I'm new to yoga but I've been to about 7 classes here so far and had lots of different teachers who…read morehave all been great. It's all Iyengar yoga but there's a lot of variation between classes. I have only been to beginner classes but have now been on every day they run (all except Friday and Sunday) and the teachers all have a slightly different style. Because of that you need to try it a few times on different days I think, see what pace of class suits you. The building is tucked away off Gloucester Road and is basic to look at but has a lovely atmosphere. It's very peaceful and smells of scented oil. You take your shoes off at the door and there's 2 studios and 2 changing rooms. You pay £10 for a one hour 15 min class but you can buy sessions in bulk to make it cheaper. I bought 12 classes for £84 so that's a hefty saving and after testing the water a couple of times in single sessions I knew I'd want to go all the time. You get 3 months to use the 12 classes. They provide all the equipment for free and they make sure you're happy and comfortable. There's no pressure to tie yourself in knots from day one and no judging - a 60 yr old woman regularly kicks my a*s and I'm half her age! It's first come first served so try and get there five minutes early. I haven't been turned away yet but the size of the class is quite unpredictable. I already feel stronger and today I did restorative yoga for the first time and I loved it. It's taken until now but I'm really into it and I'm historically unfit and don't go to the gym or do any exercise. I'd really recommend this place and yoga in general, I feel healthier every time I go.

I LOVE yoga west and everything about it!! Went for a…read moremeetup.com (Bristol thrive) group meet here for beginners yoga with Anne marie and it was hands down the best yoga class i've been to so far. It's just off gloucester road on denmark street, right at the end of the little side road. Shoes come off at the door and it's bare foot/socks around the studio. The nicest man ever greets you at reception telling you info. Cost is £10 per class which is the higher end cost wise- totes worth it! The class was busy with about 15 people attending, anne marie was amazing taking into account peoples various balances, hips and strengths. Easy to follow moves with definate pushing to achieve but without injury! Calming 5 minutes at the end left us all feeling calm but revitalised. Def will be booking more sessions, really really enjoyable :)

In Ashton Court Estate you will find this pitch and put course on a hillside. It takes a bit of…read morefinding. At the main entrance (that is, where the gatehouse is, not down in the hill around Bedminster) go straight along the road and then take the first right, going up the hill. You'll come to a little car park and a slightly desolate looking hut. The hut is where you can hire clubs and balls (remember not to smack it into the bushes...) and get putting. It's run by the council, which means its a) cheap and b) not full of stuffy old men, the two usual vices of a golf course. Give your ball a thwack and follow it round the course, nobodies going to judge you. The only downside I can think of is that things can get a bit congested, especially if the weather is even vaguely nice. You may have to wait a little while, or have people queueing up behind you, to use one of the holes. Making golf a bit less of the pursuit of old men at country clubs, the pitch and put golf course is a great way for those of us that think golf looks like a lark to give it a try.

I used to hate golf until two of my mates practically dragged me across the bridge to Ashton Court…read morefor some pitch and putt. What can I say? I was almost instantly seduced by the satisfying feeling of smacking a little ball as hard as you can with a massive piece of metal, and the faraway sound of ball on deer. It's great value - £6.50 gets you 18 holes and a great view across the whole of Brizzle and beyond on a fine day. The only problem is that, when the sun's out, it can get pretty busy, and there's nothing guaranteed to give an amateur the yips more than a queue of people staring and tutting as you continually swing and miss at the ball off the tee. One tip: the course on the Bristol side of AC offers more variation, and there's even one par five hole where you can get your wood out and give it a real thrashing.

An old church might seem like an odd place to have a climbing wall but it actually works…read moresurprisingly well. The high walls are perfect, with climbs in excess of thirty feet. The view when you get to the top is amazing as well; you literally get a totally different perspective on the building. Plus, it doesn't have that hot sweaty feeling that some climbing walls have - all the space means you can breathe a little better. All the space means the sound gets soaked up a bit too - sometimes gyms can sound like factories with all the machines going, but this place certainly doesn't. Usually the only sounds that will interrupt your thoughts are the echoes of whatever the receptionist has decided to put on the sound system. As well as conventional climbing walls there's a large bouldering area, with soft crash mats that have caught my body on the many occasions that my fingers have decided to give out. The atmosphere's great though, and nobody judges you if your new or just a bit crap like me. If you do want to improve they have excellent instructors on hand, who are very patient (they get a lot of school groups in here so they have plenty of practice. Bristol Climbing Centre is unique, a great place to learn to climb, and a wonderful environment to do it in.

it just never ceases to amaze me the wealth of exiting and slightly unusual things to do in and…read morearound Bristol. Set within an old church, god knows how much effort must have been put in to convert the building to a climbing centre, the South West's biggest Climbing centre - if you didn't know! There are all sorts of levels of walls and sessions available to accommodate for the real beginner (which is where I was) and the more experiences climber. 12 meters doesn't sound very high until you get half way up it and feel like you might be able to reach the clouds with your next step up! They run things like Easter courses so great for kids but also for adults.

This is a perfect place to take young family members who like to run around and make noise!…read more I recently took a young niece here, and she absolutely loved it - an added bonus was that she was so tired out by the end of it her mum said she slept like a log! I remember going to something like this when I was really young too, it offers a ideal mix between being able to see and touch animals like rabbits and pigs, to an adventure playground with those big slides that probably aren't so big when your a grown up but are huge when your little that you sort of drop off almost vertically, with your bum hardly touching the slide! There's also a nature trail. The park is great in nice weather, not so good in the rain but there are still inside things to do. It is also quite reasonable priced - £7.00 adult and £6.50 child, check their website for special offers.

This is a large, leafy recreational area covering 50 acres just outside Bristol with an animal…read morefarm, riverside walks, playgrounds and picnic areas. With stacks to entertain children, it's also a pleasant space for adults, and even when it's sunny and busy there seems to be plenty of space for everyone. For kids, the play arena has trampolines, slides, rope climbing structures and go karts, plus mini golf and the Strawberry Line miniature train. The six or so shire horses kept at the park are a big attraction, and there are lots of smaller animals to see, and even handle (under supervision). The park has falconry displays at the weekends (and during school holidays), plus a nature trail along the river (with a junior assault course running parallel to it). Adults cost £7.50, children (and OAPs) £7, and little ones under 2 go free. The park's open every day from April - end of October, then the indoor play barn is open on weekends and school holidays.

Horrific branch and company overall. Manager of this branch is absolutely heartless. Would give…read moreminus stars but unfortunately that isn't possible, Google's too kind. Whilst a member here I became partially paralysed from the waist down, suffered a complete heart block and a stint in high care for pneumonia. I froze my membership but apparently it didn't go through - I didn't use my membership throughout this time so was evident that I certainly believe it was frozen. Manager of the branch denied my mere £30 back despite medical evidence right in front of him and the evidence from their systems that I didn't once attend the gym in that time. They are clearly desperate for the money to deny £30 back to a now disabled 18 year old. Tomorrow is never promised, and nor is it promised that you won't end up seriously ill tomorrow. Avoid, because if anything happens to you whilst you're a member that means you seriously cannot attend, you won't be getting any money back. Me and my boyfriend have both ended our memberships now and will never be returning.

The Gym is based bang opposite McDonald's, so if you're on one of the treadmills it feels like…read moreyou're running towards it - which, I suppose, could be good motivation for some! The Gym is cheap and cheerful, well, maybe not cheerful, but it is cheap! £16 a month gives you: new cardio machines, new weight machines, free weights and 3 free classes a day. They constantly have at least one cleaner cleaning the machines, floors and changing rooms. The place is very clean and changing rooms are just fine. But you will need to bring your own lock for the lockers. As with any gym it does get busy at peak times: 12-2 and 5-7.30. But it isn't any worse than other gyms I've been too. The free classes are OK, but they take place on the top floor in a cordoned off area. They aren't in their own room. £16 well spent in my eyes!

splash splash! At least that's what I would have been doing if I could find a slot to be able to go…read morefor a fun swim. The pool is open pretty much 12 hours a day but the majority of that time is taken up by lessons, classes or lane-swimming. No fun for those like me who just want to have a bit of a splash around when the weather gets too hot. I tried lane-swimming and it wasn't too busy in the summer but during term time the pool is full of fish! It's very cheap though- only £3 and you can stay in the pool all day if you have nothing better to do.

This is a really nice park sitting on the outskirts of Westbury-on-Trym next to Canford Cemetary,…read morethough I might be biassed as I used to go here a lot when I was a kid. On entering you first encounter a large field and football pitch (there is also a changing room as the local park team plays here at weekends). Continuing the sporting theme, there's a bowls green (I've not used it but it's surely now only becoming a matter of time) and a couple of concrete tennis courts (which I'm pretty sure you can fairly easily sneak into without paying - but don't tell them I told you). It's also got a pond and a nice little playground for the kids. The highlight here is the helicopter-shaped climbing frame which is perfect for playing A-Team on (at least it was when I was about six).

Over in the border of Westbury on Trym and Henbury, Canford park is a good sized park just off the…read moremain Falcondale Road. I used to come here when I was at school as a few of my friends lived in the area, and it was always a good day out. There's a large green space in the centre, with a few ponds that circle the sides of the park. Popular with local residents, you get a mix of school kids, little children who play on the swings and slides over in one section of the park, and elderly people who come here for a stroll. It has an ice cream van situated just outside in the summer, and there's a number of sports facilities, like a tennis courts and bowls green. A really nice little park.

My Mum loves this place and goes at least 3 times a week. It's doing her the world of good. A nice…read moresmaller gym with a friendly atmosphere.

Streamleaze road park is great for the little ones ,some swings ,a slide , rope climb etc all…read moreenclosed and gated