Ashton Court Estate, Bristol

I was back in Bristol today - it has become my ‘summer residence’ for 2021! I arrived at noon, got settled into my pitch on the campsite and after some lunch I decided to go explore since it was a beautiful day and I’m not sure if the good weather will last all week.

Believe it or not, this beautiful place is just 4 short bus stops from the harbour area of the city where I stay on the campsite. It is Ashton Court - 850 acres of grassland, woodland and deer park. There’s been a Manor House here from the 11th century and from the 16th century it was the home of the Smyth family. The current house was used as a military hospital during WW1 and an army transit camp in WW2. The last remaining member of the Smyth family died in 1946. The house soon fell into disrepair and the city of Bristol bought the property in 1959 for the people of Bristol.

Very little of the house is able to be used, but the grounds are used for various events including the Bristol International Balloon Festival. There are mountain bike trails, a golf course and a miniature railway as well as 2 cafes and beautiful gardens around the house.

I had quite a long walk but according to the map I only covered a very small part of the estate. There were beautiful views of the city below and I caught a glimpse of the herd of deer in the distance - the tiny dots in the middle left picture. The same picture shows 2 of the three red-brick tobacco buildings which are near the harbour and campsite.

The top left picture is the gatehouse and the bottom left and right pictures are two different sides of the Manor House.

After a long walk IN the park I then had a long walk back ‘home’ to the campsite. I was exhausted, so I treated myself to a late dinner at the pub next door, enjoying the view of the sunset over the harbour as I ate.