My Bristol Favourites: Danica Priest

Danica Priest is an environmental activist and housing campaigner.

She got into campaigning because she is an avid runner and found out that many of her favourite places in south Bristol were under threat. “So I fear this might be a depressing list!” she says.

“I appreciate this is supposed to be a fun celebration of what makes Bristol unique, not ‘here’s what we could lose and why we’re all screwed’ so I’ll try to keep this upbeat. We really are lucky to have so many green spaces worth fighting for.”

These are Danica’s top-five Bristol favourites:

Novers Hill

Proposals have been put forward to build 157 new homes at Novers Hill on the Western Slopes – photo: Martin Booth

“It’s really hard to describe how magical the Western Slopes are in words. You really need to see them in person to understand. When I tried in my objection for the planning application on the private section I ended up with a 30-page document. When you visit you can really see why it’s the home to 11 out of the 17 bat species that breed in the UK. It has this fantastic combination of untouched land, ancient hedgerows, trees and horse-grazed meadow that makes it a perfect habitat for many species you would normally never find in such an urban location. If you are having a hard day, I recommend walking past the fence on Novers Lane and seeing the horses pop their heads over to say hi. They never fail to make me smile.”

Green Man Ultra route

“The Green Man Ultra was my first ever ultra marathon so it holds a special place in my heart. Becoming a Woodwose  (the name for those who have completed the 46-mile trail) was a major highlight of my life. The route mostly follows the Community Forest Path which encircles Bristol hitting some of its most scenic spaces. Sadly – you guessed it – a section of the route that passes through a bluebell and orchid-filled ancient woodland is under threat of development. There’s a petition to save it here.”

Ashton Vale

“I think it’s really cool how a formal landfill site can be re-wilded into such a beautiful ecosystem that serves so many essential functions. I discovered this gem during lockdown and I love it because the wetlands remind me of the dead marshes from The Lord of the Rings and the fields of wildflowers in summer are so colourful. I have yet to see anything like it within Bristol’s borders. This special greenbelt space is working hard for us absorbing storm water which could lead to flooding if removed. It’s also where the cows from Bristol’s last Dairy farm graze and it’s a wildlife corridor which allows protected species to travel between our nature reserves. Ashton Vale wears so many hats that losing this site will be like removing the bottom block from a Jenga tower.”

Brislington Meadows

“Like all the sites I’ve mentioned so far, Brislington Meadows is one of our core grasslands. This is important because we’ve lost 97 per cent of our meadows in the UK and that number continues to rise every year. Grasslands are listed as priority habitats but easily dismissed as expendable fields by the uninformed. Brislington Meadows is a nationally significant site for invertebrates and contains protected plant species but to Homes England, who still want to develop the site for housing, it’s just another a growth opportunity.

Manor Woods Valley

The historic Manor Woods Valley is a designated local nature reserve opposite the new Hartcliffe Way Household Reuse & Recycling Centre – photo: Martin Booth

“I wanted to end on a positive note with a space not currently under threat. I was introduced to Manor Woods Valley through a volunteering task with GoodGym and it has remained one of my favourite green spaces in Bristol. The friends group are some of the kindest people you will ever meet. They’ve done amazing work managing the space for both wildlife and people. I love running on the woodland trail and visiting the community orchard which has a 100-year-old pear tree. Every year Manor Woods Valley group organise a community harvest day where local residents pick as many apples as they can. The apples then get made into juice which is donated to a local foodbank.”

Main photo: Danica Priest

Read next:

• ‘Knowle West’s green spaces are some of the best in the city’
• Ashton Gate and Ashton Vale set to both be transformed
• More details revealed for homes on Brislington Meadows which Rees pledged to stop
• Affordable eco-homes to be built on disused garage plots

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