The Downs

Introduction

The Downs, Stoke Road, Durdham Down, Bristol BS9 1PG

View a map of The Downs

For a direct link to this page use www.bristol.gov.uk/thedowns

The Downs consists of Clifton Down and Durdham Down - two large, historic, adjacent grassed green spaces of about 400 acres. Although on the edge of the city, The Downs feels like open countryside, with their wide views of the Avon Gorge, Leigh Woods, North Somerset, the Severn Estuary and across to South Wales. The Downs are one of Bristol's most historic and popular open spaces, used for sport, events, wildlife spotting and healthy exercise.

Visitor facilities and information

• Baby changing facilities (located at Circular Road, Stoke Road and near Clifton Suspension Bridge)
• Benches and picnic areas
• Café Retreat
• Children's playground (located near Sion Hill)
• Disabled access information
• Home of The Bristol Downs Football League - visit The Downs League at TheFA.com
• Large open spaces for walking and jogging
• Public toilets (located at Circular Road (Sea Walls), Stoke Road (adjacent to the water tower) and near Clifton Suspension Bridge)
• Trim trail exercise station

The Downs Byelaws

The Downs is regulated by The Downs Byelaws. The downs ranger and council's security services make daily patrols to enforce the Byelaws. Visitors to The Downs are reminded that the Byelaws are in place to protect this ancient and unique green space and are required to follow them.

Visitor guides

Download: The Downs Byelaws (pdf, 39 KB)
Download: Clifton Down Camp leaflet (pdf, 1.9 MB)
Download: Discover the wilidlife of Avon Gorge and The Downs (pdf, 3.8 MB)
Download: The Downs bird trail leaflet (pdf, 2.0 MB)
Download: The Downs lichen trail leaflet (pdf, 2.1 MB)
Download: The Downs tree trail leaflet (pdf, 1.3 MB)

Admission

• Admission is free, although there is a charge for admission to some events and attractions which take place on The Downs.

Access

• The Downs is less than two miles from the city centre on the north west of Bristol and located at the top of Whiteladies Road (A4018). If travelling from north Bristol, Westbury Road leads to The Downs. The Downs covers a large area north of Clifton Suspension Bridge almost to Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym.

Opening hours

• The open nature of The Downs allows access at all times.
• Christmas and New Year opening times

Parking and travel

• Drivers are permitted to park on some highways around The Downs, but please be aware that a wheel clamping scheme operates to deter incursion onto grassed areas.
• To help plan your journey to The Downs visit the travel information web page.

What’s on

Please check out the event listing to find out what's on at The Downs. Keep checking this website as the event listing is updated regularly.

The Downs hosts events large and small from Funderworld and Circus to charity fun runs such as Cancer Research UK's annual Race for Life and sponsored abseiling. These events are organised by external organisations and not The Downs, please visit the websites for details.

The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project also runs a programme of walks, talks, courses, children’s and family events throughout the year, including educational visits for school groups to learn about the wildlife of the site.

Visitor attractions

• Avon Gorge 
• Clifton Down Camp (located beside the Avon Gorge, immediately north of Suspension Bridge Road)
• Clifton Observatory (access to observation cave and camera obscura)
• Roman Road on Durdham Downs
• Peregrine Watch (observe this iconic bird from a vantage point on Circular Road)

Estate activities

• Cycling
• Horse riding 
• Kite flying
• The Bristol Downs Football League (September to April) - check pitch availability
• Walking

Community, clubs and associations

Friends of The Downs and Avon Gorge are an active local user group engaged in a variety of developmental work. Email jack@virgin.net to contact the group. For more information about volunteering on The Downs visit The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project website.

Estate management

The Downs has been managed by the Downs Committee since the 1861 Clifton and Durdham Downs (Bristol) Act - download: The Clifton and Durdham Downs (Bristol) Act 1861 (pdf, 52 KB). The Downs are still administered by the Downs Committee whose members are appointed in equal numbers by the council and The Society of Merchant Venturers. The committee passed the Byelaws to preserve the quality of the site and its landscape.

The five year Downs management plan is crucial in ensuring and securing a long term sustainable future for The Downs.

