Blog ≫ 2019 ≫ Epic excursion to Bristol

Been away a few days, including to Bristol. I don't announce these things completely in advance so you don't rob me. We are just back in the door now, and there's too much to update in one go. We did:

Got out of work early, everyone else had the day off so hit the road quite promptly. Was a busy day for travelling but wasn't too bad, took us three hours.

Got to Mum and Dad's, sat down for a small beer with them and then went for food at the Seagull. It's so cheap there. Even with a bottle of wine it cost about £45 for the six of us, and it could have been less than that. It's not great, but it is cheap. We all had some version of burger and chips I think, even Mum had the Asian burger.

Normally do the parkrun with Ro if I am in Whiteley but he was on holiday. Clare accompanied me but did not run, she shopped instead. They have moved the start of the run for some reason, but it's still the same good three times round the park and all feels down hill like an MC Escher picture. I did EXACTLY the same time as the previous week, so that still stands as my best time of 21'36. Best time so far anyway... After the run I met Clare in Caffe Nero for coffee then we had a bit of a browse around waiting for Mum and Dad to turn up with the boys.

Successful lunch, I had the "vegan egg" again.

The boys were looking forward to this, and we added Clare on at the last minute. It's almost exactly the same as the Dover Click And Climb but it is more expensive, and you pay extra for the drop slide. The cafe there is good as you can sit at the level of the top of the climbing things and see everyone.

Mum and Dad took the boys home, we went to the supermarket for some supplies and then diverted to the Parson's Collar for a cheeky half. I had heard of it from Ro, and though I won't admit it to him it was very nice. We sat out in the garden, until the wasps got annoying.

West Street Ale House is a new micropub in Fareham. I walked in there (my step count has been awesome the last couple of weeks) and was joined by Dave and Chris. Nice little pub, very popular. Good range of beers but a slightly arbitrary pricing policy. My beer was £3.60, so was Chris' but Dave's came in at £5.60 - I think it was to do with percentages but his was only 0.2% or so above ours, hmm. Not keen on that one. Some good ciders though, we had a couple in there and then moved on. We did think about Wetherspoons as I had a pocket full of vouchers but then thought of The Fareham.

There was a great covers band playing, amazing difference to the last time I went there with Dave and we were about the only two people in there. We mostly sat in the garden, it would have been too busy and noisy inside. I'm sure it's the same crowd that used to go to the Air Balloon, just all obviously thirty years older. Then another walk home, aha but I ran instead. What was I thinking. I got home in no time.

Next day we abandoned the boys, Dad took us to Fareham station. We bought tickets easily (my return just about the same price as Clare's single, lovely) and off to Bristol for a couple of nights. Train was busy, nearly all seats reserved. We got on, Clare found a seat that was not reserved, I got one across the aisle that was reserved, but from Cosham, so not being used by the reserver. The train filled right up, standing room only, everyone a bit cross they had no chance to move along the train to their reserved seats. I gave up my seat and we trundled to Bristol along with some very tetchy passengers. Journey went quickly enough, good job I did not need the loo as there would not have been much of a chance of moving down the carriage. Clare managed to at Bath, which is just about the stop before we got off. And we're in Bristol at last!

We took a wrong turn at the station at first, heading out the front entrance, away from where we needed to be. So about turn and out the back entrance where I'm sure there was a drug deal going on. Fairly blatant too. We walked to the city centre and were about ready for lunch.

We'd used the journey to investigate several places to eat, Edna's Kitchen sounded good and was good. It's just a kiosk but they did good salads and fresh falafel wraps. Perfect and quick, and so on to our hotel. I will admit I was hanging on to our bags here, Bristol does feel the sort of place to get robbed. You know like how Edinburgh is really nice but in Trainspotting you see them targetting the tourists? Like that. Also with the same drug issues. I might have been imagining all that and maligning the good people of Bristol. But I wasn't.

Why they got so many Premier Inns all called "city centre"? I thought I'd booked the one on the waterside right by the Apple cider barge. But no. They're not far apart anyway, and our one was fine.

