Blaise Castle in Autumn colours

There are some days you know you want to spend them outdoors. Last Sunday, we woke up relativelly early, took the First Bus number 76 at Bristol city centre and we set our feet in Blaise Castle Estate around 45 minutes later. The weather was excellent; sunny, blue sky... Lovely! Oh, and Autumn colours are so beautiful! ("Fiery woods and golden trees"...) Especially when we have such good days to enjoy the views as we had last Sunday. 

Blaise Castle Estate is a 2.6km2 parkland in Henbury open to the public, which includes a museum, a gorge, a castle and very nice views. In this post, I propose a 6km walking trail. Let me know how it goes! 

The bus stopped at Crow Lane, the closest place from Blaise Castle Estate due to road works. Normally, it would take you through Henbury Road, which is closer to the park.
We took right at the crossroad towards the Golf Course. There is an entrance to Blaise Castle Estate on the right side (1). You will find a map there whith loads of things to see! I suggest you check the map, decide which route you will take and what places you want to see before you enter to the park... and just follow the path!

As it had been raining for the past few days, the path was muddy at some points. Keep it in mind if you go after a rainy day!

Going through the woods, the road will drive you down to the river called Hazel Brook, which cuts the Gorge through Bristol's limestone. There is a bridge (2) with an old mill to the right and a very beautiful way along the river (3). At the southern end, Hazel Brook joins the River Trym and continues its flow towards Sea Mills.

Instead of following the path, we took some stairs to shortcut the way up. There are two panoramic viewing spots before getting to the castle, where you can admire the gorge (4) and take a picture inside Butcher's Cave on the way up (which is a disappointing cave).

The colours of trees and plants in Autumn make the views even more beautiful. 

The path that goes along the Gorge will take you directly to Blaise Castle (5) on the hill above the Gorge. From the Castle, you will be able to see Bristol, Avonmouth and even South Wales on a clear day. The building dated 1766 was design by the architect Robert Mylne, the Scottish man particularly remembered for his design for Blackfriars Bridge in London. Even though the castle is opened most Sunday afternoons,  it was closed today, for some reason.

We decided to take a different route to come down (6) following some stairs down until the Blaise Castle Museum (7).

The museum is a late 18th century mansion which contains wonderful objects to show how people used to live in the past. How much have households changed!!
Old toilets, mechanically powered vacuum cleaners, children's games and toys, costumes and shoes (this gallery was under construction), a victorian school-room... There is a beautiful picture room with red flock paper walls which can be hired for marriages, civil partnerships and naming ceremonies. A 2-pound donation is suggested, although the entrance is free.

Close to the museum, there is a place called Blaise Hamlet (8). It is composed of a complex of small cottagesaround a green designed by John Nash. They were built around 1811 and the cottages are now owned by the National Trust, occupied and not opened to public. However, it is worth it to go there and admire the beautiful Picturesque style.

We took Henbury Road back until Crow Lane, where we took the bus back to the centre. 


LINKS
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Website: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/blaise-castle-house-museum
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Castle