Download: The Downs management plan (pdf, 2.4 MB)

History

Download: History of The Downs (pdf, 11 KB)
Download: The Downs summary history report (pdf, 0.9 MB)

 Special designations/awards

• Green Flag Award winning site (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010)
• Site of Special Scientific Interest - a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom - Quarry Steps on Durdham Down
• Site of Nature Conservation Interest - a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife at a county scale.
• Scheduled ancient monuments - Clifton Down Camp and Roman Road on Durdham Down.

Avon Gorge

The Avon Gorge provides an impressive backdrop to large parts of Bristol. It is an iconic landscape with the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the wild and rugged Gorge and the tidal river flowing out to the Severn Estuary.

As well as being a wonderful venue for leisure and recreation, the Avon Gorge is a very important place for geology and an exceptional variety of wildlife.

The Avon Gorge supports 27 nationally rare and scarce plants - making it one of the most important botanical sites in the UK. It's also home to rare invertebrates, endangered bats and breeding peregrine falcons. Because of this it’s considered by botanists to be one of the top five sites for rare plants in Britain.

For more information about the Avon Gorge please visit www.avongorge.org.uk

Gorge management

The management of the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge is set out in the management plan below:

Download: Management plan for the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge 2010 to 2015 (pdf, 2.5 MB)

Clifton Down Camp

Clifton Down Camp is an Iron Age hillfort and as such a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Traditionally, the grazing of sheep prevented the establishment of woodland, however in the 19th century, sheep grazing at The Downs declined and therefore mowing of the grassland was introduced.

Due to the nature of the Iron Age hillfort it was difficult to mow and consequently secondary woodland became established very quickly. The slopes are now overgrown and the routs are damaging this ancient monument.

Bristol City Council as the landowner together with English Heritage will undertake an ongoing cycle of woodland management in order to prevent further damage to the archaeology on site and improve the habitats for wildlife at the same time.

Download: Clifton Down Camp leaflet (pdf, 1.9 MB)

Clifton Down Camp conservation proposals

The council aims to conserve the ancient site of Clifton Down Camp for future generations. See document below for conservation proposals that were presented at an event in October 2010.

Download: Clifton Down Camp conservation proposals (pdf, 283 KB)

Horse riding

Horse riding is permitted on parts of The Downs but is prohibited on the areas used for football and in the area from Bridge Valley Road to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It is allowed on the perimeter of the plateau area (around the football pitches) except on Sundays and Bank holidays.

Download: The Downs Byelaws (pdf, 39 KB) for more information on horseriding

Walking

The Downs is Bristol's most famous open space with large areas of flat grassland and some wooded space. It is an ideal place to stretch your legs and enjoy the outdoors during a walk.

Circular Road offers dramatic views of the Gorge (you might even see the famous peregrine falcon), the Clifton Suspension Bridge or across to Wales.

The Downs is Bristol's most famous open space with large areas of flat grassland and some wooded space. It is an ideal place to stretch your legs and enjoy the outdoors during a walk.

Circular Road offers dramatic views of the Gorge (you might even see the famous peregrine falcon), the Clifton Suspension Bridge or across to Wales.

Get in shape by following our trim trail or explore flora and fauna of The Downs by using the nature trails:

Bird trail

The complete trail takes around 1 hour. It is 2.3 km (1.4 miles) long.

Download: The Downs bird trail leaflet  (pdf, 2.0 MB)

Lichen trail

This trail takes around 30 minutes. It is 620m (0.4 miles) long.

Download: The Downs lichen trail leaflet (pdf, 2.1 MB)

Meadow trail

This trail takes around 30 minutes. It is 1.1 km (0.7 miles) long.

Download: The Downs meadow trail leaflet (pdf, 1.8 MB)

Tree trail

The complete trail takes around 1 hour. It is 2.2 km (1.4 miles) long.

Download: The Downs tree trail leaflet (pdf, 1.3 MB)

Holding an event at the Downs

The Downs Committee make a wide range of decisions about how the area is managed, including which events can take place there.

If you are considering holding a medium to larger scale event on The Downs it is very important to notify the Event Site Licencing Team as early as possible so they can consult with The Downs Committee. Larger scale events will not be permitted without full consultation with The Downs Committee.

The Downs is also covered by a series of byelaws that limit certain activities. Please ensure you have familiarised yourself with these byelaws before applying to hold an event on The Downs.

Wildlife and conservation

The Downs and neighbouring Avon Gorge collectively have the largest area of unimproved limestone grassland in Bristol. These grasslands have not been fertilised, ploughed or treated with herbicides so they are botanically rich and of high conservation value. In some areas of The Downs you’ll also find scattered clumps of scrub, avenues of planted trees and small patches of woodland.
 
