Bristol is a sports-loving city and that’s immediately evident when you visit the Bristol City Ground or the Gloucestershire Country Cricket Club.
Golf lovers will feel right at home in Bristol, with its superb golf courses. The best golf courses around are hands-down the mesmerizing Manor House Golf Club at Castle Combe and the beautiful Woodlands Golf and Country Club in Almondsbury.
If you love outdoor activities, you will not run out of things to do at High Action in Winscombe, a great venue for couples and entire families. Here, you can try rock climbing, abseiling and a host of other adrenaline pumping diversions. If you prefer something less strenuous, High Action’s amazing woodlands and parkland are ideal for pony trekking and tobogganing.
For young kids or simply the young at heart, Bristol Indoor Paintball in Kingswood is a favourite venue for a rollicking good time. You will have to pay a small entrance fee, but that already includes your gun and safety equipment. It’s a small price to pay to play in this fantastic venue that puts a premium on adventure and will push your stamina to the limits.
If ice skating is your idea of fun, then The Bristol Ice Rink on Frogmore Street is the kind of venue where you can lose yourself. Less experienced skaters who feel too wobbly to stay on their feet can benefit from the ice skating lessons at the venue.
Now, if you prefer skiing to ice skating, Bristol has something to offer you too. The Avon Ski Centre boasts of the best skiing in the area. Located on Lyncombe Drive in Churchill, the Avon Ski Centre is a great place for a grand time on the slopes. Skiing neophytes can also visit Avon to take lessons.
For people who love the sea and water sports, there are a number of excellent places in Bristol which can guarantee you a whole day of fun and adventure. Foremost of these places is the Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club on Bolton Road, one of the country’s leading sailing clubs. Not so keen on sailing? The Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club features a roster of trained professionals who specialize in teaching the basics of selling to couples and entire families.
The Avon County Rowing Club is perhaps one the region’s oldest and most prestigious rowing clubs. It was built over a century ago at Saltford and caters to guests of all ages and abilities. Training is available to all visitors as well as to coaches and umpires. In just a few short lessons, even a beginner can learn to perfect some masterstrokes.
Bristol is also filled with swimming pools galore which are run by the local council of by independent businessmen. It also houses venues for trout fishing such as the Bristol Water Fisheries on Stoke Hill in Woodford Lodge. It’s equipped with special boats for the handicapped.
Speaking of the handicapped, the Bristol Ability Sports Club is a special centre that offers a wide range of sports activities for disabled people. Highly qualified coaches are on hand to lend their support. The Club is located at St. Paul’s Community Sports Academy on Newfoundland Road.
When it comes to sports, the most popular sport around is still football and there are plenty of venues to cheer for the home team or even to get in on the action.
The city has two main professional football clubs, Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. They belong to separate leagues but both team share the ardent support of locals all across the city.
Established in 1883, the Rovers currently competes in the Football League Two. Their home games are played at the Memorial Stadium on Filton Avenue.
The Bristol City Football Club is the more popular and successful of the city’s two pro clubs. Their home games are played at the Ashton Gate Stadium on Ashton Road. As the home team, they are heavily involved in local events and are well-loved by the community. The Ashton Gate Stadium also hosts a number of activities for people of all ages, mainly football and rugby events.
Meanwhile, the city also has a host of excellent soccer schools such as the Brazilian Soccer School and the Jamie Shore Soccer School. They’re excellent venues where kinds learn about ball control and the fundamentals of the game as well as discipline and team spirit. Rumour has it that the next Pele will be coming out of these schools in a very short time.
On the other hand, if you’re over the age of 18, it doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to the game you love, especially in Bristol. The city has many indoor football facilities where the older and working set can show off their skills during their lunchtimes or during weekends. The competition in these places is evident every day. There are also several sports centres that provide football lovers with five-a-side games. Among the most prominent of these venues are the St. Paul’s Community Sports Academy on Newfoundland Road and the Hengrove Athletic Academy on Norton Lane in Whitchurch.
