This lovely woodland area, which is open to the public, is set in open countryside just north of…read morePontprennau, one of the newer suburbs of Cardiff. It's popular with horse riders because there's a woodland jump trail, and also with cyclists and joggers because of the network of forest paths. The woods are on quite high ground overlooking the river Rhymney valley and they're a lovely place for a stroll, particularly in the Springtime when the wild flowers are all out. Some of the trees have been stood here since 1600, so parts of the woodland are ancient and very well-established and have been designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (because of all the plants, birds and invertebrates the area supports). If you fancy a visit, the main entrance can be found on the western edge of the woods from Cefn Porth Road, where there's a handy car park.

I've been playing in this league for about five years now and I can't recommend it enough. It gets…read morea bit of a rough ride from other leagues for the poor standard of the football and even worse state of the pitches, but there's a strange camaraderie derived from playing on something akin to a minefield sat in a wind tunnel on an area not much bigger than a 5-a-side pitch. Fascinating fact, this is the second biggest league in the country where all the games are played in one place (after Hackney Marches), which leads me to the real advantage: you don't have to spend half your weekend driving around Inbredsville to play against opposition with approximately the same collective IQ as a pair of flip flops.

When I was a kid and my brother would go off to play football on a Saturday morning, I was green…read morewith envy. But this was the 80s and girls didn't play football too. Or did they? I managed to join a local team only to get completely battered by the rough and tumble of it all. Several footballs to the face and nosebleeds later, I gave up but instantly started to miss the smell, the feel, the excitement of it. I consigned myself to believing that I would never experience it again until I had kids - that is until I moved to Bristol and discovered the Bristol Downs League. Hundreds of footballers of all ages and refreshingly, both genders, meet to play in their local league. The Down's are buzzing with players and spectators and among them is one old guy who has been part of the league for a whopping half a century. Keep your eyes peeled for him, he has many a story to tell.

Circomedia is the leading training centre for phsical theatre in Europe and has been established in…read moreBristol for ten years. It offers serious full time professional courses or three month tasters or part time evening classes for those curious to just have a go. Has a second home in a beautiful converted church in St Pauls which houses a large selection of equipment such as trapezes and rope ladders . If you just like watching circus check out their end of year show, often on at Bristol Old Vic for some high flying high quality performances.

My review is primarily for the Circomedia Portland Square, St Pauls site which they lease this…read morebeautifully restored church from the Church's Conservation Trust and have installed a permanent flying trapeze rig and a sprung dance floor. It is a wonderful space with the modern equipment and glass screens juxtaposed with the richly coloured stained glass windows and old stone font. Circomedia run a range of training courses from a two year diploma, teacher training, evening courses, workshops and team-building exercises. Some of the skills covered include clowning, corde lisse, acrobatics, juggling and unicycling. Circomedia also hosts performances here, the next one being Rapunzel and for just one short week in August, will be opening a continental style café at the front of the church with fair trade and organic produce and spontaneous circus performance

There are quite a few play cafés in Bristol and portico play is one of the only ones I hadn't…read morevisited until last week. It's lovely, a nice big (but not too big) main play area with 2 other smaller rooms, the toys are really fantastic, my 16 month old especially loved playing in the room with the small slides and climbing frames, she loves climbing and these toys were small enough so that if she did fall she wouldn't fall very far and it would be a soft landing. Around the outside of the main play area there are tall seats around so parents can sit there enjoying a tea or coffee and watch the children play. There are lots of snacks hot and cold drinks and things like paninis and sandwiches, I had a cheese and ham panini and it was delicious ! The staff were really friendly and I shall definitely be going back very soon

I've been meaning to go to Portico for ages as everyone I know with small children raves about it!…read more My time finally came on Friday and it didn't disappoint. My only grumble came from trying to find some where to park, so if you are able WALK!! I sadly didn't have that option and had quite a stressful 10mins with a screaming child trying to park. Once inside I ordered a coffee and some lunch and found my friends. The menu is simple but nice. I had a panini which was fine and the coffee was really good. The children's menu is perfect and simple. Once we'd revitalised ourselves with refreshments we hit the play area. Most indoor play places I've been to have a soft play and a few toys but this is so much more. The play area is full of great toys, there is a whole kitchen and shop which kept my son entertained on his own for far longer than any other play. This is also closed in with seating around so you can sip coffee and chat with your eyes on your little one. Genius! It's 3.75 for the day and worth every penny if you want to meet friends and chat while your child is entertained.

