Frome Valley Walkway Booklet
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V E AL M L V O E The ‘Friends of the River Frome’ is A Y E R L F committed to promoting and improving M L W Y Key for Route Maps A A the Frome Valley for relaxation, O E L K W recreation and wildlife. A forum of local Y groups, parish councils and other R Frome Valley Walkway agencies meets regularly F at different venues along W Promoted Recreational paths the river. Y A A Local Paths If you have ideas or L K W would like to raise an Motorway issue please contact: FRIENDS OF 0117 952 2141. THE RIVER FROME Road Railway Line Woodland Urban areas Public open space\countryside Cliff/quarry Railway Staion PH Public Houses Leisure Centres T T Public Toilets Public Telephone Following the Frequent bus service to/from River Frome Bristol City Centre Other Bus Stops from the centre P Parking of Bristol to the KilometresKilometres 0 0.5 Designed by Graphics & Mapping Cotswold Hills 0 0.250.25 0.5 South Gloucestershire Council Tel 01454 863763 Printed on recycled paper 0.5 0 0.5 0Miles Miles V E AL N M L Recreational Path Network O E Y The R Frome Valley Walkway F W The Cotswold Way Y Country Code A A N The Jubilee Way L K W R Community Forest Path E Falfield Tortworth Avon Walkway Please follow the Country Code Oldbury-on-Severn Monarch’s Way V Jcn 14 The Severn Way at all times 8 E 3 A The Bristol & Bath S Thornbury Charfield Railway Path Littleton Enjoy the countryside - -on-Severn • R respect its life and work Jcn 21 5 E M Tytherington Cromhall V M Alveston Aust Wickwar Guard against risk of fire I 4 8 Olveston • R SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE Hawkesbury 3 Tockington Upton Fasten all gates 0 4 4 M 3 Rangeworthy Hawkesbury 43 A A • Severn Beach Pilning S Almondsbury Keep dogs under control Jcn15 Horton 6 Iron Chipping 4 Acton Sodbury A L • Jcn 20 Jcn16 M L Badminton Keep to public paths 9 4 4 432 M 5 A I • M Bradley Winterbourne Old Stoke Jcn17 Patchway Yate Sodbury H Use gates and stiles to cross 8 Coalpit 1 3 Stoke • fences, hedges and walls 0 A Jcn Heath 4 Gifford A 19 2 2 3 4 D Tormarton Filton A4174 3 M A Leave livestock, crops and Henbury Jcn 1 A L 4 M4 • 1 machinery alone 7 Jcn 18 BRISTOL Downend 4 O Pucklechurch Clifton Mangotsfield Hinton Take your litter home StapleHill Dyrham W Siston • 6 4S Leigh Kingswood Doynton Help keep water clean Easton A Woods Under constructionWarmley 2 0 A 4 2 0 A 4 • Wick T Long Hanham Cadbury 0 Ashton Heath A 4 2 Cold Protect wildlife, plants and trees O Ashton Marshfield Oldland • Knowle Upton Longwell A 4 Cheyney C Green 3 1 Take care on country roads Willsbridge Bitton Swineford • Make no unnecessary noise Kilometres • 2 1 0 12 3 Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. South Gloucestershire Council. LA09065L/99/14. 1 0 1 2 Miles V E AL M L O E Y The Frome Valley R F W Y Walkway A A L K W Castle Park, Bristol he Frome Valley Walkway is a 29km (18 mile), Tlong path which follows the River Frome from the River Avon in the centre of Bristol to the Cotswold Hills in South Gloucestershire. The route links with the Cotswold Way National Trail at one end and the Avon Walkway at the other, as well as connecting with a number of other well established recreational routes, notably, the Jubilee Way, the Monarch’s Way and the Community Forest Path. The path passes through a variety of landscapes including open countryside and meadows in South Gloucestershire, the historic town of Chipping Sodbury,wooded valleys south of Winterbourne Down, the pretty village of Frenchay and landscaped parks in Bristol including Oldbury Court estate, originally an old hunting lodge within the Royal Forest of Kingswood. In Bristol the route runs through city parks and along pavements. Some sections of the River Frome are culverted near to the City Centre, including the point where it enters the River Avon near Castle Park. V V E AL E AL M L M L O E O E Y History of the Y Walking in the R R F F W W Y River Frome Y Frome Valley A A A A L K W L K W Quarrymen’s Cottages at Snuff Mills The Cotswolds from Chipping Sodbury he name Frome is derived from Anglo-Saxon he Frome Valley Walkway provides a great T‘Frum” meaning rapid or vigorous. The social Topportunity for everybody to enjoy the local & economic history of the local area along the path parks and woodlands in Bristol and to explore