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Photo: Michiel Jelijs, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
city park, less than from the city centre, with a mix of meadow, woodland, deer park, golf course, site of the Balloon Fiesta, the KIte Festival and the former Ashton Court Festival.
Ashton Court is a mansion house and estate to the west of Bristol in England. Although the estate lies mainly in North Somerset, it is owned by the City of Bristol. The mansion and stables are a Grade I listed building. Other structures on the estate are also listed.
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A wilderness of beauty and tranquility set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Avon Gorge and Brunel's world famous suspension bridge (National Trust).
Possibly the city's most famous landmark, Brunel's 19th-century suspension bridge spans the spectacular Avon Gorge at a height of 75 m. A visitor centre is on the other side of bridge. There are free tours from the Clifton toll booth at 3PM every Saturday/Sunday from Easter Sunday until October.
The Downs provide a huge open space within Bristol, with great views over the Avon Gorge and the suspension bridge. On top of the downs, right by the bridge is the Observatory, housing a camera obscura and a cave leading down towards an observation point within the 250-foot sheer cliff face of the gorge.
National nature reserve with a history that dates back to a hill fort in the Middle Ages. The woods have hiking trails and mountain biking circuits (from moderate to advanced difficulty levels) signposted. It's possible to descend into the Avon Gorge on the north side of the woods, although you'll need dry weather for this — after rain the trails turn into a mud swamp.
A striking modernist design completed in 1973, with an equally modern interior and spire. It was constructed of reinforced concrete faced with granite. Worth a look.
A Grade II* listed building. The Lido and pub are separately managed, the historic Lido having closed in 1989, completely refurbished and reopened in 2008. The Victoria freehouse pub stands in one corner of the site; it was created in 1851 to provide the funds to rescue the Lido the first time, and was saved from closure in 2006.