8 HOURS IN BRISTOL

Inspired by a recently viewed tv show praising food programs in the city, we decided to pay a maiden visit to Bristol.

Surprised by the fact that it's possible to reach Bristol from Paddington in an hour and a half on a direct train, we then had a rethink and cancelled our overnight hotel in favour of an eight hour jaunt that returned us to London by a respectable eleven pm!

Determined to absorb as much as we could but also conscious of having a relatively short period of time to do it in, we had a loose itinerary that started with catching the Number Eight bus right outside Bristol Temple Mead station that ferried us to The Clifton Suspension Bridge in under half an hour. The bridge offered some beautiful vistas (especially from the 'Lookout' point) with the River Avon cutting its way through the densely forested valley. We were fortunate the superb weather afforded us even better views than we'd anticipated!

Clifton Village, just a very short walk from the Bridge, is a laid back, upmarket suburb to the west of the centre, characterised by independent coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants and pubs with a distinctly boutique vibe. A few more hours could easily have been spent exploring these surroundings but after a brief perusal, we boarded the Number Eight bus back into the city. The St Nicholas Market held between the Georgian period buildings on Corn Street allowed us a gentle amble to browse the stall holders' wares, which, on a different day with the capacity to transport, might have resulted in a few impulse purchases such as a minature forest ecosystem in a glass bottle, or perhaps an olde worlde map of South America.

Emerging at the Cabot Circus shopping centre that's seemingly home to every retail outlet under the sun, but with no desire to shop, we headed ten minutes north by foot to the Stoke Croft area. Completely unbeknown to us until we encountered thousands of young revellers (none of whom were over the age of twenty by our estimate) who were having a riotous time in various pubs, bars and street parties as part of what we since discovered, was the annual 'Stoke Croft Bloc Party', a weekend shindig that was well underway by three pm. If we were twenty years younger, we would've been getting stuck right in with them, however we had more pressing priorities on this occasion in the shape of a late lunch that just happened to be in the midst of all the merriment!

The Caribbean Croft restaurant highly recommended on the reviews we researched, and I can genuinely say that the food we had the honour of blessing our souls with was some of, if not the outright best, Caribbean food we've ever had! Between us we had jerk chicken wings for starters and then a jerk chicken dinner and jerk pork belly dinner, each with rice n peas, red cabbage and coleslaw. The homemade hot sauce was exceptional without blowing our senses away and the jerk sauce was outstanding. The chicken was succulent, the pork was tender and by the time l'd committed the cringeworthy act of congratulating the chef, all was right with the world and we were entirely sated! If you're ever in Bristol and are partial to this type of cuisine, The Caribbean Croft is a must!

Totally stuffed, we waddled down through the party goers and into the comparitive tranquility of town, which was vibrant enough with street musicians, skateboarders, people heading for boat rides and those who were beginning their Saturday night's entertainment. Late afternoon was upon us and the Harbourside District would be our final destination for a wind down beverage. You can either take a left or right where the steps greet the water of the harbour, and we opted for right. Along this stretch you have to pass several lively bars before reaching the more serene end of the strip, but the customers were all in the right spirit and for us, some twenty thousand steps in, a Vimto and Diet Coke in the Spitfire bar/ restaurant was the perfect end as the sun came down on the city and our little soirée.

Bristol exceeded our expectations, and they were high from the outset. There's a palpable buzz and positive atmosphere about the city and, although we only experienced a few of its charms, there's plenty to please all walks of life meaning anyone visiting won't leave disappointed; a great little day outing with the only tinge of sadness being that we would liked to have seen more!