Yes interesting first impression... this was the place where a few of the vegan cafes and vegan friendly restaurants were so I scoped this out while Clare shopped. A lot rougher than I had thought Bristol would be, but that's definitely what people would say about Folkestone if they came here thinking it was a creative artsy hub of trendiness. There are pockets, and this was the pocket with the whole in it and no money. There are some big fancy houses up this way though, cheek-by-jowl with the huge council blocks. I never did figure out which council block was the one used in Only Fools And Horses.

Cafe Kino was one of the vegan friendly places on our list, though I only had a coffee here. Seemed a nice place, quite hippyish. They did a "suspended coffee" here, you buy a coffee now and then anyone can come in later and ask for it. It's intended for someone who needs it, but I think my one went to the guy in the "jesus saves" hi-vis vest who was dancing on the traffic island outside the cafe. He was dancing when I walked up Cheltenham Road, he was dancing when I walked back down. Maybe he needed it more than I think.

I walked to a Banksy that was on the map, called "rose trap" or "rose on a mouse trap". Something went wrong with phone on camera here though and I didn't get a snap of it. This was the beginning of the end for my phone. It's a few days after return as I write this and new phone is arriving tomorrow. I did snap a more famous one "Mild Mild West" which was above the Bristol Social bar.

We were both done with our solo adventures now, I'd had a coffee and a good look round and Clare had bought a dress. We met up back at the hotel and walked down to the Apple cider barge. Had been looking forward to this one, real cider sitting outside on a barge. The bank holiday made it very busy though so we didn't get on the barge but sat on tables on the quayside instead. Good cider though.

Next more walking round, around the waterfront. We stopped at some bar with a swing seat, though was that this time round? Maybe the next day. We tried to get a look at the SS Great Britain1 though you can't really even see it properly unless you pay to go into the visitor experience. And the visitor centre was closing as we got there. Instead (possibly better) we went to Wild Beer, and sat outside and listened to a busker. He was good, did some real low key songs though like Hurt and Creep instead of just cheery cloud pleasers. We spoke to him after, he was from the Czech Republic and was touring the UK improving his (impeccable) English. Slight sour note in Wild Beer, one of the bar staff arguing with a customer in front of me. Lady clearly wanted a shandy and the bar person seemed to be wilfully misunderstanding her, bringing her a pint of lemonade and a beer, and then criticising the customer after she'd gone.

Next to the Stable, a cider and pizza place I had really enjoyed when we were in Bath. Similar set up here, though even busier. We went for a flight of five small ciders each, but annoyingly you couldn't choose what went on the flight. A bit opinionated, you had to have one traditional, one fruit, one modern, etc, five different styles. This would put me off the flight next time, I know what I like I should have had a pint, or two halves.

Hard to decide for dinner, but we went for Indian. Quite a short menu here, not much for me but they knew what was vegan and what wasn't instead of me just guessing. Very nice, not too much, good flavours. Also fun "keep calm and curry on" on their uniform aprons. Then just about figured our way home, a cheeky nightcap from the Tesco Express for the hotel room and to bed.

I will be back with more comments later to top up everything below...

When I say "I'll be back to add more details" I never am (ha, this time I am actually doing it, though not completed yet), I have not written up our week in Mexico yet. But maybe there are enough details here for me to come and add some details to over the next few days. I am using my location history on google maps to fill in some of it, it's useful being cyberstalked by the man sometimes.

I do still have the best part of a week off, though we are going to try and find more fun things to do with the boys before school starts. Plus obvs the Inn Doors, another parkrun etc.

It's been great weather and it's STILL hot here.

5k: Five km, about three miles in old money.

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Paul Clarke's weblog - I live in Hythe near Folkestone. Wed and dad to 2, I am a full-stack web developr, + I do mostly javascript / nodejs, some ruby, python, php ect ect. I like pubbing, parkrun, restaurants, home automation and other diy jiggery-pokery, history, tree stuff, TV, squirrels, pirates, lego, and time travel.