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Friends of Troopers Hill
Woodland Trail

Waymarking – Troopers Hill Woodland

As part of our Lottery Funded Stepping Forward Project we have installed waymarking to the woodland paths in Troopers Hill Woods. This has created a marked route through the Woods between the Field and part of the Hill.

The Route

The map below shows the route and the location of the four waymarkers. The marked trail is just under 600m and the complete circuit (including crossing the Field and the top part of the Hill) is around 900m or just over half a mile.

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There are four carved marker posts, each with different images that were designed and carved for us by Michael Henderson. The posts are recycled pitch pine - old roof beams. The Trail markers each have their own name - these were created for the Walkshops (see below). The stories told at each location inspired the carvings on them.

You can follow the trail in either direction. Directions are below, but the route is very easy to find so we don't think you will need them.
Starting from 'The Field' go through the kissing gate and follow the path through the woods until you come a direction post with the leaf arrow directing you left down Lamb Hill. Some 30m down this tarmaced path there is another path to the left, with the direction post pointing you towards the Hill. From here go down some steps and follow the main path through the woods. After 150m or so you will come to 'Not Lost' standing on the left of the path. Continue straight ahead, ignoring more minor paths to the left & right and you will come to another flight of steps. At the top of these you will find the 'Little Elizabeth' marker where there is also a wooden bench and views across Bristol. From here go up a short slope and follow the path along the side of the Hill (ignore the steep path up to the left) through an area of broom and then follow the edge of the woodland. You will then see the last marker 'Goat Willow'. To return to the Field turn sharp left and follow the path up to the top of the Hill and into the Field.

Starting from 'Goat Willow' follow the path along the side of the Hill at the edge of the woodland, you will go through an area of broom and then down a slope to the 'Little Elizabeth' marker where there is also a wooden bench and views across Bristol. From here go down some steps and follow the main path through the woods, ignoring more minor paths to the left & right. After 150m or so you will come to 'Not Lost' standing on the right of the path. Continue straight ahead and you will come to another flight of steps. At the top of these you will see a direction post with the leaf arrow directing you right up Lamb Hill. Some 30m up this tarmaced path there is another path to the right, with the direction post pointing you towards the Field. Follow this path until you come though a kissing gate and see the last marker 'The Field'. To return to the Hill follow the track straight ahead across the Field.
You might like to take paper and wax crayons with you to make rubbings of the carvings on the marker posts to take home.

Follow the Trail with your Mobile via www.troopers-hill.org.uk/mobile

There are links to photos of the carvings, with descriptions of what is featured on each, but you might prefer to save the surprise and discover these for yourself as you explore the trail.

The Trail Markers

'Goat Willow'

This marker is named after the Goat Willow tree alongside it. This tree is also known as pussy willow because of the grey, furry catkins it produces in spring. Later the catkins turn golden with pollen-dusted stamens.

From here you can see some of the bell heather and ling that make Troopers Hill so special with their brilliant display of purples and violet in summer. As you walk along the trail from here you pass through an area of broom with its yellow flowers in May; this is 'Sally's Glade'. On a sunny summer's day you can hear the seed pods popping.

Near the marker the path crosses the route of the duct that used to run up the side of the Hill to the chimney at the top. The chimney dates from copper smelting in the late 1700s.

Photo and description of the carving.

'Little Elizabeth'

'Little Elizabeth' was Elizabeth Emra,  the Country Parson's Daughter, who wrote about St George & Troopers Hill in the 1830s. Her father was John Emra, vicar at St George Church from 1809-1842.

Elizabeth described "the barren and quarried hill, with its yellow spots of gorse and broom, and its purple shade of heath". You can read a brief description of her life and some quotes from her book here: www.troopers-hill.org.uk/emra.

To see how the view from here has changed look at this old photograph.

Photo and description of the carving.

'Not Lost'

This post is to let people know they are still on the woodland trail and 'Not Lost'.

Trees are all around - many planted when this area was used for tipping in the 1960s and 70s. Close your eyes and listen. The main sound from the trees comes from poplars. These grow very quickly are often used as screening for quarries and a windbreak across open areas of land. Some of these poplars produce bright red catkins sometimes called Devil's Fingers.

There used to be cottages and gardens between here and the Hill. You can see a plan of where they were and some photographs of the people who used to live there on our Memories Page.

Photo and description of the carving.

'The Field'

The Field started off life as one on the fields of Troopers Hill Farm, whose buildings still exist on the other side of the allotments. It then became allotments before being leveled as part of the restoration works after the tip closed in the 1970s. A clay cap was put over the waste and soil on top of that. It was seeded with grass and an avenue of hornbeam trees planted. A row of poplars line the far boundary with the allotments.

There is an Interpretation Board near the Summerhill Terrace entrance with more information. Our Field page describes the recent developments and includes links to a video and photographs of local school children planting the new trees around the Field in January 2011.

Photo and description of the carving.

Creating the Trail

Our consultation for the Stepping Forward Project confirmed what we had been told by Hill visitors in the past - many people didn't use the woodland paths, either because the didn't know they existed or because they didn't know where they went. The installation of the Waymarked Trail aims to help people find these paths and explore this wonderful woodland.

We appointed Ruth Coleman to work with us on this part of the Stepping Forward Project along with with architect, artist and master-woodcarver, Michael Henderson. Ruth helped us organise 'Walkshops' for local people to inspire and influence the design of the carved waymarkers. There are more details and photographs of the Walkshops on our Stepping Forward Project Page.

Following the walkshops Michael designed and carved the the 'Trail Markers' which were then installed in the woodland in August 2012 by offenders on the ‘Community Payback’ scheme.

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