People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Andy Torbet
Andy Torbet is an extreme diver, climber, adventurer sportsman, author, television presenter and zoologist. His new book Extreme Adventures sees him scuba diving in Welsh slate mines, climbing the crumbling chalk cliffs of The Needles, pot-holing through Scotland’s deepest caves, and much more.
Join him talking about the book at Stanford’s on Corn Street on Wednesday, June 17 at 6.30pm.
Here are Andy’s top-five Bristol favourites:
is needed now More than ever
The Avon Gorge
“Which other city in the world can boast a massive amount of quality, multi-pitch rock climbing on south-facing cliffs right in the middle of town People would normally drive for hours to reach a venue like this and those living in other cities do. There are three main walls along the Portway and you get phenomenal views down the river to the Suspension Bridge. And there is often an ice cream van parked at the top.”
Bloc Climbing Centre
“When the weather is bad I try and get down Bloc Climbing Centre in St Werburgh’s a few times a week. I know the staff and it’s a cool place to train and hang out. I’ll climb and do some work during rest periods. They’re also right next door to Extract Coffee Roasters so the the brews they serve are top quality. It has become my second office and I’ve had quite a few business meeting in the cafe recently.”
Graffiti
“The graffiti in Bristol – especially around Stokes Croft – is brilliant. Not only is the artwork often outstanding there is clearly a great deal of thought gone into the pieces. Some are cool, some inspiring, some funny. And they change all the time. My favourite piece, which must have been worked on through the night, appeared the morning after Peter Falk died. It was a beautifully done life-size mural of him in his old Columbo coat with ‘Rest In Peace’ written beneath.”
Bristol & Path Railway Path
“A fast and safe way of getting to Bath but also a route much used by me to get into Bristol city centre. Sometimes on bike but also on foot.”
The Floating Harbour
“There is much more use being made of this safe, sheltered water. You can now use or rent canoes and kayak and sail dinghies as well as make use of the ferries (much underused I think) to not only get around and explore the city from a different perspective but also get up close and personal with city landmarks like The Mathew and the ss Great Britain.”