We probably don’t need a festival, map, website or app to encourage us to go for a walk in our very own Badock’s Wood, but it’s been listed by the Bristol Walk Fest 2021 as a beautiful place to visit. May’s month long celebration of walking begins tomorrow and seeing Badock’s on the map is a wonderful reminder that we’re so lucky to have a bit of paradise right on our community doorstep.
If you’ve been walking in the woods this past year or so, what changes have you noticed? The landscape seems to constantly transform: another tree trunk makes a new climbing bridge across the river; kids find a different branch for a rope swing (which has been really popular during lockdown!); there’s a deluge and mini-waterfalls appear; never ending mud suddenly dries up and lush greenery emerges; and one day the blossom bursts out of nowhere and not long after the bluebells pop!
Across the meadows and up on the flat field dog walkers chat happily, picnickers feast, kids run about with balls and kites, and young people find a space to relax and catch up. The only thing that’s missing is a tea hut! But apparently there’s a great little hot drinks machine in the Greenway Centre – just nip over the stile and in to Reception with your mask on (the Centre’s cafe is currently closed due to the impact of Covid).
Maybe being featured on the Bristol Walk Fest map will bring lots of new visitors from other communities to see our local natural wonder and perhaps we can expect to welcome a few new faces to Southmead this month. Equally, other communities are preparing to welcome us. If you check out the Fest website there’s loads of ideas to get us out and about with maps and routes for other beauty spots and community walks across the city. And on the new ‘Go Jauntly’ app there’s 60 specially ‘curated’ walks to try including a Black History Tour, a Wanderlust Walk, and a Street Art Tour which includes Banksy pieces.
So this month, after you’ve had your regular intake of our leafy Badock’s haven, and if you’ve already toured the emerging tiny forest along Trymside, why not challenge yourself to take a Bristol Walk Fest walk in a few other places you’ve never visited before, or re-visit some to see if they’ve changed. And if you’re up for writing a review about your walk to encourage other residents to explore then we’d love to publish it here on The Mead.
Happy Bristol Walk Fest Southmead!
Go to the Bristol Walk Fest 2021 website here
For the Go Jauntly app click here
