The Downs

The Downs is one of the nicest green spaces in Bristol, in my eyes! And I like to think I’ve got pretty good eyes!
I think it’s the biggest Green Space in Bristol with beautiful views of the Avon Gorge, Suspension bridge, Leigh Woods and the Severn Estuary. The Downs is on the edge of Clifton and Henbury, 2 of the nicest and most expensive areas in Bristol — so event the surrounding houses and architecture are nice to look at.
During the summer you’ll find LOTS of BBQ’s, Picnics, dog walkers and people playing cricket etc. It attracts families and groups of young’ens in equal measure, but it is so big you’ll never really get in the way of one another.
It Feels different to any of the other parks and green spaces in Bristol; much more relaxed and ‘normal’ as opposed to the likes of St Andrews and St George.

Escape the hustle and bustle of this brilliant city !
Another highlight of Bristol in terms of the outdoors. A great location to chill out have a barbecue, picnic or just kick a ball around.
Students seem to love this place along with dog walkers, runners and family’s.
A run around the downs is great and a phys circuit here is even better.
They also have a fun fair and circus held each year at different times.
There is also a café here which have great coffee.
This really is a brilliant black in the summer and is full of people enjoying life living the dream as some may say !
In the winter months are just as good !
Plenty of parking take a visit and enjoy.

Wowee. That’s all I can say. This park is absolutely fantastic. A park that won’t really be found if you’re not pointed to it, or if you’re not a Bristol local. It is huge; perfect for a long run, walking the dogs, cycling around or simply having a lovely summers barbeque.
There always are events here during the summer that really encourage community participation. It is abit of a trek up Whiteladies Road, and then even more up the tiny bit of Stoke Road to get to this park. Think of the park as your prize, after that hill walk or cycle. Check out the Downs Tree Trail too; the map downloadable from the website. Very nice.

Clifton Downs are beautiful, and in my opinion they are a massive attraction of Bristol, especially in terms of living here. Having the downs located so close to the city centre brings about the best of both worlds — you have the bustling and buzz of the city life, combined with the chilled out and relaxing atmosphere of plenty of green parks, so there really is something for everyone!
The Downs are deceivingly large and constitute over 400 acres of land, something you wouldn’t expect to be so close to a city! They are a perfect place in the winter for dog walks and the likes, and during the summer months they are a haven of people relaxing, playing games, chilling out and enjoying the sun. There’s also plenty of parking all around the downs so you will be able to find somewhere to drop the car, even though it does get crazy busy on hot summers days. I’d recommend heading down on the next hot day and bringing along a picnic and a Frisbee, or getting together a game of rounders!

The Downs are one of the largest green spaces in Bristol, perched at the very top of the steep ascent through Clifton. During the day, the space is home to joggers, dog walkers, kite flying fanatics and football playing students (Bristol University has several large halls nearby). This is a beautiful space for a picnic, which feels far more rural than it actually is. Be aware that you will need a jumper on all but the best days — a hilltop location and a lack of cover mean that the wind can be very chilly.
By night, however, the downs have a rather violent reputation. The wide open expanse is unlit, and is so large that it’s literally true that no one can hear you scream. These facts, coupled with the relative affluence of Clifton, which edges one side of the downs, mean that there are a higher than usual number of murders and muggings here. At night, you definitely don’t want to cross alone, particularly if you’re young and female, so if your night out involves a late night walk back over the downs, do make sure that you walk in groups.

Beautifully put by Will P, ‘Clifton’s lungs’…I would go as far as to say the downs are Bristol’s lungs (but then I don’t leave Clifton much).
They do so much for so many people; you can walk your dog or have a BBQ, you can jog every night as the sun goes down or you can play Saturday football with your team (or Pee wee soccer as I call it, because I’m hilarious).
You can almost forget you live in a city when you’re up on the downs. If you do ever go for a walk or a run try and head up this way as the sun is going down; away from the noise and light pollution this large open space is so beautiful as the sky changes colour. I’ll try not weep onto my keyboard, but sometimes living in a city can feel pretty soulless and there are some really beautiful parts of this country and the downs in one of them.
Just mind out for the dogger’s. Ha.

