible

Off-road buggy

Age 3yr +

Age 7yr +

Age 10yr +

Dog

Dog (on lead)

Map Key

Woodland

GUIDE

Maps not to scale

Forest of Avon, Ashton Court Visitor Centre,Bristol BS41 9JN

Tel: 0117 953 2141Fax: 0117 953 2143Email: info@forestofavon.org.ukWeb: www.forestofavon.org.uk

Mendip Hills AONB Service, Charterhouse Centre, Blagdon, Bristol BS40 7XR

Tel: 01761 462338 Email: mendiphills@somerset.gov.ukWeb: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk

Weston Tourist Information Centre,Beach Lawns, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1AT

Tel: 01934 888800Fax: 01934 641741Minicom: 01934 643172Email: westontouristinfo@n-somerset.gov.ukWeb: www.somersetcoast.com

Clevedon Visitor Information Centre,Clevedon Library, 37 Old Church Road, Clevedon BS21 6NN

Tel: 01275 873498Fax: 01275 343630Email: clevedon.library@n-somerset.gov.ukWeb: www.somersetcoast.com

Goblin Combe Environment Centre,Plunder Street, Cleeve, North Somerset BS49 4PQ

Tel: 01934 833723Email: enquiries@goblincombe.org.ukWeb: www.goblincombe.org.uk

Forestry Commission,Recreation Ranger, Coleford Area Office,Forestry Commission, Bank House,Bank Street, Coleford GL16 8BA

Tel: 01594 833057Email: dean@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.forestry.gsi.uk

National Trust,Estate Office, Valley Road, Leigh Woods BS8 3PZ

Tel: 0117 973 1645Email: leighwoods@nationaltrust.org.uk Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Tyntesfield,Wraxall, North Somerset BS48 1NT

Tel: 01275 461900 0870 458 4500 (Infoline)

Email: tyntesfield@nationaltrust.org.ukWeb: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Further information on walks and the countryside in North Somerset

Parking

Fort

Start of disabled route

End of disabled route

Start / Finish (Walk route)

Start / Finish (Cycle route) National Trust building

Ride route

Walk and ride route

Steep area (arrow direction denotes downhill)