Best Places to View the Moon in Bristol, UK
Bristol is built over hills around the River Avon, with the Avon Gorge cutting through the west of the city and the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning it. That gives the city real high ground for moon watching, from the cliff-top Downs to Cabot Tower and the hilltops of the east. The whole city sits under street lighting, so this is a place for moonrises, moonsets and landmark shots rather than stars.
The Downs – Clifton Down and Durdham Down
About 441 acres of open grassland running from the cliffs of the Avon Gorge to the Victorian suburbs, often called Bristol's green lung. The Downs are listed by the council as open at all times. The grassland gives a wide sky, and the cliff-top edge looks out over the gorge and the Suspension Bridge. It can be very windy, so bring a sturdy tripod.
Clifton Observatory – Camera Obscura Above the Gorge
A windmill from 1766 on the edge of the Avon Gorge, turned into an observatory in 1828 with a camera obscura rather than a telescope. It has daytime opening hours, but the cliff-top views around it, over the gorge and the Suspension Bridge, are open on Clifton Down. The bridge lies west-south-west, in the range of directions where the moon sets.
Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower – Central Hilltop
A hilly park near the city centre, open at all times, with Cabot Tower, a 105 ft tower with views across the city all the way to the Mendip Hills. Brandon Hill lies west of the centre, so from the tower the city spreads out to the east, the direction of moonrise. The tower opens daily from 8am and closes between 5.15pm in winter and 9.15pm in summer.
Ashton Court Estate – Deer Park on the Western Edge
An estate of about 850 acres of woodland, open grassland and rolling hills, with a deer park of more than 600 years and ancient oaks. Higher ground within the estate has views across the city. It is owned by Bristol City Council and mostly lies in North Somerset. The estate opens at 8am daily, with closing times that vary through the year, so check them before an evening visit.
Troopers Hill – East Bristol Hilltop
A hillside local nature reserve in St George, overlooking the River Avon, with a listed chimney near the top and panoramic views across the city. The council lists it as open at all times, with an accessible path to the top from the Malvern Road entrance. It has no car park or toilets, and the council describes it as always windy.
Blaise Castle Estate – Henbury Parkland
650 acres of registered parkland and woodland in the north of the city, with a folly castle and walks with views over a gorge. The council lists the estate as always open, with a charge at the main car park. The castle walk gives a high viewpoint, and the woodland gives a darker, quieter setting than the city centre.
Best Times for Moon Photography in Bristol
Quick Photography Tips for Bristol
The moon phase today in Bristol is shown above. For the moon phase today anywhere else, visit the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator.
What the Experience Actually Feels Like
On the Downs and at Clifton Observatory, Bristol feels open and dramatic. The grass runs out to the edge of the gorge, the bridge hangs over it, and the moon sets into the west.
On Brandon Hill and Troopers Hill, it feels like a city seen from above: rooftops, harbour and river laid out below, with the moon coming up over the skyline.
At Ashton Court and Blaise Castle, it feels like parkland on the edge of the city, with ancient oaks, deer and a folly castle over a wooded gorge.
"The moon sets into the Avon Gorge from the Downs, and comes up over the city from Brandon Hill."
Your Bristol Moon Chase Checklist
Before You Go
- Check the moonrise and moonset times and azimuth for your date — a rising moon appears between north-east and south-east, a setting moon between north-west and south-west
- Check access — Brandon Hill, Troopers Hill and Blaise Castle Estate are open at all times, Cabot Tower and Ashton Court close seasonally, and Clifton Observatory keeps daytime hours
- Check the Met Office for cloud, visibility, wind and rain
What to Bring
- A telephoto lens of 200mm or longer for a tight Moon, and a wide lens for the gorge and the city
- A tripod, and a remote shutter or 2-second timer
- A lens cloth for damp air
- A warm, windproof layer and water-resistant footwear for hilltops and wet slopes
On the Night
- Focus manually on the Moon's edge
- Bracket exposures — one for the bright disc, one for the darker land or the lit city
- Keep well back from the gorge edge, and stay on paths in the dark
- A Green Flag award means well maintained, not open at night — check hours before you go
Bristol Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the moon phase today in Bristol?
The moon phase today in Bristol is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 6:03 AM and moonset at 5:54 PM.
Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in Bristol?