One of the things I love about this city is how, no matter where you are, there is always some green space close by. You couldn’t more green space in Bristol than The Downs, which just seems never ending in its flat, even areas of grass.
Naturally the place can get quite busy on sunny weekends but there is always plenty of room, no matter how large your party. There are regular weekend football matches at the far side of the park closest to the suspension bridge and funfairs are regularly held here throughout the year.
A downside is that the Powers That Be no longer allow BBQs but from what I’ve seen they can be quite lax about this.
Perfect for but not limited to; dog walking, football, picnics, ultimate Frisbee, funfairs, fireworks, jogging, sight seeing, circuits and sunbathing.

Whenever I have friends or family visiting I always take them for a stroll round the downs. It’s such a lovely green area and if you walk to the look-​out point over the Avon gorge, it commands stunning views in both directions. There’s always something going on here whether it’s running clubs, university sports leagues or people just enjoying themselves with their kids and dogs. There are also crazy amounts of runners training for various half-​marathons. I was once one of those runners traipsing around breathlessly and longing for it to end. I did find it a little sketchy on the far side when I was running after dark and would never recommend doing it alone though. There are lots of individuals just parked up in their cars alone and it can feel quite unsafe. But in the daytime it is a beautiful oasis of green. And in the snow people are always having fun building huge snow sculptures– like a sphinx one year which was really impressive.

I will never forgive the Downs for forming a large, muddy section of the unpleasant 40 minute walk I had to make to lectures from the Stokes Bishop university halls of residence.
Personal grudges aside, I find this green space really quite mediocre. The wide open spaces serve a purpose — they’re perfect for sports training, but other than that they strike me as a rather drab and uninspiring slice of nature.
There’s also the area’s reputation for dogging. Jogging along of an evening I invariably notice a series of parked cars with individuals smoking cigarettes or listening to their ipods, a glazed over look of bored anticipation on their faces… I don’t hang around long enough to find out what happens next…
So it depends what you’re in to, but personally I’d recommend nearby Brandon Hill for a green intervention.

I was lucky enough when I first moved to Bristol to stay within spitting distance of Clifton Downs. There’s something spectacular about walking across a green open space, inhaling the fresh night air and having the city laid out before you like Christmas decorations. This was in winter time so I didn’t stumble across anything I shouldn’t have (there is a Clifton Downs Dogging Appreciation Society on Facebook obviously set up as a joke). However sit in one spot long enough and you’ll be surprised at the amount of single males disappearing for walks into the bushes ;-) I went here for a picnic yesterday, its such a beautiful spot whether it be for picnics, tree climbing, kite flying, jogging or cottaging!
The ice-​cream from the van parked up by the gorge is terribly tasty also.

The Downs is as close to country life as you can get in a busy city. Nicely placed in Stoke bishop and surrounded by beautiful Georgian houses, the Downs is a little drop of paradise. In the winter, the Downs is more like a marsh than a field but int the summer months then Downs transforms into a gloriously lush field where you can eat, sit, play and socialise to your heart’s extent. A bit further down the Downs towards the gorge there is a bit more shrubbery and little cocoons of foliage, which is notorious hotspot for doggers. This little section is easily avoided though, as the Downs is a really vast expanse of grass. Great for any time of the day.

A wondrous green space of natural beauty and staggering views, the Downs cannot be deserving of anything less than 5 stars and a giant ‘Woohoo!’. If a place leaves you with a smile that stretches up to your ears then it is easy to heartily recommend.
Barbecue a burger or two, making sure you don’t burn the grass and clean up all of your mess (come on lets keep it looking beautiful), kick a football around with a mate or just enjoy a good book. Its good for the soul. I can see what Wordsworth and his other Romantic friends were talking about when they speak of the restorative power of nature.

