Chew Valley

Just a short drive south of Bristol, this 7 mile guided walk begins on the shores of the beautiful Chew Valley Lake. The lake is known for its thriving bird population with the occasional rare sighting, including Ospreys and Hobbies. The walk skirts the northern edge of the lake allowing plenty of opportunity for some bird-spotting or just pausing to take in the beautiful scenery.

You’ll then have a gentle climb up Knowle Hill to admire views of the lake from above as well as the wider Chew Valley. The walk continues on through rolling Somerset countryside until reaching ‘The Great Circle’ at Stanton Drew, an English Heritage ancient monument. This pre-historic stone circle is thought to have been constructed around 2500 BC as a ceremonial monument. Now the remains of the circle add a mystical quality to the surrounding area. It’s just over our half-way point and a perfect place to stop for our lunch break.

The return route is mostly flat following tracks before meeting the River Chew at Chew Magna and following its gentle meandering path back to the Chew Valley Lake.
There is a café (Salt & Malt) and public toilets at our meeting point in the Chew Valley Lake car park. Please bring your own water, snacks and lunch.

How it works:

Buy your ticket in advance: Buy your ticket here in advance – you can buy for friends and family too. We’ll email your tickets plus send you more information closer to the day including what to bring and travel arrangements.

Make your own way to the walk meet point: Many of our walks have good public transport links, but if you’re needing a lift email us at info@letswalkbristol.co.uk and we will pass the message on to other walkers booked onto your walk. If you’re wondering about the health and safety issues surrounding car sharing there’s some helpful information on the Liftshare travel happy website: https://liftshare.com/uk. 

Meet your guide: Your walk guide will be at the meet point to welcome and register you. We have an amazing team of experienced, insured guides who have designed some fabulous walking routes and who will be able to share interesting information with you along the way. They will also have details of any health/medical notes you told us about when you registered.

Nordic walking? This walk is open to both Nordic and regular walkers, so bring your poles and enjoy the day. There won’t be a pre-walk Nordic warm-up so if you’d like to do your own we’d recommend you arrive a bit early. 

Looking after your health and safety: Your health and safety is important to us and we have the following provisions in place on this walk: A requirement for everyone to complete and bring a Covid-19 declaration and waiver in order to participate. A limit on walker numbers to 16 people. A walk assistant to help should anyone in the group need to drop out for any reason. 

Don’t forget to book onto our evening socials for afterwards! 
We’ve two great Evening socials organised so you can meet up with others, continue to enjoy the Festival and experience Bristol’s vibrant culture. Underfall Yard is a working boat yard with a stunning view across the harbour. Toto’s is a trendy wine bar on the harbour front with a great private terrace. There’ll be food, music and plenty of outdoor space for you to enjoy.
 

Distance: 7 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 10am- 2pm
Meet: Chew Valley Lake car park
Cost: £18

Book
Venue
Chew Valley Walk
Chew Valley Lake car park
Bristol
BS40 8SZ