Blind date: Nico & Zoe

If you ever find yourself stuck for date ideas then you’re in luck: we’ve partnered with DateMakers to share Bristol’s best date ideas and experiences.

This month, we sent chef Nico, 30, and HR administrator Zoe, 28, to have a climbing lesson at The Climbing Academy in Barton Hill.

Nico: 

Have you ever been on a blind date before?

No, it was my first time.

What did you think of this experience as a first date?

The experience was good. Sometimes it’s difficult to meet new people and there’s always a kind of embarrassment but this kind of date worked well for me.

What were your first thoughts when you saw your date?

She was a little bit late, but I’m used to waiting on women. I thought she was a friendly and easy-going girl.

What did you talk about?

Mainly holidays. I suggested Zoe go to the south of Italy, where I come from, and I think she’ll follow my advice sooner or later.

What was the atmosphere of the date like?

It was very relaxed from the beginning. The new experience helped to break the ice.

Any moments when you wished you were somewhere else?

Only when we had to follow a very long procedure before the climbing.

What would you say is the best characteristic of your date?

She was very natural and at ease.

What do you think your date made of you?

Italian men are famous for being chatty and funny..!

Is there anything you would change about the evening?

No, the date was funny and the activity was exciting.

Were there any sparks of potential…?

I don’t think so to be honest, we’re too different.

Have you arranged to meet again, or will you in the future?

No, I don’t think so, but it’s ok. We had fun.

Nico taking on the climbing wall.

Zoe:

Have you ever been on a blind date before?

Not like this where I only knew their first name.

What did you think of this experience as a first date?

It was fun and interesting, although it made having a continuous conversation a little hard since we had to stop talking to climb a wall.

What were your first thoughts when you saw your date?

He looked normal and had all his own teeth, so that was a relief.

What did you talk about?

Where in Italy he was from, how we like to travel and that we go to the same gym – but we were mostly focussed on how we were going to climb the next wall.

What was the atmosphere of the date like?

Quite relaxed given the odd situation – we both said this was the weirdest first date we had ever been on.

Any moments when you wished you were somewhere else?

No, it was a good evening doing something different.

What would you say is the best characteristic of your date?

He was up for a challenge.

What do you think your date made of you?

Hopefully that I was good company!

Is there anything you would change about the evening?

It was a good date and a fun activity, although it would have been nice to have some time to get to know each other a bit better before we got occupied by the climbing.

Were there any sparks of potential…?

No, I don’t think so, although I will definitely be going bouldering again.

Have you arranged to meet again, or will you in the future?

No plans to meet again unless we run into each other at the gym.

Zoe taking on the climbing wall.

Many thanks to DateMakers for arranging this date. To book your own climbing experience and 40+ other handpicked dates, visit www.datemakers.co.uk. If you’d like to go on a blind date in the future, email jess@bristol247.com