Our Woodland
Bristol Forest School originated in the 19th century pleasure gardens of Leigh Court mansion, now part of Leigh Court Farm. Our schools programme also runs forest school sessions and sets up outdoor learning areas off-site, including at St Peter’s C of E Primary and Birdwell School.
With such a long history of different uses, we’re lucky to have an incredibly diverse woodland that creates a highly stimulating experience in any season – with bamboo hideouts, flowering rhododendrons and a carpet of wild garlic, our site sparks natural curiosity and fosters a genuine love of nature. This provides the basis for a wealth of activities from foraging to leaf art, planting seeds to collecting cones from towering trees and tasting apples in the orchard.
To promote outdoor play we’ve embraced the infrastructure of the woods to build tunnels, dens, log seesaws, and climbing log piles. We’ve also added natural, purpose-built play equipment such as stepping stone paths, leaf kitchens, a rope climbing bridge, hanging percussion instruments, digging beds and more!
As these are private woodlands, we have the benefit of semi-permanent structures and facilities on site. These include a bespoke wooden roundhouse with a growing roof, several parachute shelters, traditional cob ovens for cooking, fire circle and activity areas, natural boundaries and purpose-built compost toilets.
We sustainably manage the Bristol Forest School woodland, making wildlife conservation and diversity a priority. We are also working with Heather from Bee the Change, to keep our own natural honeybee hive in the woods to aid pollination and as an educational tool for wildlife, conservation and habitats.
For directions please view our Contact Us page.
We work hard to keep our woodland looking great for each visit and we hope you love being in it. But as it is a private woodland, it can only be visited during scheduled Bristol Forest School sessions. It is not available for private visits.