Deep Travel writer, Louie Amos, takes us on a journey to Bristol’s secret Clifton Rocks Railway and the iconic Clifton observatory. 

On the face of it, Bristol appears as a city with nothing to hide. While this may be the case, there are some fascinations lurking in its underground reaches that exist, hidden in plain sight. Clifton, an almost literal high-end area of Bristol, plays host to the cave and historical railway that tell their own stories of historical interest.

The Clifton Observatory

As I arrive at the location of the Giant’s Cave, the Clifton Observatory is the first sight to greet me. With a full-access ticket, I have the freedom to explore the Observatory at my own pace and then venture down to the mysterious Giant’s Cave. The observatory’s reception area, while minute, is equipped to provide historical information on the Clifton Observatory and Giant’s Cave. I register my ticket with the reception area and proceed with exploring the observatory.

As I wander through the observatory, I am captivated by its rich history and its role in shaping Bristol’s landscape. The walls are adorned with timelines, narrating the observatory’s history and the contributions of William West, an esteemed artist and astronomer. The timeline begins in the 1700s when it was a windmill that tragically succumbed to a fire. 

The timeline then moves forward in time to the 1820s, the time at which Isenbard Kingdom Brunel submitted designs for the Clifton Suspension Bridge. These designs included the Giant’s Cave as the bridge’s starting point. 1860 highlights the death of William West and the continued residence of his wife and children at this observatory.

The timeline then continues towards the present day, mentioning the final flight of the Concord in 2003 and a Bristol-born resident buying it for private ownership in 2015. After fascinating myself with this history, I head to The Camera Obscura, located at the top of the observatory tower, where tourists can manually rotate a camera to get a 360-degree view of the observatory’s surrounding area, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The Giants Cave

While I am fascinated by my newfound knowledge of this observatory, I have not lost sight of what I truly came here for. After heading down from the observatory tower, I arrive at the entrance to the Giant’s Cave on the other side of the reception area. There is a short queue of visitors waiting in anticipation to delve deep into the cave; other visitors are exiting the caves, giving leeway to visitors, including myself, who are entering.

I begin my descent down Giant’s Cave, the fictional home of Bristol’s two infamous giants, Goram and Ghyston. I clamber down the first set of stairs and turn right to find more stairs and a mural of a family of giants. A selection of yellow caving helmets is available for visitors keen not to hit their heads on the low ceiling. 

While I am clambering down the steps of this cave, it makes me feel grateful for small mercies, given that I am not using another access point to this cave. As the website for this cave stipulates, visitors would have had to endure a challenging climb up from the cliff’s base to get to these caves. These two fictional giants will have surely known the challenge that they set the folk of Bristol if they wanted to visit these caves.

The stairs decline even further, passing through snugger spots as the lighting on the walls journeys downwards with me. It certainly isn’t the best time to embrace being tall, given how low the cave’s ceiling is. After spending time ducking and diving, the steps come to an end, and I am able to look upwards towards the balcony looking out from Avon Gorge. Climbing the final steps, I approach this balcony and the life-size cut-out of Isenbard Kingdom Brunel. 

Clifton Suspension Bridge

I immediately spot the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the left, which hangs high above the flowing River Avon. The road almost directly below my feet is alive with traffic. However, I aim not to let the traffic’s sound ruin my moment to admire the view in front of me.

Various other tourists are with me to take in this view before the inevitable climb back up through the caves. I myself begin to head back up the caves, and it occurs to me how much easier it is to climb up than to step downwards. I’m constantly keeping my head down anyway to watch my step while ensuring my head doesn’t collide with the overhanging cave walls. After another period of ducking and diving, I am finally out of the cave and pass the mural of the giant family waving me goodbye as I leave.

Website: https://cliftonobservatory.com
Address Litfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3LT
Phone: 0117 974 1242
Instagram: Cliftonobservatory

The Clifton Rocks Railway

I exit the observatory, and am now set on visiting the Clifton Rocks Railway that used to be in operation. The stroll down to the railway involves walking past the Suspension Bridge towards the Lookout Lectern. There is a sign pointing toward a path titled ‘The Zig Zag’, and upon taking this path, I discover how apt the name for this path is.

Spending no more than ten minutes walking back and forth on this trail, I reach the A4 main road and turn left towards the old railway. As I arrive, I find a sign on this closed-down railway that states it was in operation up until 1934. While there isn’t much to gaze upon, it casts my mind back to the early 1900s when this railway was in operation. It makes me consider how thrilling it must have been to take this funicular railway and incline within the rocks.

While this may no longer be in operation, a team of volunteers has been working long and hard to restore it. Since 2005, these volunteers have been working and planning out how the restoration can take place. It may be that the railway could come into operation again as a funicular railway. At least, I personally hope this is the case, as this would be one of Bristol’s unique ways of casting tourists back to the day when it was first in operation. For now, however, the plans are in place to bring it back as a museum.

Website: www.cliftonrocksrailway.com
Address: 420 Hotwell Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4NU
Phone: 0117 974 1242
Instagram: Cliftonrocksrailway