Walk Distance: 1.5 km (or however far you feel like)
Walk Duration: 30 minutes (or however long you have to spare)
OS Map: OS Landranger 172 Bristol & Bath; OS Explorer 155 Bristol & Bath – but you can just follow your feet!
Suitable for: Babies in carriers, all-terrain pushchairs, little legs, all the family
Walk Features: plenty of planes to spot, easy walking on grass tracks, bluebells in late spring, sits of historic interest.
Kate says:
‘Felton Common is a great place for taking kids and dogs for some exercise! The common is small enough that you don’t really need to follow a set route – just follow your feet and sooner or later you’ll get back to the start. There are some lovely views over the surrounding countryside and the bluebells which carpet parts of Felton Common in late spring are very pretty.
Felton common is very close to Bristol Airport with planes making their final approach to land right overhead. This provides lots of excitement from aeroplane loving tots but does mean it’s not the best walk for getting a noise-sensitive baby to sleep! Felton Common is also a great place to take the kids to run off steam before a flight or to wile away time in a pleasant child friendly environment whilst waiting to pick up friends and family.’
Walk Description:
This route starts from the first parking area at the back of Felton village (see map under ‘Directions’ below) but you can join it from any side of Felton Common.
Set off on the left hand track across Felton Common – take the left-hand most track rather than the smaller grassy path to the far left unless you want to extend the walk further.
Follow the track steadily up gently sloping Felton Hill. There are bluebells here in the late spring, unusual in that they stand boldly out on the common without their usual woodland canopy.
Spring bluebells and grassy tracks on Felton Common
Keep on the track, ignoring side paths, until you reach a crossroad of paths. Leave the larger track and turn right along a grassy path which takes you across the top of Felton Common, passing a scrubby area on your left.
A little further on you will pass a shrubby area with some trees on your right. Just after this copse a path trails off to the right hand side. Take this path. Don’t worry if you miss it as you will shortly come to another intersection where you can again turn right – it will only add on an extra five minutes or so to your walk.
Plane spotting on Felton Common.
Walk on until you come to another larger crossroads (you wlll have passed two smaller ones before that). Turn right onto the track and continue your walk heading slightly downhill.
Toward the bottom you will meet another main path crossing the track. Turn right along this to bring you back to the car park to complete your circuit.
Yet more close encounters with planes!
Don’t worry if you miss any of the paths above – Felton Common is full of smaller tracks and trails but as long as you keep walking in a circular direction you will easily find you way back to your starting point.
Map of Route:
Directions:
There is limited casual parking behind Felton village at the end of Felton Street, right next to Felton Common.
N.B. This parking is strictly for use of those visiting the common for leisure purposes or local residents only. Sadly this area is often used by loitering taxis or people abandoning their cars whilst on holiday which both prevents legitimate users from parking there and spoils the area – please don’t be tempted to do this. Parking enforcement is now in place.
Felton is accessible by the 121 bus service from Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare. You can walk to Felton Common from Bristol Airport but I would not advise it with children – the route runs along the A38 which is extremely busy.
Rate this walk:
