Coombe Dingle is a gem in Bristol's sporting crown. The sports complex is the base for most of…read moreBristol Uni's sports teams. It has 8 pitches, a large AstroTurf pitch, a conditioning and weights room, medical centre, a netball court and indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Open to the public, the Dingle, is a good sporting site to the Bristol public. The pitches are normally in pretty good nick, they do however give priority to the university teams , understandably.

The Mighty Bris are having a pretty good season at the moment. As I write this the first team are…read morecurrently 1st in the table, a game in hand and 3 points clear (granted not much but if they can post an impressive result in the game in hand then they'll be sitting pretty at the top) I have a problem this weekend as Bristol are playing my town of Birth Coventry in the British and Irish cup. I think I should have more alliegences with Coventry... but I dont... Come on Bristol! With a good batch of youth and academy players Bristol are high achievers and can expect a bright future for at least the next few years. Big Vunipola is going to squash Cov on saturday!

Home of Gloucestershire county cricket club, this isn't as big as either of city's football grounds…read moreand has a more sedate atmosphere that you would expect at a crick ground. On a match day expect to see plenty of old men drinking ales and looking a bit dozy as they follow the game. With a capacity of just 8000 it doesn't ever get very noisy, with polite applause being all you'll usually here during a game. When internationals are hosted their raise the capacity, though, and things get a bit noisier. It's still all a lot more civilised than a football match. International one day matches are probably the best time to experience the ground, though tickets are more expensive and go quickly. If you can try and slip into the corporate area (the big marquee, usually with a few bouncers hanging around oustide of it). They get the best food and the quietest bar, definitely worth the risk of annoyance of a couple of bouncers for. Their is a waiter service with the food here too, which is the way a cricket ground should be experience I think. The County Cricket ground is small and civilised, well suited to watching some cricket.

First a fact: Gloucestershire are the only county cricket team to play in a different county to the…read moreone they represent. Ensconced up in St Andrews, just off the Gloucester Road, being near the Rovers ground this area truly is a paradise for lovers of slightly mediocre sport. This is a small ground, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Domestic games generally attract one fan and his proverbial pooch, so the smaller size makes for a better atmosphere. And what a good buzz there is here; word is that it's one of the more popular venues with the England team as the rarity of their appearances here brings out the boisterousness in the zidered up locals. A great place to watch cricket and not too expensive either, though be sure to check the forecast before you go.

When I first moved to Bristol, Horfield was all I knew. I shopped at this end of town, went out…read morehere and relaxed here. When there was relaxing to be done it was done here, on The Ardagh - Horfield Common. Many people come here on the weekend for the little known views that sweep right across the city, whist maintaining some sort of privacy. It's quiet here, with big London Plane trees marking the border to the road and a small pond for wildlife interest and somewhere for the kids. There's also a decent sized play area for the nippers and at the other end of the age spectrum, a bowling green. Mostly though, there's just grass. A big expanse of green. And sometimes, that's all you want.

I have walked passed Bubalu so many time but for some reason never given it a second thought…read more Health food and non alcoholic drinks weren't really my thing until recently. But last week I read some Yelp reviews and decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did. Now, I want to give Bubalu five stars, but I haven't used the gym or fitness facilities, so It wouldn't be right. But, based on the food and drinks, I will definitely be going back. And when I'm full of January fat blues and post Christmas over indulgence, I'll definitely be back to check out some classes. I ordered the B-Boost Smoothy which had Coffee, Banana, Honey, cinnamon and ice in it. It was by far the best smoothy I've ever had. The coffee had a real punch and all the other flavours stuck to the pallet. I never wanted it to end. When I first arrived there was nobody else there, but within half an hour it was half full with a really nice buzz and atmosphere. The food being served looked great and I really wanted to some, but I couldn't unfortunately. Gloucester Road is always full of surprises, but this has been one of my recent favorites - event though I've known about it for several years! That's the beauty with yelp, I suppose!

I've known Mike for years and was so pleased to see how the place turned out for him…read more Great coffee, good smoothies!

These rather basic, though perfectly good, facilities are just off Kellaway Avenue (turn off for…read morethe massive Tesco and they're next door). There's no notable bar to speak of, but there's a big a field with a full-sized football pitch on which I've never used. I mainly come here to play 5-a-side, as they have a floodlit court which contains three (fairly big, you can play up to 8-a-side on each) astroturf pitches. There's no league here (as far as I know), it's just for private hire, and pretty reasonable at £41.50 a pitch for an hour. You can also occasionally get away with stretching onto two pitches for the price of one if you have too many players without them noticing (though don't tell them I told you!). One word of warning: you may want to get any budding Ade Akinbiyis to shoot towards the car park as there's a rather savage wood behind the fence at the other end which has seen the end of many a Mitre Delta in its prime.

I had my first peek into the Golden Hill Training Ground when I watched my friends play football…read morethere. I was more interested in looking at the men's legs than the actual area but from what I remember (when I wasn't swooning) was the immense size of the place - an entire football pitch and running circuit, as well as a small seating area for supporting fans. I'm not sure why its called Golden Hill but it sure is a good place to sit and watch out for the next Golden Balls!

This is everything you would expect from a lawn tennis club in a nice area. Polite receptionist,…read moretidy changing room and in immaculately kept tennis court are all par for the course at somewhere like this. Only a little bit stuffy and located in a very pretty corner of Bristol. As well as three lawn tennish courts they've got squash courts, a hockey pitch and a gym, so plenty to keep you busy then. It's only members so you'll either have to join (which is quite pricey) or do what I do and find a friend to get you in. The facilities are all very well kept up - the tennis courts look like you could eat off them. There's coaching on offer, which is friendly and from people that know what they're talking about. They've got a room for functions and it's a good place to book for a thoroughly English wedding. Not sure if I'd want the sound of someone playing tennis in the background though. Bristol Lawn Tennis Club is sedate and well kept up, a lovely place for an afternoon of tennis.

The woman on reception this morning greeted us with hostility. I don't know her name but she was…read moreprobably late 50's early 60's, medium height on the weighty side and heavily made up. My husband and I went to enquire about tennis court hire and pricing etc. We are amateur tennis players at best, new to the area and looking for a nice, local club to play at and improve our game. She was unnecessarily condescending and rude in her manner, particularly to me it seemed. She clearly had no time for us and was very cold and abrupt during our exchange as a result. We were not made to feel welcome, she was horribly stuck up. it was a very unpleasant experience and we certainly won't be returning. On the whole it seemed rather cliquey and middle class, the kind of place where you get stares if you're a stranger, no thanks.

How to sum up the experience of supporting Gloucester? Much like Bristol's football teams, it's…read morevery much a case of having to take pride in backing the underdog. The eternally 'unfancied' side, we haven't had a regular(ish) England Test player since the marvellously eccentric Jack Russell donned the gloves, and even during our early 90s heyday, when a deliberate focus on one day cricket brought a glut of trophies, we were still outsiders. Unfortunately the team has gone into decline since then, but the good news is that unlike football no one really takes it too seriously, so as long as you have a pint in hand and a sense of humour, supporting the Glorious Glosters can still be a lot of fun.

I was a Gloucestershire County Cricket Club virgin until last summer when I went to watch a 20/20…read moregame with a friend. Please don't ask me what that means- all I understand is that I watched a bit of cricket in the afternoon and ate a big hamburger from BBQ stall. The atmosphere was the best part of the afternoon, everyone cheering for the home team. The ground was a lot smaller than I expected and I was surprised that there was no shelter above some of the seating area. But then again, I guess that for avid sports fans, a bit of rain is nothing to worry about.