After another busy and dare I say it, rather dull week at work, we woke to a glorious sun pouring in through the crack in the curtains with the urge to long-board some local hills. After a lazy breakfast of coffee and croissants, we rolled out of Ashton Vale, our quiet suburb on the edge of town and headed for the Clifton Suspension Bridge where Mike was eager to check out the paths he’d spotted - swearing on their potential to carve down!

20 minutes later - we know the short cut across the Cumberland Basin - and we were high up and feasting our eyes on the fields that surround southern Bristol, waiting patiently for Rupert, our short-boarded friend.

Once a trio, never to break the habit of a life time - Mike sped off down one path, disappearing round a sharp, steep bend and into the unknown before it mellowed out as the path met the road… We found ourselves on the large grassy area at the top of the village but continued in the opposite direction towards The Downs, following a path we believe to be nicknamed ‘The Avenue’.

The Avenue starts out quite narrow and steep so pretty difficult to carve at first, but becomes wider and the gradient less fierce, before ending up as a gentle slope - on picking up too much speed its easy to roll on and then off the grassy verge at the sidelines… Ahh! The beauty of the long-board wheel!

Admittedly – it is pretty un-nerving constantly having to look out for, slow down and stop for people, when all you want to do is roll as fast and free as possible! And of course pedestrians on pathways is pretty much a given, but I’m not sure where skaters really belong – not on the road, yet not on the pavement either?

So, shaded from a burning sun, under a canopy of very British Oaks graffiti-ing the concrete with their shadows, run after run, we evaded the stares of passersby - perhaps a little envious at our determined yet yearning kindred spirits…

Fran McElhone