The Downs, made up of Clifton Down and Durdham Down, are about 441 acres of open grassland above the cliffs of the Avon Gorge, with views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Brandon Hill, a hilly park near the centre, has Cabot Tower, a 105 ft tower with views across the city all the way to the Mendip Hills. Ashton Court Estate, 850 acres of woodland, grassland and deer park with ancient oaks, has higher ground with views across the city. Troopers Hill Nature Reserve in east Bristol has panoramic views across the city and the River Avon, and Blaise Castle Estate in Henbury is 650 acres of registered parkland with a folly castle overlooking a gorge.
Q. Is Clifton Observatory a good place to look at the moon?
Not as a telescope site. Clifton Observatory is a historic windmill dating from 1766, above the Avon Gorge, that houses a camera obscura installed in 1828 rather than a working telescope, and it has daytime opening hours. The cliff-top views from Clifton Down around it, over the gorge and the Suspension Bridge, are a fine place to watch the moon rise or set. The bridge lies west-south-west of the Observatory, inside the range of directions where the moon sets, so a setting moon can drop behind the gorge. Check the azimuth for your date.
Q. Where does the moon rise and set in Bristol, and how high does it climb?
At about 51.5°N, Bristol's moonrise and moonset points swing widely across the horizon each month, from roughly north-east to south-east for rising and north-west to south-west for setting, with an even wider swing in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs to roughly 62° in the south, while a full moon near the summer solstice stays low, peaking near 15°, so it needs a clear view south. Bristol is built over hills around the Avon, so high ground clears the buildings: Brandon Hill lies west of the city centre, so from Cabot Tower the city spreads out to the east, the direction of moonrise. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.
Q. Is light pollution a problem for moon observing in Bristol?
The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Bristol, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Bristol is a large city of around half a million people, with continuous street lighting, so it is a light-polluted site and stars will be faint wherever you stand. The parks give more open sky, but not darker skies, and for darker skies you need to travel to places such as Exmoor, Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, or Bannau Brycheiniog, the Brecon Beacons, another Dark Sky Reserve.
Q. What camera settings and phases work best for moon photography in Bristol?
For a full moon, start with Looney 11 (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s) and refine using your histogram, since it is a baseline rather than a guarantee. The moon is much brighter than park lawns, gorge cliffs and the city lights, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. A waxing gibbous is useful for blue hour over the city from Brandon Hill or Troopers Hill while some daylight remains. For a moon-and-landmark shot with the Suspension Bridge or Cabot Tower, move farther back and use a longer focal length of 200 mm or more, with a sturdy tripod on the windy hilltops and manual focus on the moon's edge using magnified live view.
Q. How do cloud, wind and mist affect moon viewing in Bristol?
Bristol has a mild, changeable western climate with frequent cloud and rain, so clear lunar windows can be short. Exposed hilltops such as The Downs and Troopers Hill, which the council describes as always windy, can shake a tripod, and mist can gather in the Avon Gorge and river valleys on cool, still nights. Paths can be wet and muddy after rain, so wear water-resistant footwear. Check the Met Office forecast for cloud, visibility, wind and rain before heading out.
Q. What time zone are Bristol's moonrise and moonset times shown in?
Bristol runs on Greenwich Mean Time, UTC+0, in winter and British Summer Time, UTC+1, in summer. Clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, and moonrise and moonset times on this page follow the local clock in effect on each date. Bristol lies at about 2.6°W, west of the Greenwich meridian on which GMT is based, so the sun and moon cross the sky roughly 10 minutes later on the clock than in London.
Q. Can I shoot the moon at Bristol's viewpoints after dark?
Mostly, with limits. Bristol City Council lists Brandon Hill, Troopers Hill and Blaise Castle Estate as open at all times, and The Downs are listed as open at all times too. Cabot Tower itself closes in the evening, at 5.15pm in winter and 9.15pm in summer. Ashton Court Estate opens at 8am daily, with closing times that vary through the year, so check them before an evening visit. Troopers Hill has no car park or toilets, Blaise Castle Estate's main car park charges a fee, and Clifton Observatory keeps daytime hours. Stay on paths, and take care by the gorge edge and on wet slopes.
Explore Further
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Blue Hour Calculator
Work out when blue hour falls, ideal for waxing gibbous shots over Bristol from Brandon Hill and Troopers Hill.