Abbots Pool — Attraction in Abbots Leigh

A peaceful green space with a large pool and walking trails on the edge of Bristol. I last visited on a bank holiday weekend.

Abbot's Pool is situated just off the A369 at Abbot's Leigh, accessed by car via a narrow lane. There is a small (free) car park. No toilets, baby changing facilities or cafe. Disabled access is possible to the pool along a wide footpath, but access to surrounding walking trails is problematic, with some trails being steep or uneven. It's a short walk (5 minutes) from the car park to the pool.

There are signs stating that swimming is prohibited here. Barbecues are not allowed either. There were some issues with large groups gathering during lockdown in summer 2020 and the area was closed for some months. When I visited there were mainly families with young children.

There is some bench seating overlooking the pool and a couple of picnic benches below the pool near a small cascade.

Abbot's Pool is ideal as a destination in itself to easily occupy an hour or two. It also connects with walking trails to other green spaces nearby (e.g. Ashton Court) and longer day walks (e.g. the...

Little free carpark had plenty of room even on a bank holiday. Nice walk through the woods to the main pond. Some people were letting their dogs go in the water, which was stupid as there are ducks with ducklings. And some parents of course can't be bothered to stop with their kids and look at things together so the peace is shattered by kids yelling to the parents as they wander off! Other than unsupervised dogs and children, a lovely peaceful place. Not the longest walk and can see it would get muddy, but pleasant and far enough from main roads to be quiet. Recommend approaching along Manor Road from the south west travelling north east towards the carpark as the single track road is straighter and when I went had been cut back better than the other direction. There are passing places but this is not a road for caravans...

Lovely little walk around the pool, not much parking but you can usually get a space!

If you want a longer walk there's plenty of nearby footpaths taking you through fields and Woodlands (it's quite hilly though!)

If you take dogs, be aware that there is a bridle path so if your dog likes to roll in smelly stuff, be alert!

I wasn't as alert as my Westie last time we went 🙈

Also if you plan on taking your horse, be aware there can be lots of dogs and people on bikes at busy times.

Oh, and the car park isn't really suitable for trailers/horseboxes due to its size. Once you've driven in, if you can't park, you're reversing the whole way back down a track onto a country...