April and May are the months when bluebells bloom in England, but this year, April also brought a lot of rain. For several weekends, I watched the bluebells in our front garden, eager to explore the bluebell woods around Bristol but deterred by the heavy rain.

Finally, a sunny day arrived, and we set off for a bluebell walk at Prior’s Wood near Portbury. To get there, we crossed the Clifton Suspension Bridge and turned left just before junction 19 of the M5. We parked in a lay-by just beyond the village of Portbury and walked back to the gated lane with the old lodge. This wood was once part of the Tyntesfield Estate near Wraxall, and its timber was used in the estate sawmills. Now, the Tyntesfield Estate is owned by the National Trust.

Following the guide’s suggestion, we headed straight up the hill instead of turning right by the lodge like most people. We passed a house and went through another gate on the track. Immediately after the gate, we turned left, following the Prior’s Wood signs, and descended some steps to a flat track that skirted the side of the hill. On our left was a stream, and on the hillside, there were plenty of bluebells among the clearings of oaks and sweet chestnut trees.

On this side of the hill, the background hum of motorway traffic was more muffled. Somewhere high up in the trees, a bird was singing its heart out. I experimented with different camera settings, trying to capture the perfect bluebell shot. Eventually, Guy asked if I had enough bluebell photos, and we continued our walk.

We skirted the edge of the hill on a muddy, churned-up track—thank goodness for wellington boots! Eventually, we reached the end of the high ground, where we saw another gate into the wood and fields beyond. In the distance, we could see the Children’s Hospice South West, which had originally owned the wood and sold it to the Avon Wildlife Trust.

Here, there was an information sign and a map of the woods, and we turned down the hill. The countryside was more open here but still had clouds of bluebells on either side. Who says bluebells only grow in the shade? At the end of the path was a stream with a slatted wooden bridge to cross. On the other side, a path skirted the hill with thick woodland. There were more bluebells on either side, although not as many, as the tree canopy was heavier here. After a while, the paths opened up, revealing a meadow with some onion-scented wild garlic.

We then joined an open path with a view towards the motorway and walked back towards the lodge and the start of our walk. We passed a solo woman who anxiously asked if we’d seen any bluebells. We assured her there were plenty just up the path, but she might have been better off starting her walk in the other direction as we had. Behind her were two families, the mums chatting while the children engaged in mock fights with sticks they’d picked up along the way.

If you visit next weekend, you’ll probably still see some bluebells, but a week later, they might be gone. The walk is lovely regardless, and you can always come back next year from mid-April to mid-May. When the bluebells are in full bloom in your garden, they’ll be a couple of weeks behind in the woods. The walk took us about an hour and a half, and if you’d like to try another bluebell walk in Bristol, there’s always the Bluebell Wood near Abbot’s Leigh.

To get there from Clifton village, drive over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. At the next traffic lights opposite the entrance to Ashton Court, turn right. Drive straight ahead along the A369 Abbots Leigh Road for about 10 minutes. Just before the roundabout at junction 19 of the M5 motorway, turn left following the signs to Portbury. When you reach the center of Portbury village, take the right fork of the road signposted to Portishead/Clevedon. Where the road makes a right turn, go straight ahead along Caswell Lane and park in the lay-by or in the car park of the rugby club a little further on. Walk back to the gated lane with the lodge house on the right side where there is an information sign to start the walk.

If you’d like to try a few more walks around Bristol, I recommend checking out “Beyond Bristol: 24 Country Walks,” the Bluebell Wood at Abbots Leigh in Bristol, Snowdrops at Lytham Hall in Lancashire, and the wild garlic in the woods near Bristol.