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Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (60) There are three stone circles at Stanton Drew: the Great Circle being one of the largestin the country. Most of the stones have fallen, although a few still remain upright. They are thought to date from the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age - ca. 3000 - 2000 BC.
It is thought that the stones represent the members of a wedding party and its musicians, lured by the devil to celebrate on the Sabbath and thus becoming petrified in their revels.
Stone circles are believed to have played an important part in contemporary social and religious life, and there is evidence that some were aligned with major events of the solar and lunar calendar.
Recent surveys have discovered that the Great Circle is itself contained within a very large buried enclsure ditch (ca. 135m diameter). This is about 7m wide and has a broad gap or entrance facing to the north-east. Such enclosures, or henges, are a well known feature of later Neolithic Britain and are assumed to be the foci of ritual activity. It seems probable that at least some of the pit circles at Stanton Drew once held massive posts. Other evdience suggests ritual pits.
The sites of these stone circles, although in the care of English Heritage, lie on private land. You are welcome to visit them during daylight hours on payment of an entrance fee of £1. Leave a Comment
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The limestone landscape includes an open windswept plateau, wooded combes, steeply cut gorges and flower rich valleys.
The Mendip Hills covering 198 sq kms is recognised as one of England's most attractive landscapes.
Bleadon Hill
Lay by providing views of the coast and on the West Mendip Way.
Burrington Ham/Black Down/Roberrow Black Down trig point is the highest point on Mendip offering terrific views across to Wales. Significant wildlife and archaeology. Excellent for walking ,cycling and horse riding.
Chew Valley Lake
Lake side area with visitor centre, tearoom, nature trail, toilets:
Crook Peak
Distinctive peak. Open grassland site with areas of gorse and scrub. West Mendip Way passes over the peak.
Deer Leap
Open access site with fantastic views over the Somerset Levels. Excellent for walks, picnics, flying kites.
Stockhill and Priddy Mineries Reserve
Forest plantation with easy going trail. Priddy Mineries offers walks over old lead workings.
Velvet Bottom Reserve
Nature reserve part of Charterhouse lead workings complex of sites. Rough grassland with small areas of scrub. Reserve links to Black Rock and Longwood Reserves.
Blackmoor Reserve
An old lead mining area steeped in history, rough grassland, heath, wetland and woodland. Industrial archaeology visible. Netherwood a small woodland on the reserve has an easy going trail.
Priddy Green
Village green at centre of ancient settlement of Priddy. Two village pubs. Hurdle stack on the green is a symbol of the ancient wool trade and annual Priddy sheep fair that takes place second Wednesday in August.
Kings Wood
Ancient woodland with ground flora. Access to Wavering Down and Crooks Peak.
Dolebury Hillfort
Iron age hillfort of great interest for its grassland, limestone heath vegetation and ancient field systems.
Black Rock Reserve
Coppiced woodland reserve including old quarry. Links to Velvet Bottom Reserve. Leave a Comment
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Yes we have our own Millenium Bridge in Bristol. It is something that most of the people, that don't go often near Temple Meads (train station), don't see. It is just behind Temple Meads and I didn't know that it was there until my boyfriend told me.
That's a view of the bridge that is a bit more "artistic"... Leave a Comment
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Just after Clifton Village, if you continue walking you will end up to Clifton Downs. A huge open area next to river Avon with grounds for football, kite flying, even a beautiful pic-nic on a sunny day. There are some paths in the woods that I first discovered last weekend while we were having our Sunday walk there. Worth to visit when the weather is warm and nice. You can also have great views of the river.
Next time we are having a pic-nic there!!! Leave a Comment
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After the Great Circle at Avebury, the largest of the 700 or so neolithic stone circles in the UK is here at Stanton Drew.
There are three visible circles here, plus a group of stones known as The Cove and the remnants of processional ways. The great charm of the monuments here is that they are so little visited. They have also not been excavated, though in recent years magnetographic work has revealed that behind the visible remains lies a site of great complexity and, presumably, importance.
The stones, although maintained by English Heritage, are on private land, in a farmer's field. GBP 1.00 per person in an honesty box at the entrance, and because it's an honesty box, you should be scrupulous about paying up - the farmer doesn't have to let you onto his land and it would be a shame if he didn't. Oh yes - watch out for the many cow pats too!
I've set up a separate travelogue for Stanton Drew. Leave a Comment
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Gaol Ferry Bridge
Clifton suspension bridge is so well-known that it even puts in an appearance on commemorative £1 coins. Bridge fans may enjoy Bristol's other suspension bridge, this slightly camp footbridge over the Avon connecting Bedminster to Spike Island (the island created between the Avon and the floating harbour). Built in 1935 on the site of an old ferry which carried 10,000 passengers a week, hence the name.
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When VT was about to be relaunched, I made a joke about being able to do a Nempnett Thrubwell page. And I still can't because it doesn't figure in the VT database (neither does Stanton Drew, or the quite substantial nearby village of Chew Magna).
Nempnett Thrubwell nestles in the foothills of the Mendips, close to Blagdon Lake. There's not much there, except a nice little church, but it's such a lovely name, don't you think? :) Leave a Comment
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Bristol offers over 20 parks and open spaces for weary residents and tourists alike. For unrivalled views of the city and surrounding area, head for the ASHTON COURT ESTATE. Especially good if you have a bike and enjoy a fast cycle through woods and down long big hills. The estate is South West of Bristol and holds many events throughout the year including: The Bristol Community Festival, Kite Fiesta, Deer Feeding Walk, Bikefest and the Essential festival (to name a few). It is a great place for a Sunday walk.
BRANDON HILL is located in central Bristol (just go up Park St and turn off left - follow the sign posts)- this a wonderful oasis of green in the heart of the city and you will find Cabot Tower at the top for good views all around.
For other Parks and events go to the Tourist Information (next door to @Bristol) and pick up a 'Park Life' leaflet. Leave a Comment
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While on the north side of the Floating Harbour - the Harbourside - there are big redevelopment projects the southern part still has the old harbour feel. Not for long though, some of the old warehouses will soon be converted into other uses, like the Bristol Industrial Museum that is located in an old warehouse (and was under reconstruction in Feb. 2007).
Until this happens you can wander around old warehouses and railtracks. As a train enthusiast for me the short walk here was worth just to take a photo of the "Trains and Pedestrian have priority" sign ;)
I took the photo of the old crane and few days after I returned to Zagreb the Discovery Channel had a programme about these devices and showed the Bristol crane as one of the first steam-operated cranes and - more surprisingly - the one that still works. They lifted a cargo rail car using just the power of steam! Hope this monument of early industrial design will be preserved! Leave a Comment
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This footbridge over the Avon just along from Temple Meads station has, for the obvious reason, always been referred to as the Banana Bridge. Finally the council bit the bullet and painted it yellow and black. Part of what makes Bristol great.
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