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As well as sightseeing in Bath
and Bristol, we can also recommend some very local
attractions. We love being able to recommend them as
surprisingly we have quite a few that are very close to Fern
Cottage. Some of them can even be visited on foot, while
the others are just a very short car journey away (usually
anything from 5 – 15 minutes drive).
If you
want to pre-plan some of your excursions before your arrival
at Fern Cottage, the Tourist Board in Bristol and Bath have
some great ideas – please go to their respective web sites
on
www.visitbristol.co.uk
and
http://visitbath.co.uk/site/whats-on/major-festivals-and-events-2010
for their up-to-the-minute events/festivals or what’s on in
theatres etc.
We also have in our Guests’
Information Packs details of “Where
to Visit”
including all the attractions in Bath and Bristol. Guest
Information Packs are in all of the guest accommodation
rooms.
In the
breakfast room we have prepared brochures with leaflets on
“Visiting Bath”, “Visiting Bristol”, “Other Places of
Interest”, “Walking and Cycling”, together with books on the
Cotswolds and Somerset.
We have
details and directions in the Guest Information Packs to get
to all the local attractions listed below:
Bath:
Thermae Bath Spa Breaks:
We have
the perfect recipe for a wonderful relaxing weekend, a stay
at Fern Cottage in our beautiful en-suite rooms, our
exceptional breakfast menu and a sightseeing trip to Bath or
relax in the Bath Spa which is Britain’s only thermal spa.
We are able to offer guests staying at Fern Cottage a 2 hour
discounted Spa Break with a reduction of 10% on the quoted
price at the Thermae Spa and the use of our luxury bath
robes, bath sheets and slippers. Thermae Spa web site
www.thermaebathspa.com
Dyrham Park
(5 minutes drive away) National
Trust property.Details
supplied from The National Trust web site: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Gardens open all year – house
is only open from March to September
Spectacular late 17th-century
mansion, garden and deer park
-
William and Mary mansion
nestling in an ancient deer park
-
Lavish 17th-century
collections reflect the fashion for all things Dutch
-
Victorian domestic quarters
give an insight into life below stairs
-
Elegant formal gardens,
woodland, and lakes to explore
-
Film location for
Remains of the Day (1993)
Willsbridge Mill
(8 minutes drive away)
Details
supplied from their web site
www.forestofavon.org.uk/willsbridgemill.html
Telephone 0117 932 6885 or
email
ruthworsley@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk
Set in a peaceful valley on the edge of Bristol, Willsbridge
Mill is an impressively restored 19th Century Corn Mill and
Long Barn, located within a stunning 22 acre nature reserve.
With its environmental education programmes, out-door
classrooms and many walking trails, Willsbridge Mill is
great for kids, learning about nature and simply enjoying
the natural environment.
Opening Times – The Nature Reserve and walkways are
open all the time and the Mill is open to the public on
School days and for specific events, telephone in advance,
0117 932 6885.
Wildlife - This green oasis, which was once a
bustling industrial site, now supports an amazing array of
wildlife habitats – woodland, ponds, meadows, scrub,
quarries and a demonstration wildlife garden, running along
the fast – flowing Siston Brook. The reserve is home to
kingfishers, dippers, owls, foxes, badgers, and bats.
The Wick and Golden
Valley Nature Reserve
(8 minutes drive away)
details supplied from their
website:
http://www.golden-valley.info
You can see the Peregrine
Falcons in the Quarry.
The Wick Golden Valley Local
Nature Reserve (LNR) is an important and unique place. There
are few reserves in South Gloucestershire with such a
diverse habitat so readily accessible to the local
community. The range of habitats includes the river corridor
of the River Boyd, mature woodland, scrub, steep valley
slopes and unimproved limestone grassland.
Peregrine Watch goes on the net
We are all waiting to see if
the peregrine falcons return to their nesting site at Wick
Quarry again this year. If so it will be the 10th year they
will have successfully raised their young at the active
aggregates quarry.
To mark the anniversary a
unique project has been devised by the Wildspaces
Partnership Project. This year for the first time a
webcamera has been installed close to the nesting site. If
all goes well we should be able to see the pair of
peregrines night and day through the nesting season. As far
as we know this is the first such camera in an active
quarry.
The project involves the
landowners Cemex, South Gloucestershire Council, The Hawk
and Owl Trust, English Nature and Eco-Watch. The camera and
its installation was funded through English Nature and
DEFRA’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. A website is
currently being built to enable local people and people from
around the world to look in on the falcons.
Bat cave
Two underground tunnels have
been given a make over to attract local bats to the reserve.
With funding from English Nature the disused turbine shafts
have been converted to enable bat to hibernate during the
winter. In a joint project between South Gloucestershire
Council, the Friends of Wick Golden Valley, Cemex, the Avon
Bat Group and the Batscapes Project, we have been able to
create new habitats for the 7 different species of bats
found at the site to use.
The Avon Valley Railway
(8 minutes drive away)
details supplied from their
website:
http://www.avonvalleyrailway.org
The Avon Valley Railway is more
than just a steam train ride, offering a whole new
experience for some or a nostalgic memory for others. Steam
trains run to the edge of the scenic Avon Valley. Special
events arranged throughout the year. Courses on learning how
to drive a steam engine. Call talking timetable for
details: 0117 932 7296. Monthly Sunday lunch trains. Site
entry is free, train rides are payable.
