ON THE LEVEL

As winter well and truly sets in, Andrew Swift suggests seven spectacular walks on mostly level terrain around the Bristol area that will provide some much-needed time in the great outdoors...

Just when resolutions are being made to get out and do some more walking, the idea starts to feel a lot less appealing. It’s not just the nippy weather and ludicrously early sunsets; slopes have turned slippery, woodland tracks have degenerated into boggy quagmires, and, if you’re not careful, a gentle stroll can easily become a gruelling slog. So, to help break the new year in gently, here are some suggestions for seven short, undemanding walks. Although some may be muddy in places, all are over level – or nearly level –terrain, and several of them (marked with a *) are suitable, at least in part, for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

COMBE HILL WOOD*

Combe Hill Wood commands one of the finest views in Somerset, extending over the Somerset Levels to the Quantock Hills, 15 miles away. A circular all-ability path from the car park leads to the viewpoint, while further north, where the going gets rougher, a track leads past a prehistoric earthwork called the New Ditch to the 33m-high Hood Monument, where there is a surprise view eastward to Glastonbury Tor.

To find Combe Hill Wood, drive to Wells, head west along the A39 and, after passing Glastonbury, bear left at a roundabout along the B3151. Two miles further on, bear left along a road signposted to Keinton Mandeville. After a mile and a half, pull into a large car park on the right (ST503329; combehillwood.co.uk).

ULEY BURY

Uley Bury, high above the Severn Plain, is perhaps Gloucestershire’s most impressive iron-age hillfort, guarded by unassailable green cliffs, with views westward to the Forest of Dean and the Welsh mountains. It is also one of the most accessible, with no climbing required to get there and rough but reasonable level tracks around its ramparts. To find it, head east from Dursley along the B4066, carry on through the village of Uley, and, after climbing steeply for half a mile, pull into a parking area on the left (ST786993). Go through a gate on the left and after 60m turn left through another gate to follow the path around the ramparts. And if you’re a bit chilly after taking in the views, the Old Crown Inn down in the village (GL11 5SN) is an excellent place to recharge your batteries.

LEIGH WOODS*

Leigh Woods is the largest area of ancient woodland in the Bristol area and is criss-crossed by a range of colour-coded tracks giving access to its deepest recesses. Among them is a 2.5km all-ability trail, waymarked in purple, which, despite a few uneven stretches, should be suitable for most wheelchairs and pushchairs. It starts from the main car park, which can be reached by a turning off Abbot’s Leigh Road (BS8 3QB; ST553740; charges apply). From here it leads south to the ramparts of Stokeleigh Camp, an iron age hillfort, passing ponds, sculptures and a celebrated viewpoint en route.

CLEVEDON* SEVERN BEACH*

Few things beat a brisk coastal walk for blowing away the winter cobwebs. Clevedon’s promenade, stretching over half a mile from the pier to the Marine Lake, is hard-surfaced and largely flat, although with one short incline. Beyond the Marine Lake, steps lead up to Poet’s Walk, which continues south past a 19th-century lookout to St Andrew’s church and Wain’s Hill, from where there are views southward to Woodspring Bay and Worlebury Hill, with the Quantocks and Exmoor in the distance. Perhaps the highlight of a visit to Clevedon, though, is a walk out to sea along its Victorian pier – although you need to bear in mind that it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the winter.

UPHILL

A very different coastal experience can be found at Uphill, with rutted tracks and boardwalks instead of paved promenades. The Romans established a port here, but today the tidal creek is home to a bucolic marina set amid sea marshes and overlooked by a ruined church on the edge of a cliff. One path leads through two nature reserves where birds overwinter on the salt marshes, while another winds alongside the creek to emerge on sands stretching all the way north to Weston-superMare. Parking is at the village car park on Uphill Way (ST316585; BS23 4XP). Walk west along the road from here for 150m and take a left turn at Uphill Sluice to the nature reserves. Alternatively, carry on along the road for another 40m and turn left to follow the footpath alongside the creek. The paved promenade running north along the shoreline from Severn Beach is another superb place for a bracing winter walk. It leads under the Second Severn Crossing to New Passage, where ferries once set out for the perilous trip across the estuary. Beyond New Passage, where the path is rougher, you come to Pilning Wetlands, an important site for migrant and over-wintering birds.

There should be ample parking at the northern end of Beach Road (ST539852; BS35 4PF), but a better option is to take the Severn Beach Line from Temple Meads – a fascinating 37minute journey with trains every hour. It once featured in Thomas Cook’s list of Great European Rail Journeys, which gives an idea of what a little-known gem it is.

SNUFF MILLS

Finally – and much closer to home – the Frome Valley Walkway above Snuff Mills is always worth a visit. The first part of the walk, leading past a spectacular weir, is along a level, tarmaced path; thereafter the going gets rougher, with inclines to negotiate, and eventually steps. For something more adventurous, a path cut into the hillside high above the river by the landscape gardener Humphry Repton in the early 19th century provides some spectacular views. Alternatively, you can carry on along the river to Frenchay and explore its splendid common. Access to the car park at Snuff Mills is off Broom Hill (ST622765; BS16 1DL; charges apply). n • akemanpress.com

FOOD & DRINK

TASTY TIDBITS FROM THE CITY’S BEST RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS

Specially designed dishes

Bristol-based entrepreneur, food photographer and Crohn’s sufferer, Helena Murphy, is set to release her new cookbook, The Plant-Based Crohn’s and Colitis Cookbook, this month. Sharing nutritious, easy-to-digest plant-based recipes created specifically for people suffering with Crohn’s and Colitis, the recipes are based on Murphy’s own experiences of living and cooking with the disease.