As with most green spaces in urban areas this is a welcome retreat from the bustle of city life, however, it’s a fair old trek from the city centre, up a very steep hill. In the summer months, the downs are filled with sunseekers playing frisbee, drinking beer and having barbecues (the later of which I’m not sure are legal — the rules seem to change quite regularly on that front). There’s a very distinctive looking water tower slap bang in the middle and a lovely little café selling tea, coffee and cake. The fairground often stops of here and, occasionally, the circus. There is also a very popular Saturday football league that takes place here. But be warned, when the lights go out it is a bit of a gay stomping ground. I don’t know how true it is, but someone once told me it’s one of the worst places for male rape in the country. Great views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge though.

As a resident in Bristol I can safely say that the downs are the best thing Bristol has to offer. The Downs set a benchmark for the rest of the city, it is almost like reminder to make sure that the rest of the city stays green. I wander up there come rain or snow to go and pass a ball about and in the summer, if the weather is nice it is the place to be. The Downs are like a drop of countryside in the bustle of the city. There are few parks I have come across that are as intrinsic to the culture of a city as the Downs.

The Downs are a lovely area where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of Bristol city. Its a good 30 minute hike uphill if you are planning on walking from the centre so it may be best to grab the bus. The number 9 bus goes from Temple Meads and the centre and drops you off right at the heart of the Downs which is helpful.
I would recommend walking right to the furthest point where there is a viewing area. The views over Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge are stunning. There are many other little paths to explore which will take you to the river and other areas, but you will probably need a map to find them.
Definitely worth a trip up here for the amazing views and a breath of fresh air.

I’m very envious of people who live near the downs. A vast open space, perfect for picnicking, sunbathing, playing football, reading a book or flying a kite. Naturally this place comes into it’s own during the summer months, where you’ll find hundreds and hundreds of people doing pretty much what I mentioned above and you can’t blame them. Like an oasis in the desert, the downs offers everybody in Bristol a large slice of the countryside right in the heart of the city.
My favourite area is the observation deck because quite simply the views of the gorge and the suspension bridge are stunning from up there. Plus there is always an ice-​cream van parked there all day long during the summer which is just what I need after a few hours playing Frisbee

Clifton’s lungs, this is a wide expanse of open space running along Avon Gorge. It starts down by the Suspension Bridge. There’s a few things to down this end, with a children’s play area, the observatory and rock slides (steep rock faces made smooth by a thousand bums slipping down them). Fabulous views of the Suspension bridge as well.
Up towards Whiteladies Road it spreads out a bit, with flat expanses of flat land. Fantastic for flying kites and playing football — they have Sunday League games up here. There’s a lovely little tea house underneath the water tower (the big concrete thing with trees round it) as well. Circuses and other travelling shows set up shop here — it can be worth cruising past if you’re trying to fill a weekend.
With acres and acres of grass and scrub, the Downs are park land how I like it, lots of space and with a minimum of adornment.

I often take a book and a picnic rug up onto Clifton’s green grassy downs and while away the afternoon staring into the sky. It looks bigger up there somehow.
You’ll find ice cream men and joggers by the horde, by its still a relaxing oasis overlooking the city. A delightful café and loads of football pitches add to the appeal.
Avoid after dark, for reasons not suitable to explain here, needless to say it has a rather dodgy reputation.

The great thing about Bristol is that it’s a thriving city with cosmopolitan restaurants and nightlife, but you’re still only a stone’s throw from beautiful scenery and greenery. And nowhere is this more evident than the Downs, where you can walk up the hustle and bustle of Whiteladies Road and straight onto over 400 acres of rolling grassland.
It says much about the place in our hearts that the Downs holds that as soon as the sun comes out, the first reaction of pretty much everyone I know is to head straight up there. A vibrant place, it’s always filled with people playing games, enjoying barbecues, having a drink or just relaxing. There’s plenty to see and do, too, with a huge football league held there on Saturday afternoons, the observatory, the rockslides and a café to name a few, plus the stunning views across the Suspension Bridge. A beautiful place and a big reason why I’m proud to be a Bristolian.