River Frome, Bristol - Course

Course

20 miles (32 km) long, the River Frome rises in the grounds of Dodington Park in the Cotswolds of South Gloucestershire, flows through Chipping Sodbury in a north westerly direction through Yate, and is then joined by the Nibley brook on the left at Nibley. The river turns south towards the next settlement of Frampton Cotterell, where it is met by the Ladden brook on the right bank. Continuing southwards between Yate and Winterbourne, the Frome crosses Winterbourne Down, to Damsons Bridge where the Folly Brook tributary merges on the left bank.

The Bradley brook joins on the right bank at Hambrook just before the river passes underneath the M4 motorway. The Frome now enters a more urban environment passing between Frenchay on the right and Bromley Heath and Downend on the left. Turning in a more south westerly direction the river enters Oldbury Court estate, a city park also known as Vassal's, past Snuff Mills, entering a steep valley at Stapleton, then passing Eastville park, where it feeds the former boating lake and is met by the Fishponds brook on the right.

The river then flows under the M32 motorway and parallels its course for a while before disappearing into an underground culvert just above Baptist Mills. It is joined underground by Coombe brook on the left and Horfield brook on the right. A brief stretch in St Judes is uncovered and then the river runs underneath Broadmead to Broad weir. From there the course carries on underneath Bond Street, through Lewin's Mead and under the city centre before emerging into St Augustine's Reach near the Watershed Media Centre.