In the run-up to Christmas, as Clifton is lit up for the festive season, this month’s walk from Andrew Swift is a seasonal ramble through one of Bristol’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.
Length of Walk: Four miles
Approximate Time: Allow at least three hours, although you’re likely to find plenty to
distract you en route
What to watch out for: Lots of steps
While weaving through the heart of Clifton village this December, this festive walk will help you discover hidden corners and take in architectural showpieces along the way. One word of caution, though – although you’re unlikely to encounter any muddy paths, there are lots of steps, some of them steep and uneven, so practical footwear is recommended.
Starting at College Green, head to the left of City Hall and turn right down College Street. At the bottom, turn left across two zebra crossings and turn left and right to head up Brandon Steep. At the top, go through a gateway on the right onto Brandon Hill and follow the path beside the railings.
Carry on in the same direction for 400m, and, when you come to a flight of steps, head down it. Turn right at the bottom, cross the zebra crossing by the Hope & Anchor and continue up Jacob’s Well Road.
Turn left up Gorse Lane, follow steps up to Bellevue Terrace, and, at the end, cross and turn left uphill. After 200m, as the road levels out, continue up the pavement on the right and turn right along Clifton Road.
Follow the road as it curves right and then left past the Lansdown pub. At the end, turn left and almost immediately left again to follow Birdcage Walk through the old churchyard of St Andrew’s. The church, bombed in 1940, stood on the large grassy plot at the far end, at the heart of the old village of Clifton.
Finding the heart of Clifton
After going through the gates, turn right. Just before you come to the shops, turn right between metal gateposts, bear right and follow a footpath to the right of Saville Row. At the end of the Fosseway, follow the pavement as it curves left for 25m before crossing at the bollards to follow a footpath through the middle of Victoria Square.
Carry straight on at the end through an archway into Boyce’s Avenue and the heart of modern Clifton. Clifton Arcade, on the right, opened as the Royal Bazaar & Winter Gardens in 1879, but within weeks the proprietor had gone bankrupt, the contents were sold off and it became a furniture warehouse. For over a century, it lay closed off and forgotten, slowly crumbling into dereliction, until it was acquired by sympathetic developers who have restored it to become one of Clifton’s no longer hidden gems.
At the end of Boyce’s Avenue, cross the zebra crossing and turn left and then right into Princess Victoria Street. Looking back across the road from here, the grand terrace you can see, partly hidden by shops, is Boyce’s Buildings, the oldest development in this part of Clifton. Built in 1772, it was originally a row of lodging houses for wealthy visitors, with long front gardens where the shops now stand.
Landmark views
Take the second right along the Mall, and carry on at the end before turning left by the Milk Bun along Gloucester Street. Turn left at the end and follow the road as it bears right along Westfield Place. At the end turn right and then left along Sion Row. Carry straight on when it joins another road, as the suspension bridge comes into view ahead. Follow the road as it curves left before crossing to the bridge lookout lectern and carry on past the old top station of the Clifton Rocks Railway. As you pass the Avon Gorge Hotel, look across to admire the whimsical exuberance of St Vincent’s Priory.
Continue along Princes Buildings and, after walking down the steps at the end, look to your right to see a short crescent called the Paragon. Up to your left is Royal York Crescent, reputedly the longest crescent in the country.
Carry on as the pavement curves right downhill and, when the road forks, bear right along Windsor Place. As you approach the gates at the end, look up to see the back of the Paragon high above. Carry on past the gates to look over the railings at the end of Windsor Terrace down to the Portway, over 20m below. Head back past the gates and bear right down Victoria Terrace. At the crossroads, carry straight on down Hope Chapel Hill. After passing the chapel, turn left along North Green Street. Carry on up the footpath at the end, and, when you come to another footpath, turn right along it. Continue climbing until you emerge on Cornwallis Crescent, where you turn right.
Turn left at the end up Goldney Avenue, then right down Goldney Road. At the end turn right down a stepped path and at the bottom turn left along Ambra Vale East. At the end continue in the same direction along Argyle Place and, at the Lion crossroads, carry straight on.
When the varicoloured houses come to an end, the road kinks left before continuing in the same direction. A few metres further on, when you come to a T junction, turn left and then right along a cul-de-sac. Carry on along the footpath at the end, which leads down past World’s End House and a bizarrely sited bus stop to White Hart Steps. At the bottom of the steps, turn left to cross two sets of pedestrian lights and bear right to follow the pavement as it curves round into St George’s Road, leading back to College Green.
More walks around Clifton can be found in Andrew Swift’s Walks from Bristol’s Severn Beach Line, available from akemanpress.com
Discover more wonderful Bristol walks online on our Walks with Andrew Swift Archive
