Bishops Knoll is a hidden garden and woodland from the 19th Century. Overgrown with ivy, bamboo and laurel, this magical site is slowly being uncovered.
Our Bishops Knoll dog walk begins at the entrance in the Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve. It takes us through a small section of “old woodland” and over the lane from Bramble Drive into Bishops Knoll Arboretum.
Arboretum and Terraced Gardens
The woodland and arboretum contain a mixture of exotic and ancient trees. The largest tree here is the Monterey cypress in the arboretum, while possibly the oldest is a pollarded oak planted over 700 years ago as a boundary marker.
The original house on this site was used as a First World War hospital for Australian soldiers and later as a hostel and school for nurses. There are laminated signs with old photos dotted around the woodland.
The woodland, gardens and terraces are slowly being restored by the Woodland Trust and volunteers Friends of Bishops Knoll Wood.
The walk can easily be extended further to White’s Paddock and Bennett’s Patch (home of the wicker whales ?).
Well-used paths allow a wide network of walks, with many interesting features to look out for and views across the gorge to Leigh Woods.
The Bishops Knoll dog walk is definately one of my favourite walks for both solo and group walks. There is so much for the dogs to explore, different scents, sticks, paths to run up and down. It’s a lot of fun and very entertaining for them.
Contact us if you would like your dog to join us on a walk like this one. You can follow our dog walking adventures on Instagram and Facebook.