SY’s Guide to the Best Parks Bristol has to Offer

There are more than a handful of parks across Bristol that each offer something different and can tickle anyone’s fancy. For “research” purposes I started in the centre and worked my way outwards ending at the Downs, visiting as many parks as I could along the way.
Read the rest of this entry »

The National Arboretum, on the outskirts of Bath, is home to one of the most incredible tree gardens in the world. A collection of over 3,000 different trees and shrub species, many of which are rare or endangered in their native lands, fill this beautiful site which covers over six hundred acres in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The most remarkable thing is that more than 40% of Bristolians have never even visited this site and yet it sits on our doorstep.
Read the rest of this entry »

The perfect moment to walk along Bristol’s floating harbour is early evening, around five or six o’clock, when the red brick and rusted metal are catching sunset light. You could start at the Prince Street bridge then make your way along the harbourside to the SS Great Britain. Even if you take this route every day, you might not know much about the background of this area.
Read the rest of this entry »

Sandwiched in between Coombe Dingle and Henbury in the distant North West of Bristol, lies 650 acres of romantic greenery in the form of Blaise Castle Estate. Blaise Castle itself is little more than a glorified turret, built originally as a gothic summerhouse by a wealthy Bristol merchant on the site of St. Blaise’s Chapel (which is where the area takes it name), but the surrounding estate is a lush, green canyon, bustling with walkways that wind between impressive trees and over bubbling brooks. The monument was built in the 18th Century along with Blaise Castle House and the grounds were soon after landscaped into what is now an impressive estate which is enjoyed by thousands of Bristolians every year.
Read the rest of this entry »

Last month we were hit with the devastating news that the Bristol and Bath Railway Path could be paved over and turned into a rapid transport route for buses, so what better area then to feature in the patented SY Stomping The Streets? This is no protest piece to vent my disgust at the plans though, a quick look at the internet with show you just how passionately Bristol feels about it all, instead we simply want to celebrate the Railway Path in all its magnificence and remind ourselves why we love it so much. Hopefully it will prompt a few more people to give the route a pedal and sign the petition (8,000 signatures so far!) or at the very least we can rejoice in this fantastic cycle and walking path while we still have it.

Read the rest of this entry »