Features / Bristicles
A brilliant Bristol bucket list
Sarah Humphrys is a 22-year-old Bristol University graduate who after three years living in the city created her Bristol Bucket List on her blog Adventures Please.
“It was far more difficult than I imagined to summarise my favourite, ‘must-do’ experiences into one list,” Sarah says. “So I have given three favourites for each key activity, one for each year that I was there, and that is that.
“If you haven’t yet visited Bristol, I urge you to go! It’s an unexpectedly beautiful city despite its industrial origins, with historic buildings hidden among the high rises, splashes of colour around every corner and an endless supply of events to attend. Get going!”
is needed now More than ever
Drink: cider and plenty of it
- Try an exhibition at the Cori Tap,
- an Old Bristolian at The Apple
- and a selection of five third-pints at the Stable
Drink: cocktails
- Pick up the phone to Red Light
- Pass through the wooden doors to Milk Thistle
- Find the hat for Hyde & Co
Drink: coffee
- Spin the sandwich wheel at the Arch House Deli
- Browse the vinyl collection and enjoy a latte at Friska
- Have a tea party at Chin!Chin!
(You also definitely ought to visit Boston Tea Party – which originated in Bristol)
Eat: Get treated
- Sip champagne at luxurious and French – Hotel du Vin
- Enjoy delicious, fresh and poolside food at the Lido
- Eat steak and more steak at The Cow Shed
Eat: on a lunch date
- Eat three courses for £10 at The Townhouse
- Enjoy great pizza and even greater beer at Beerd
- Gobble up sausages and mash at The Clifton Sausage
Eat: on a drunken walk home/a lazy night in
- Order a curry from Roopsha
- Demolish some post-club cheesy chips from Jason Donervan’s
- Taste an enormous magic roll from TakaTaka
- Scallops at the Lido
Dance: the worst (compulsory at least once)
- Drink toffee-vodka shots in Lounge
- Have embarrassing photos taken in Bunker
- Stumble out of Mbargo (and home via YoYo Burger)
Dance: the bars
- Enjoy nightly live music at The Canteen
- Good vibes gig vibes at The Big Chill and Start the Bus
- Join the cool dudes at The Love Inn or Attic Bar
Dance: the ‘nights’
- Catch a gig on board Thekla
- Get tickets for a Itchy Feet when at Lakota
- Dance the night in a jail cell at the Old Crown Courts
Attend one of Bristol’s festivals
Highlights include:
- Bristol Beer Festival (March)
- Dot to Dot (May)
- Love Saves the Day (May)
- St Paul’s Carnival (July)
- Harbour Festival (July)
- Bristol Cider Festival (August)
- Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (August)
Go shopping
- Buy at least five ridiculously cheap second hand books on Park Street
- Pick up something you definitely don’t need (ribbon? chilli sauce?) at St Nicks Market
- Find some vintage gems down Gloucester Road
Go walking
- Spot the deer at Ashton Court
- Spot the goats from the top of the Downs
- Spot the Suspension Bridge from a different angle down at Leigh Woods
See history
- Spot at least three almshouses on the streets of Bristol
- Explore the ruins at Castle Park and Temple Churchyard
- Drink a pint at every pub on King Street (this totally counts as a historical experience)
Go to a museum
- Learn about natural history at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
- Learn about Bristol at M Shed
- Learn about science at At-Bristol
Watch a film
- at the Cube (wonderfully unique, volunteer run)
- at the Watershed (artsy, waterside cinema. Leave a handwritten review)
- at Orpheus Cinema (beautiful 1930s cinema, with great cheap tickets!)
Watch a show
- at the Wardrobe Theatre
- at the Tobacco Factory
- at the Bristol Old Vic
Go…
- bowling at the Lanes
- cycling along the railway path to Bath
- stand-up paddle boarding at the harbourside
Climb
- In a church?!
- Up the Christmas Steps (best in December!)
- To the top of Cabot Tower
Stumble (drunk) up
- Constitution Hill
- Park Street
- St Michael’s Hill
See…
- The gorge from the Clifton Suspension Bridge
- The gorillas at Bristol Zoo Gardens
- The stars in the At-Bristol planetarium
“And remember that Cabot is pronounced with a T, Cotham without the H and that Banksy was ours first.
“The end.”