Our verdict
The quiet back door to a busy corner. Ashton Court and Abbots Pool soak up the crowds while these working woods soak up almost nobody — come for wide tracks, proper mud and the sense of having north Somerset's most popular walking country to yourself.
Mixed Forestry England woodland on the plateau between Failand and the Avon Gorge, next door to the medieval fishponds that gave the woods their name. Broad forest tracks link through to Abbots Pool and the Ashton Court fringe.
Forestry England woodland, open at all times. Working forest — expect the odd closed ride when they're felling.