As a Sea Cadet, kids (10 -18 yrs) learn alot about themselves, meet new friends other than just…read morethose from school and have the chance to do things most people could not afford. Not bad for £1.50 for each twice weekly session! The Royal Navy even loan most of the uniform! In exchange for all this they do ask for regular attendance and high standards of conduct. Still a fair exchange in my book. The staff, who are all volunteers, offer a wide range of activities on and off the water and there is no expectation or pressure for cadets to join the Navy (although alot of the training is based around the same skills that are taught to sailors). This unit also seems to have alot of activities at weekends, social events and excellent value and unusual trips. Last autumn a weekend trip to London including meals, accomodation (aboard a WWII museum ship!) entrance to all attractions and transport came to £50. The arrow on the map on this page is slightly wrong as the unit is right on the river opposite the Lamplighters.

This is the place where a lot of toothbrushes are made, hence the name "Bristle City", and people…read moreare also a little unfriendly. Actually Bristol is actually becoming the party capital of the UK (ish) and definitely of the South West. It's a really young and up and coming city which might be why they didn't support me at all at my concert here, lol, but then again I was very late. First-Hand Experience: I was lucky enough to see Bristol Rovers play at Ashton Gate against Bristol City, so I got to experience the famous and rabid local derby. It was actually a pretty friendly derby, but I loved both teams and I have an affinity with City. Their fans are loud and passionate and I am very glad that I was able to see such a famous game live and in person. Bristol City is the more successful and "bigger" of the two Bristol teams in my opinion, and is my preference. Their stadium is better, they are doing better at the moment in the third tier, and a long time ago they were league runners up (1907) and FA Cup runners up to Man U (boo Man U). But they've never won either of the big things, and for such a big city, you have to hope that with their enormous new stadium that's being remodeled on the site of the old one (Ashton Gate) that they can get back to the big time. Until they do, they'll stay at 4 stars for underachieving, but they're a very good side indeed. All of the reviews on here are pretty much for the stadium (and trashing it, no less), so they should be moved to the stadium listing which is separate.

Come on, lets build a bit of support for the *Ahem* mighty City!…read more The 21,000 seater stadium might not be as impressive as many others, and Ncky Maynard might not be banging in the goals that we would expect him to after his record transfer. But it is the City's big club... unless your aleagence is with rovers, even then though their a whole devision bellow city! You can't beat a saturday afternoon cheering the pride of Bristol as they beat middlesborough 2-0 against the odds (or loose 6-0 to Cardiff infront of the home fans! you've gotta take the rough with the smooth!) Come on, lets bring the pride back and get behind the City massive!

If you're familiar with the Pro 5 facilities down in Brislington, this is similar but a lot newer…read moreand thus more up-to-date. If you're not, it's essentially a big complex that houses 10+ 5-a-side football courts, on which different leagues are run on different days of the week. The major improvement over Brislington is the state of the art pitches, which are made of spongey rubber 'grass' covered with a layer of small black balls (which will still be falling out of your trainers in a month's time) to help prevent injury. What doesn't help prevent injury is the attitude of some of the players, a lot of whom seem to want to make up for a lack of talent with extra 'enthusiasm'. This puts me off a little if I'm honest, and I've preferred the times I've played friendlies up here with a bunch of mates (you can hire a court for yourself if you want), though it can't be denied that the facilities themselves are top of the table stuff.

It was a nice place, just off the beaten track on the main drag of the Bristol high street, but…read morewell worth the visit!