Bristol Parks and Gardens
(Bristol, England, UK)

Bristol is very much an urban and modern city, although it does come with a number of city parks, gardens and other green recreational spaces. Close to the outlying village of Failand and located on the western side of Bristol, Ashton Court offers spacious parkland and much more besides.
Every year, Ashton Court is home to many of the city's largest and most popular events, including the famous Balloon Fiesta, the Bristol Kite Festival, the Community Festival and the North Somerset Show, amongst many others. Slightly more central is the Hengrove Play Park, which is actually part of the enormous Hengrove Leisure Park and really is the perfect place for families, boasting the biggest and best free playground that you are ever likely to encounter. If you are based in the Portishead area, then the Lake Grounds are certainly worth searching out, for the views alone.

Ashton Court
Address: Long Ashton, Near Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, BS18 9JN, England
Tel: +44 (0)117 963 9174
Ashton Court is a vast park and is situated within comfortable driving distance of central Bristol. Covering over 800 acres / 325 hectares and incorporating areas of woodland, Ashton Court has many attractions, including a grand mansion, a café, nature trails, a golf course, a miniature railway, large expanses of open grass, views of the cityscape and even herds of red deer.
Open hours: daily - dawn to dusk
Admission: free
Portishead Lake Grounds
Address: Esplanade Road and Lake Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 7HD, England
The Portishead Lake Grounds are situated on the River Severn estuary, being full of an enormous range of attractions. Visitors will be able to enjoy spectacular views of the estuary and the busy Avonmouth docks. There is also a pebbled beach, a boating lake with rowing boats, picnic areas, woodlands with a large amount of wildlife, nature trails and tennis courts.
Open hours: daily - dawn to dusk
Hengrove Play Park
Address: Hengrove Way, Hengrove, Bristol, BS14, England
Tel: +44 (0)117 922 3719
Managed by Bristol City Council and opened in 2002, the state-of-the-art Hengrove Play Park is the largest free playground in the south of England. Suitable for toddlers to teens, facilities in this superb recreational space include a sand and water play area, the biggest climbing dome imaginable, a human hamster wheel, swings, slides, picnic tables, a cafe selling snacks and ice creams, and toilets. The Hengrove Play Park is actually part of a former airfield and soon fills up with crowds during the summer months, with the central lawn area being awash with picnic blankets. Just minutes away are a series of chain restaurants, such as Frankie and Benny's, as well as a McDonald's, a KFC and a multi-screen cinema complex - Cineworld.
Open hours: April to September, Monday to Friday - 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 to 18:00; October to March, daily - 10:00 to dusk
Admission: free
Other parks and gardens nearby Bristol include:
- Alexandra Park
Address: Shakespeare Avenue, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA2 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Alice Park
Address: Gloucester Road, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Barrington Court Garden (National Trust)
Address: Barrington, near Ilminster, TA19 0NQ, England
76 km / 48 miles
- Bath Maze
Address: Beazer Gardens, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA2 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Botanical Gardens at Victoria Park
Address: North side of Victoria Park, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Broadleas Gardens
Address: Salisbury Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 5JQ, England
65 km / 40 miles
- Brokerswood Country Park
Address: Westbury, Wiltshire, BA13 4EH, England
49 km / 30 miles
- The Chalice Well and Gardens
Address: Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8DD, England
50 km / 31 miles
- Clevedon Court (National Trust)
Address: Tickenham Road, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 6QU, England
28 km / 17 miles
- Forde Abbey and Gardens
Address: Chard, Somerset, TA20 4LU, England
111 km / 69 miles
- Georgian Garden
Address: Behind The Circus, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Hedgemead Park
Address: Lansdown Road, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Henrietta Park
Address: Henrietta Road, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA2 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Leigh Woods (National Trust)
Address: Valley Road, Bristol, BS8 3PZ, England
6 km / 4 miles
- Linear Park
Address: Bath, North East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Montacute House and Gardens
Address: Montacute, TA15 6XP, England
67 km / 42 miles
- Painswick Rococo Garden
Address: Painswick, Gloucestershire, GL6 6TH, England
59 km / 37 miles
- Parade Gardens
Address: Orange Grove, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA1 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Peto Garden at Iford Manor
Address: Off the A36, 7 miles South-East of Bath, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1NB England
36 km / 22 miles
- Prior Park Landscape Gardens
Address: Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA2 5AH, England
24 km / 15 miles
- Sydney Gardens
Address: Bathwick, Bath, North-East Somerset, BA2 1EE, England
19 km / 12 miles
- Tintinhull Garden (National Trust)
Address: Farm Street, Tintinhull, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 9PZ, England
77 km / 48 miles
Visit
World Guides to Bath for further information about
Bath Parks and Gardens.