Steam trains operate Sundays
and bank holidays from April to October, plus Tues -
Thursday in school holidays. Diesel trains operate most
Saturdays, April -August. Also operates weekends at
Christmas. Combined rail and river boat trips operate on all
steam days from the beginning of April to the end of
September except 6/7 May and 30th July. Talking
timetable: 0117 932 7296 Opening Times 2007 Opening
01/01/2007 - 31/12/2007
Walking Locally:
We are lucky to have some
lovely nearby places to walk.
Overscourt Woods
Owned by the Forest of Avon
is in Siston Lane and is just 5 minutes walk away.
details from
www.forestofavon.org.uk
Pete and I have done this
walk many times - absolutely worth doing - you can take the
car from Fern Cottage and park on the grass if you prefer,
as Siston Lane doesn't have any grass verges and is narrow.
Fantastic views of Siston Court and the 11th Century St
Annes Church and across to open fields. Very peaceful
walk. The Forestry commission have made the area a very
pleasant place to walk around.
The Forest Enterprise (part of
the Forestry Commission) purchased land at Overscourt Farm
in 1998 and planted Overscourt Wood. The site was further
extended following the purchase of land at Webbs Heath Farm
in 2001. The result is 87 hectares (207 acres) of new
woodland and open space with full public access and
wonderful views of Kingswood, Bristol and the Cotswold Edge.
Turn right out of the drive and
take the next right into Siston Lane. Siston Lane is quite
narrow, so be careful when walking down it keeping to grass
verges where possible. Carry on past St Annes Church (11th
Century) Follow the lane until you go over a bridge (Siston
Brook) and take a first left along a farm track immediately
after the bridge over Siston Brook.
The site
can also be accessed via a number of public footpaths, (OS
Explorer 155, grid reference: 688 748 for car park).
Access
The terrain varies from level
to relatively steep, all paths within the wood are grass.
There is a small parking area on site and a number of public
footpaths cross the area. Improved facilities, including
parking, are planned.
The Forest of Avon Community Footpath Walk
Pete and I enjoyed the Forest
of Avon Community Footpath which is accessed just across the
road from Fern Cottage. You can see deer in the fields and
the views are beautiful. During the long summer evenings
you can take this route by foot to get to the Rose and Crown
in Pucklechurch.
The Dramway
Details
from The Forest of Avon
www.theforestofavon.org.uk
A very
pretty walk
The Dramway is a 15km/9 mile
linear walk, following sections of the route of a nineteenth
century tramway which carried coal from Coalpit Heath in the
Bristol coalfield, down to the river Avon. The route gives
you access to the fascinating remains of the Dramway which
can be seen along the way. There are also opportunities to
create your own circular walks, using existing footpaths to
connect sections of the Dramway with nearby villages and
towns.
Access
Surfaces along the route are
generally good, with much of it being on the original
Dramway route, which was a horse-drawn railway. The path
gently rolls down hill to the River Avon and there are no
steep inclines.
How to get onto the route...
Turn left out of drive. Go
straight down to the bottom of the hill. Go into the
underpass and follow the signs to the right for the Dramway.
The Bristol and Bath
Cycle Path
The Bristol and Bath Railway
Path is enjoyable either by bike or walking. From Fern
Cottage, just turn left out of the drive, go down to the
bottom of the hill. At the roundabout go into the underpass
and go left sign posted Bristol and Bath Railway Path.
You can actually get right into
the centre of Bath. You will go right past the Avon Valley
Railway at Bitton. The pathway is quite level so not too
much hard work. By bike it is about 11 miles following the
Railway path.
Acton Court
(approximately 15 minutes
drive away) information from Acton Court’s web site:
www.actoncourt.com
A beautifully conserved Tudor
House built by Nicholas Poyntz for the pleasure of Henry
VIII, at Iron Acton, Bristol.
In 1535, one of England’s most
colourful kings, Henry VIII, came to stay at Acton Court
with his second wife, Anne Boleyn, while on his summer
Progress around the West Country. The owner of Acton Court,
Nicholas Poyntz, wanted to impress his sovereign. So for
Henry’s pleasure, he built a magnificent new East Wing on to
the existing moated manor house.
The new wing was a splendid
testament to Nicholas Poyntz’s loyalty to his King. He went
to immense trouble and expense to impress Henry, decorating
the state apartments lavishly and fashionably. He was well
rewarded as it is thought he was knighted during the royal
visit. Today, the East Wing which was built in just nine
months comprises most of what remains at Acton Court. It
offers a rare example of 16th century royal state apartments
and some decorations which are said to be the finest of
their kind in England.
Acton Court will open to the
public from 12 June to 19 August. There are tours of the
house and grounds every day except Mondays and when there
are Special Events or pre-booked Group Visits. To check
availability during the summer season
ring the information line on 01454 228 224
Please note: Special Events and
Groups must be booked in advance.
Access to the house and grounds
of Acton Court is with a professional guide only. Blue Badge
Guides tell the story of Acton Court, the Poyntz family who
lived here, the monarchs they entertained and the state
apartments they built for Henry VIIIand Anne Boleyn.
Allow approximately one hour for the
tour.
Please wear soft soled shoes
(strictly no stilletos!).
Tour Times:
2:00pm and 3:30pm Tuesday to Sunday
Please ring the information
line to check availability.
Tickets £5 (£4 concessions)
pay at the door by cash or
cheque
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