The cookbook contains over 70 recipes that incorporate dishes designed for maximum nutrition. What’s more, in The Plant-Based Crohn’s and Colitis Cookbook, you’ll find evidencebased research about plant-based diets in relation to IBD, suggestions for how to diversify a plant-based diet, a useful list of kitchen staples to buy in bulk, customisable recipe ideas for breakfasts, dips, sauces, salads, soups, curries, mains and more involved weekend dishes, and flare-friendly recipes.

As a food and product photographer, Murphy has created a visually bold, dynamic and playful cookbook to contrast the drudgery and tedium of living with this disease. Her hope is to provide an inspiring go-to resource.

• Purchase The Plant-Based Crohn’s and Colitis Cookbook (£24) via Amazon. Image credit: Helena Rose Photography

Thatchers Cider releases new limitededition blend

Combining two of its favourite apple varieties, Thatchers Cider has added a new blend to its Cider Barn range. Katy & Redstreak, at 7.4% abv, joined the limitededition selection as the 2022 harvest drew to a close for another year.

With a light fragrant aroma, and soft rounded finish, Katy & Redstreak has a fine, full flavour, combining the characteristics of both apple varieties. Katy, Thatchers’ signature single variety, is a beautiful dessert apple that offers a light, crisp sweetness, while the Somerset Redstreak apple, prized for its cider making qualities since the 17th century, brings a bold spiciness and a deep rich colour to the cider.

Katy & Redstreak is a contemporary style cider made from 100% freshly pressed apples grown in West Country orchards.

A batch of last year’s Katy apples harvested during September were handpressed by visitors at the Thatchers Open Day, with the juice used in this special cider.

Thatchers’ special visiting pressers were able to put their names forward to be featured on the Katy & Redstreak label – and it was Laura Rusbridge of Bristol who was randomly chosen from the draw.

So Laura, under her nickname “Geary” appears on the Katy & Redstreak label as Thatchers’ very first guest presser.

• Katy & Redstreak is available online, in the Thatchers Cider Shop, and in the Railway Inn, Sandford, RRP £2.40 for a 500ml bottle; thatcherscider.co.uk

Cow & Sow opens second venue

After a successful first 10 months trading, the owner of Bristol steakhouse The Cow & Sow has secured a licence for a second venue in the city – with support from law firm Shakespeare Martineau.

The first contemporary chophouse opened in January 2022, serving up local prime cuts and small plates from its Queen Square restaurant. Now, it has branched out from the city centre, with a new restaurant in the former Cowshed on Whiteladies Road.

The restaurant is open between 10am and 12pm Monday to Saturday and between 12pm and 11.30pm on Sundays, serving lunch, main, Sunday and light bite menus.

KIBOU’s brand-new vegan Volcano Roll

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar releases new vegan dishes

Say hello to KIBOU’s new vegan Volcano Roll! Over the years, KIBOU’s signature Volcano Roll has pretty much become one of their most talked-about dishes, gaining a cult-like status amongst diners who just can’t get enough. So this year, KIBOU wanted to go further and tasked their creative sushi chefs to conjure up a new vegan Volcano Roll that would hit the same moreish, must-have notes among the meat-free community.

And the results didn’t disappoint, with the launch of their new Yasai Volcano Roll, a 10-piece futomaki sushi roll, stuffed with red pepper and avocado, then dipped in tempura batter, fried and drizzled with their own very special KIBOU sauces.

It’s just one of the dishes that the colourful Japanese restaurant has introduced to their vegan menu… a menu that’s available all year round, not just for Veganuary.

You’ll also find a heap of other tasty vegan dishes, including the gorgeously generous Yasai Moriawase dish – a 17-piece vegan sushi sharing platter, veggie ramen, a new pumpkin korokke vegan katsu curry, and a deliciously smoky chargrilled aubergine bao bun with sweet miso sauce.

Plus, for January, KIBOU has introduced a few extra vegan specials to its menu, including a mushroom tartare and truffle maki, spicy dynamite cauliflower and sweet potato tempura bao bun.

So, whether you’ve opted to go completely meat-free this January, or are just looking to add a few more plant-based options to your diet, then be sure to try all of the new vegan dishes at KIBOU.

Salt & Malt expands with new dining area

Salt & Malt, Award Winning fish and Chips restaurant at Wapping Wharf, run by Michelin star chef Josh Eggleton and sister Holly Eggleton, who also runs the famous Pony & Trap, has expanded with a new unique dining area for guests, ‘The Fish Tank’.

Located in Bristol’s historic harbourside, Salt & Malt is found on the ground floor of the shipping container complex, Cargo, at Wapping Wharf.

The newly constructed restaurant expansion, which continues with the use of shipping containers, houses a new glass-fronted dining area with views out to the famous Bristol harbourside and historic Matthew. The newly nicknamed ‘The Fish Tank’ provides a warm ambient hideaway during the colder months, with byfolds opening out to a terrace, for the spring and summer. The seating style has also taken an upgrade from the current Salt & malt, with lower dining tables and comfy chairs providing a much cosier restaurant feel. The option for exclusive hire brings a new and exciting dining experience to Wapping Wharf something owner Josh has wanted to bring to the area for some time.

Booking for the new dining area is now and is available for regular dining and private dining. The near future will see the space launch a variety of hot and cold seafood platters, fish soups, and new small plates that will continue to celebrate local British sustainable seafood.

• Tables can be booked online at saltandmalt.co.uk/wapping-wharf