the is well documented, which passes a number of open countryside in South Gloucestershire. The medieval churches, old quarries, mines and mills. path follows the River Frome, as it gently winds its Bristol, meaning ‘Bridge Tow n’, was an important way, creating an easy and level walking route for trading centre by 1000AD and during the Middle much of its length. The route in Bristol, between Ages became prosperous from the increase in Castle Park and Frenchay Bridge, mostly follows imports & exports. The marches along the Frome & off-road tarmac paths close to the river or the Avon were drained and reclaimed as the City pavements for short sections close to the City.The grew,and industries expanded to supply goods for middle section of the route, extending out from the the colonial and slave trades. The ships grew larger edge of the City between Frenchay and Winterbourne and required deeper waters leading to a decline on Down, wanders through riverside woodlands and the wharfs of the Frome. Upstream a number of runs over unsurfaced and surfaced paths, which mill operated industries existed and leisure include the occasional gate, stile and bridge. The activities such as boating & fishing were popular. upper section of the walkway runs through open Originally, there were 13 one arch bridges along the countryside on field footpaths, narrow in places, city section of the Frome, but these were all with regular stiles.The path officially ends in Old destroyed by the gradual covering over of the river Sodbury, at the foot of the Cotswold Hills, although in the 18th & 19th centuries and by the M32 motor- continuing on to Tormarton along the Cotswold way construction. Way you pass the source of the Frome and there are spectacular views from the top of the escarpment. V E AL M L O E ristol Castle, around which Y R F the City grew,originally W B Y A A stood on what is now Castle L K W Park.The Castle was surrounded by a moat created by the Avon and the Frome. The Old Fox PH Inn The River Frome runs down the centre of Lwr. River Street under what is now the car park. Ashley Rd Three PH Blackbirds Stapleton Road This long wide road used to be a ropewalk Railway Station where long ropes were spun. The Quaker St. Pauls A Meeting House and the New Street flats stand Roundabout 43 20 on the site of what was possibly Britain’s first Ea s to workhouse, established by Bristol Quakers n W a in 1698. M32 y The now busy St. Paul’s Roundabout Lebeqs Tavern used to be the site of Britain’s first successful PH commercial brass factory, established by Quakers in 1702. Slag from this industry was used in building blocks and can be seen in a Goodhind Street number of structures, including the walls Engineers Arms alongside the river. Riverside PH Park Stapleton Road Bond Street PH Newfoundland Street White Elephant ennywell Rd P P enn St. orsefair e H ellington RoadP t. Th W S b River Street m Riverside Park a St. Matthias Pk L Lwr Castle St. est St. Broad Weir W P T Midland Road Old Market St. The charming‘Old Fox’ pub once stood on the Castle banks of the River Frome and is worth a visit for Park its display of photographs depicting Victorian Avon Easton and local coal miners. The pub was the first Walkway to be bought by CAMRA ( Campaign for Real Ale) to Bristol and it was a haunt of the world famous cricketer, Temple Meads W.G. Grace, who was a local doctor. Railway Station N emple Way T 1 © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. South Gloucestershire Council Licence No. LA09065L/99/14 V E AL M L P T O E outh of Eastville Park, Y Frome Bridge R F flooding of the Frome and W S Y A A the Avon has caused serious and L K W widespread damage in the past, especially in Eastville, St.Werburghs and Broadmead. A number of flood prevention Blackberry Hill Park Road schemes in the City culminated in the completion Wickham of the Northern Stormwater Interceptor in 1968, Court which can be seen at Eastville. Wickham Hill Wickham l il Bridge H Colston ll Hi ll Weir Be Merchants Arms PH Eastville Park Eastville Muller Road P Heath Road Park Muller Road T Fis hp on ds Ro ad The Queens Head PH Wickham Court can be seen above the river north M32 Stapleton Road of Wickham Bridge.This 17th Century farmhouse was reported to have been the meeting place of Cromwell and Fairfax in 1645 before the attack on N Bristol in the Civil War.