Ridge Wood

Owned by Heidelberg Materials Aggregates, Ridge Wood is long strip of woodland on steeply sloping ground running along the Yate/Chipping Sodbury boundary near the old Barnwood quarry, and is managed by South Gloucestershire Council and the Friends of Ridge Wood group.

It comprises 4.8 hectares of both mixed broad-leaved woodland and remnants of Victorian parkland trees.

The council has been working on a woodland management programme which has opened up the site for public access and recreation, and it is an important site for nature conservation because it attracts a wide range of wildlife.

Access to the wood is from the easternmost corner of Greenways Road, Jubilee Gardens off Melrose Avenue, and Quarry Road.

At each entrance an information board tells of the wood's history and wildlife.

Within the wood there is a solid path that follows the western edge and links the three entrances, plus there are several other (muddier) permissive footpaths to explore.

For more information visit www.myyate.co.uk/yate/ridge-wood