Things to see and do at the Bath Skyline

A family in a wildflower meadow running and holding nets to catch bugs. City of Bath in the distance. — A family bug hunting on Bath Skyline | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Discover an Iron Age hillfort, 18th-century follies, hidden valleys, tranquil woodlands and meadows, all with plenty of flora and fauna along the Bath Skyline. We care for 500 acres of countryside along the Skyline. There's so much to see, you may worry you’ll miss some of the best parts. We’ve put together some things to see as you explore the Bath Skyline and Little Solsbury Hill.

Summer highlights at Bath Skyline

Wildflowers

The summer is the perfect time to explore the wildflowers around the Bath Skyline If you walk through Bathwick Fields, Smallcombe Vale, or Sham Castle Down at this time of year, and you’ll be met by a colourful display of delicate shapes and scents laid out before you.

You’ll be able to see buttercups (ranunculus), red clover (Trifolium pratense), ox-eye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare), knapweed (Centaurea nigra) and birds-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

The slopes at Little Solsbury Hill are the richest in wildflowers, and you can find fairy flax (Linum catharticum), squinancywort (Asperula cynanchica) and mouse-eared hawk weed (Pilosella officinarum).

You might even be lucky enough to spot wild orchids here. Visitors have seen common spotted, pyramidal, and bee orchids in the fields.

Traditional hay meadows

Smallcombe Vale and Bathwick Fields are cut for hay around mid-July then cattle are brought in to graze. The wildflowers here gown in abundance, particularly Smallcombe vale which has a large abundance of yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor).

The yellow rattle is a brilliant plant to have in wildflower meadows as it is a parasitic plant which takes nutrients from the grass. This means the grass does not grow as big and leaves more light and space for wildflowers to grow with less competition. In July, the yellow rattle goes to seed and makes a brilliant rattling sound when you shake it.

Insects

Rainbow Wood Fields is a pasture area and grazed throughout the year from April to October. The fields are very steep and contain lots of yellow meadow ant hills. Look out for the distinctive natural mounds in the grass that are home to the special ants. Some of these anthills are thought to be over 100 years old.

Invertebrate life is abundant among the grass and wildflowers in the summer. Pollinators are drawn to the flowers including bees, butterflies and beetles.

Bats

Bats are also active on the Skyline over the summer, particularly around Sham Castle Down, Bathampton Wood and Bushey Norwood. We are running a bat walk in September to explore and hear the secret world of one of Britain's rarest groups of mammals.

Fungi

For a total change to the bright and open wildflower meadows, head to Bathampton Woods. Here you’re find a damp, cool environment, full of lush ferns, and sprawling mosses. Look out for interesting fungi growing in the shade.

Bumblebee feeding from yellow rattle wild flower at Bath Skyline, Somerset | © National Trust Images / Sara Strawson

Woodland variety

The Bath Skyline sits on limestone, and the pH neutral calcareous soils that have developed on the underlying rocks encourage certain species of plants. Trees such as ash, hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn, yew, cherry, elder, holly, spindle and field maple trees dominate the younger pioneer wooded areas.

In the older woods, oak, lime, hornbeam, wayfaring tree, wych elm, beech and copper beech can be found as well as horse chestnut and sycamore and the pioneer trees associated with limestone woodland.

Sham Castle Down and Sham Castle

After the climb up through Sham Castle Down a short diversion leads you up a narrow path to Sham Castle. A great place to rest your feet and stop for a picnic whilst enjoying the view out across the city of Bath.

Bathwick Wood

Heading into Bathwick woods, you’ll pass woodland glades, created to improve the diversity of wildlife habitat. This area underwent extensive quarrying, possibly back in Roman times. Bathwick Wood has an intriguing mix of mature statuesque beeches, planted, with self-seeded ash and sycamore woods to explore.

Bathampton Down

From the open pasture of Bathampton Down you’ll be able to look out towards Little Solsbury Hill, Bathampton, Batheaston, and up into the Swainswick valley and the Cotswolds beyond.

Little Solsbury Hill

Away from the main Bath Skyline walk to the north east of Bath and above the village of Batheaston, Little Solsbury Hill offers views across the surrounding countryside and back to Bath itself. It’s the site of an Iron Age hillfort and was the inspiration for Peter Gabriel’s song Solsbury Hill. The hill’s made up of mudstone and oolitic limestone.

Bathampton Wood

After leaving Bathampton Down you pass through Bathampton Woods. Halfway through the wood on the Skyline path, you cross the remains of an incline railway that used to transport quarried stone to the bottom of the hill in gravity powered trucks. You'll see that most of the buildings in the city below have been built with Bath stone from the area.

Daisies growing in a meadow with a view of the Bath Skyline beyond — Daisies growing in a meadow with a view of the Bath Skyline | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Bushey Norwood

Mature oak, field maple and ash trees can be seen in this area, their appearance being of park-like trees scattered about the pasture. These trees were originally woodland trees, indicated by their shape and the name Bushey Norwood.

Claverton Down, Rainbow Wood and the Woodland Play Area

Claverton Down is the plateau above the steep slopes of Bathwick. From the top you can enjoy panoramic city views of Bath and the green spaces beyond as you walk along part of an 18th century carriage drive, known as the Balcony. Prior Park Landscape Garden is tucked away in the valley below.

Rainbow Wood Farm covers much of Claverton Down. Look out for cattle and sheep grazing and young lambs playing in the fields.

Rainbow Wood

Rainbow Wood Fields lie between the Skyline path and Prior Park. Rainbow Wood sits above the fields and gets its colourful name from the arc shape of the woodland.

The Skyline around Claverton Down is home to many mature beech trees, likely planted, with some still showing their origins as avenue trees from an 18th-century deer park estate. These trees are often large, and beautiful with their clean silvery bark.

Woodland play area

For the young, and the young at heart, why not stop off in the woodland play area? There’s lots of space to explore, dens to build, logs to balance on a winding woodland walk. There’s also a picnic area for lunchtime. You’ll find the woodland play area at point 8 on the Bath Skyline walk.

Smallcombe Vale and Wood

In Smallcombe Vale you’ll pass through two traditional hay meadows. A short diversion off the Skyline path will take you to Smallcombe Woods with Smallcombe Garden Cemetery (not National Trust) nestled in the vale below the wood. Smallcombe Wood is Bath’s only ancient woodland, having been here for at least 400 years. Discover veteran oak, lime and ash trees along the network of informal paths.

Bathwick Fields

Wide open fields within a kilometer of Bath Abbey, with great views over the city and beyond. Nestled in the middle of these fields you’ll find Richens Orchard – created in 2005 after a local donation of trees. You'll find many varieties here including apple, pear and plum. The orchard is open for much of the year but closes only while sheep graze in the autumn.