The section of the Trym that runs through Badock’s Wood is one of the most carefully maintained and well used. It is a nature reserve with woodland, streams and meadows. The area is maintained by a the Friends of Badock’s Wood. They describe the area thus:
Badock’s Wood covers an area of approximately 10 hectares. It is a small, semi-natural, broad-leaved woodland situated in a limestone valley (with adjacent areas of grassland) in the north-west of Bristol, between Henleaze and Southmead. It therefore provides a wildlife haven in an urban setting. To the north of the site, in an area of open grassland, is a Bronze Age burial mound (tumulus). The latter has been classified as “Middle Bronze Age, constructed about 1300BC” and is sometimes referred to as the “Southmead Round Barrow”.
The site has been in the care of Bristol City Council since 1937, when it was given to the City by a local industrialist, as an area of open space for the enjoyment of local people. The local industrialist was Sir Stanley Badock, hence the adoption of the name “Badock’s Wood” for the site. He died in 1945.
Overview
- Opening hours: open at all times
- Admission: free
- Parking: available at adjacent roads
- No public toilet facilities
- Tarmac paths provide good access for wheelchairs. Visitors with wheelchairs should use the Doncaster Road entrance (phone Bristol Parks if you need a key).