'Ribena Village' Circular, 4.7 miles

Directions

1. Starting on the main road (Weston Road), outside The Angel Inn, take Church Lane to the right-hand side of the pub, leading to All Saints Church. As you approach the church, pass through a gate into the graveyard and follow the path with the wall on your right-hand side until a kiss gate into the fields of Parsonage Farm. It has a number of footpath badges to mark the way.
2. Pass through the gate, and from here, follow the line along the wall into the next field. You'll cross 4 x fields in all, pretty much in a straight line, until you reach a gate onto a cycle path. Cows were being released from a barn as I passed, so expect livestock here. 
3. Once onto the cycle path, turn right. This is Festival Way, which connects Bristol and Nailsea. As the cycle emerges onto a lane, turn left to follow the lane in the direction of the A370.
4. Pass underneath the A370 and on towards the railway bridge. Pass under that too. Start uphill gently through the hamlet of Yanley, where the road narrows, until you reach the top of the lane, marked by footpath signposts left and right. Go right in front of Yanley Barn.
5. Pass through a gate to join a country lane. Woodspring Golf & Country Club is over the hill on the left! Continue down the lane, which winds to the right, back towards the A370 again. Pass under the bridge and turn left at the T junction in the paths.
6. The route runs in parallel below the A370 for a spell, before opening up onto a grassy area where paths go to the left, or down to the right into woodland. Continue on the left spur, and soon spy steps uphill through trees to the side of the road. About 40 of them in all.
7. As you break out of the woods into a field you'll see a sign on a gate declaring this to be Bristol University land. Skylarks were in full voice when I visited. Turn right to follow the hedge row until you see a gate into a newly planted wood/field area below, heading back towards Long Ashton. Take this short section to join a narrow path, a pencil straight divide between two fences with fields either side.
8. Emerge onto a bridge over the railway, here entering the village of Long Ashton. Within 25M of the bridge, a footpath leads off to the right between houses, take it, then continue slightly left. As you pass the Paulman Gardens sign, turn left onto Fenshurst Gardens, following the footpath now all the way up to the main Weston Road. Turn right.
9. After a short way you'll see a parade of shops at the heart of Long Ashton village, and on the left hand side a path leads uphill by the side of the estate agents, opposite the bus stop. This is Keeds Lane, and starts the climb up Ashton Hill, continue straight on, passing playing fields on left and right as it leaves the houses of the village behind.
10. At the top of this stony/gravely lane are various path options. Go right into woodland (Providence Plantation). Once turned, you'll see a small-holding field & decorative hut on your left. Still in woodland, the path curves left and then straightens up a steep, narrow passage through bushes. It was pretty muddy going when I did.
11. As houses emerge on the right, continue until you see a distinct footpath going right, with the view of a garage door ahead. This takes you onto Providence Lane. 
12. The Miners Rest is 0.2 miles downhill from here. Return to this point to continue the journey. A Public Footpath sign across the road from where you emerged guides you towards the Church (the path follows the left hand-side of the chain fence, alongside the house). You emerge to the rear of the 3rd Tee of Long Ashton Golf Club!
13. There's some navigation around the course now. From where you emerged, follow the 'Village Circular Walk' sign straight on, keeping close to the hedge on your left, and taking heed of golfers coming up the fairway on the right.
14. As the path approaches a pond you'll see it bears left into woodland, away from the course. A signpost soon guides you to the right, back towards the course.
15. Your route is pretty much a straight line from here across various greens  and fairways, so take heed and respect the course. Walk across the green to climb a short bank where a footpath sign says go right, but continue straight on, onto another fairway at the top. You're making for woods over the brow straight in front of you, where you'll find a distinct path leading downhill.
16. Follow this down through the woods, until you emerge onto a tarmac road with houses off. Continue downhill until a lane to the left, signposted Coach House, Fernhill House & Hill House guides you left.
17. You'll reach a right hand spur, take it. It passes Fernhill House, a lovely position overlooking Bristol. And then another right hand spur before the entrance to Hill House. It's easy from here!
18. Continue until the path emerges through a gate, downhill to cross a field with fine views of Bristol ahead.
19. The path soon emerges back onto Weston Road, close to the Angel Inn where we started.

Notes

As this website project has taken shape, I’ve realised that the pubs that truly earn their place on the site aren’t the ones with immaculate refurbishments or Instagram‑ready menus.

They’re the ones where you step through the door and feel the past. The ones where the walls feel like they've absorbed a century of voices. The ones where the photos on the wall are fading, not because someone curated them to look vintage (Lounges-style), but because they’ve remained long after the men in them are gone.

The Miners Rest is one of those places. Like the photos, the place itself could almost exist in black and white.

It’s a pub that still feels like the cottage it once was — a front room, a fire, a handful of locals who know each other’s stories, and a sense that nothing here has changed because nothing here needs to.

And that’s why this place matters.
Because pubs like this don’t have websites.
They don’t advertise.
They don’t shout.
They simply carry on — until one day they don’t.

So if a few paragraphs here can shine a light on a place like the Miners Rest, can say - “Look! Here is something real, something that once sustained the working men of a vanished industry just down there” — then that feels like a worthwhile thing to do.

The best pub walks are meant to be shared.

If you’ve followed this route, found a better path, got lost, uncovered a standout pint somewhere else, or simply have a story to tell, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

This site is as much about shared discoveries as it is about the walks themselves.