In the summer, the long grass areas on The Downs are alive with colourful wild flowers such as birds-foot-trefoil, oxeye daisies and harebells. These attract a host of beautiful butterflies including marbled whites and common blues. The beauty of The Downs reaches beyond the summer months. In autumn, the trees are a magnificent blaze of gold, copper and red. In winter, you can take an exhilarating walk to Sea Walls, watching for visiting birds such as redwings and fieldfares.

Seasonal highlights

Spring

• Dog violets, wood anemones and lesser celandines provide a splash of spring colour. See if you can spot them on sunny banks and path edges.
• Visit at dawn or dusk to enjoy a chorus of bird song. Thrushes, robins, blackbirds and wrens provide an inspiring sound track to a spring stroll.
• Vibrant yellow brimstones are one of the first butterflies to appear in spring. Also look out for orange-tips, commas, small tortoiseshells and holly blues.
• Listen out for chiffchaffs singing from the tops of trees and swifts screaming overhead. In April, these birds migrate back from Africa to breed.
• Sniff a cowslip. They’re supposed to smell like cow’s breath.

Summer

• In May blossom abounds. The hawthorn trees are dressed in a froth of white, pink or red flowers.
• Explore the meadow areas in June and July. Discover a tapestry of knee-high grasses dotted with colourful wildflowers such as birds-foot-trefoil, oxeye daisies, scabious and harebells.
• Delight in the aerial antics of the young peregrine falcons as they perfect their hunting skills in noisy play.
• On warm July evenings look out for the silky wave moth as it flits around the hedges that run along the edge of the Gorge.
• How many of the Downs’ 23 butterfly species can you spot? On warm sunny days meadow brown and common blue butterflies flit around the meadow areas.
• Listen to the grasshoppers and other insects buzzing over the meadow area.

Autumn

• Kick fallen leaves and crunch beech nuts underfoot strolling through the beech tree avenue, on The Promenade.
• Conker season has arrived. Find an un-opened conker, carefully peel it to reveal the pattern inside. It’s said each has a unique pattern.
• It’s fungi season. Look out for colourful waxcaps in grassy areas and stroke jelly ear fungus growing on elder  (they feel like velvet).
• Observe jays busily burying acorns. They collect them from Leigh Woods and fly over to The Downs to stash them for the hard times ahead.

Winter

• Keep a look out for migrant birds such as redwing and fieldfare feeding on hawthorn berries.
• At night listen out for the haunting calls of tawny owls and shrieks of courting foxes.
• Starlings perched on the water tower click and whistle as they call to each other. Listen out for unusual calls as they like to imitate man-made sounds such as car alarms and mobile phones.
• Notice the big flocks of rooks, crows, jackdaws and black-headed gulls probing the ground for invertebrates.
• Flocks of long-tailed tits perform acrobatics amongst the tree tops as they hunt for their insect food.
• Sniff out sweet violets nestling under clumps of trees.
• Search for lichens growing on the bark and twigs of trees.

Disabled access information

Café Retreat

• Toilet facilities including disabled access nearby.

Facilities

• Disabled toilets open during daylight hours daily, located adjacent to the water tower (Stoke Road) and on the approach road to the Clifton Suspension Bridge (Clifton Down). 
• Baby changing facilities can be accessed from Circular Road (Sea Walls), Stoke Road (adjacent to water tower) and near Clifton Suspension Bridge.

General

• The nature of The Downs means some difficult terrain may be encountered. This may present some difficulty to visitors who use wheelchairs, those with restricted mobility or the visually impaired. However, many level grassed areas are criss-crossed by footpaths with easy roadside parking.

Nature trails

• Bird trail - mostly flat with no steps, significant slopes or stiles. Please follow the suggested diversions to
  avoid slopes and rough terrain. The paths are covered with short grass and some of them are tarmac.
• Lichen trail - some gentle slopes. There are no steps or stiles but there is a ditch and a diversion has been sugested at this location. The route is on grass rather than hard paths.
• Meadow trail - is flat with no steps, significant slopes or stiles. The paths are covered with short grass.
• Tree trail - is flat with no significant slopes or stiles. There are two places with steps and diversions have been suggested at these locations.