THE GIANTS CAVE,AVON GORGE,BRISTOL

An affordable Adventure

This place,well worth visiting is located beneath the building atop Clifton Down and opposite the iconic and beautiful Clifton Suspension Bridge. This building was once a mundane Windmill but was bought by an artist and had a Camera Obscura constructed under the roof and a tunnel dynamited to provide access to a natural cave in the cliff face of the Avon Gorge

I visited on a dry sunny day in November 2022 when I took these pictures. Our family visited here a lot when I was a little kid. I guess for my parents it was not far off but a beautiful and interesting place and inexpensive. As a kid it was exciting and felt perilous to scramble down the steep steps. It is much better provided with handrails and lighting now.As a young adult I visited but once I think and in my youth and strength it seemed dissapointing. But now in old it feels exciting and perilous again! This first stage is very steep and I'll tell you that this steps structure was not in place back in the day,so you can imagine how it was then

At the bottom of the initial steep drop the path (much improved) continues, downwards but not so steeply. The passage is well lit and adequately hand railed, neither of which was so,back in the day. This tunnel is man made. It was dynamited out in the mid 19th century for the express purpose of creating a Tourist Attraction

You come out to a ledge on the rock of the Avon Gorge,thrillingly high up. Once you've adjusted and feel brave (!) you can step out onto the metal grid and know you are ‘walking in the air'. There is a great view up and down the river gorge,Leigh Woods opposite,and the Suspension Bridge.

The cave is a natural cavern in the rock face and for centuries it had no connection to the surface and entry and exit was by ropes. Difficult and perilous. It was used to be a hiding place for political criminals or opposition. It was used by the Baptists and other proscribed religious movements for meetings and services and in the era of smuggling it was used to store goods.

This is definitely a visit worth making but do take care. Despite the much improved hand rails and lighting the stone underfoot can still be slippy.