After a heavy day of celebrations some fresh air and exercise was in urgent need. We headed off across Bristol towards Clifton and after paying the £1 bridge toll we crossed the Clifton suspension bridge and headed towards Portishead on the A369. Just after the traffic lights and turning to the left B3129 is a turning on the right leading into the Forestry Commission’s Leigh Woods. Follow this driveway for 800 yards to a car park.
The walk starts at the bottom end of the car park following the signpost to ‘Paradise Bottom – On Foot Only’.
In 150 yards ignore a track going off to the right, keep ahead on the main track instead for another 150 yards to Oakwood Lodge. Keep on the track for a further 150 yards ignoring all side turns, to a distinctive junction – the track ahead continues to Paradise bottom whilst a right turn is waymarked as ‘National Cycle Network Route 41’. Turn right and follow a woodland path downhill for 350 yards to a gap in a stone wall and a path alongside the River Avon.
Turn right and follow the river upstream for 1¾ miles to a point 150 yards before the Clifton Suspension Bridge. At this point, turn right under a railway bridge to a gate at the entrance to the National Trust’s Leigh Woods property.
Follow a path uphill for half a mile before turning left through a gateway to join a road. Turn right for a few spaces then turn right through a gap in a wooden barrier to follow a path back up into the woodland.
On reaching a forestry road, turn right down towards a shed. Just before this shed, turn left along a side track – following blue waymarkers – to reach what is called the Parish Wall. In 50 yards, turn left through a gap in this wall and follow a woodland path back to the driveway leading to the car park.
The walk was approximately 3½ miles and Luna was off lead for most of the walk which took a gentle hour and a half.