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!

The best value gym i have ever found. I paid for my membership up front when i first got to…read moreBristol, spending the £300 was one of the best decisions i have ever made, although it may seem expensive you will be saving money, no matter how you look at it. The gym is big. It is spread across three rooms; the main room has all the cardiovascular machines and a few weights machines. The next largest room has a large area for stretching etc. Finally the smallest of the three is a free weights room. The machines are not looked after especially well however this does not matter much as there are so many of them. So many in fact that you can literally feel the floor pulse the the steps of the running machines.

If you're brave enough to enter the different dimension known as the gym, then Pulse will have you…read morefit as a fiddle in no time. Open to student and non-students alike, the annual price is very reasonable. Parking may be difficult for those who live further afield but I guess the walking will do you good as a warm-up! There is a separate weights room for the hunky men who spend hours pouting at themselves in the ceiling-size mirrors and a fitness suite full to the brim with cardio machines. A quieter, more welcoming weight room is round the corner for those not quite ready to join the Hercules wannabes. Trainers are on-hand to assist you and also make good eye-candy whilst you're sweating it out on the treadmill.

One of the only truly mixed team sports in the world, definitely worth a try to keep fit and meet…read morenew people!

This excellent council run state of the art leisure centre boasts one (sorry, two!) of the best…read morepools in the city. The main pool boasts six lanes and is even overseen by a spectator gallery which is used during competitions. There is also a smaller learner pool complete with a flume which snakes down into it (alas I've never worked up the bottle to ask to have a go!). One word of warning, on two occasions I've turned up only to be refused entry due to the timetable being changed without any warning (there was no apology either - they just seemed to think I was a bit weird for reading the timetable online and assuming it was correct!). Elsewhere there's a gym and fitness classes (I've not used either though have heard good things about the circuit training class), and a decent sized hall which you can hire by the hour for badminton and 5-a-side. There's also ample parking outside, much of it CCTV monitored.

Run and funded by the council, Easton Leisure Centre is a good, well-kept and clean space with…read moreplenty of activities on offer. The swimming pool is large and as good as you'll get for a swim. It doesn't cost much either. There's also gym facilities and a range of fitness classes. Make sure you check times (even phoning if necessary - although my one major complaint would revolve around the fact that I have tried to phone and find out about swim times only for my calls to remain unanswered). Regrettably the website isn't very regularly updated so it's a good idea to check. The Easton location isn't exactly wildly accessible for a lot of people. If you're a cardriver there's a large amount of parking outside but for those of us who aren't, the nearest reliable transport service is Lawrence Hill train station although even then you have to snake under the quite circuitous underpass in order to get to the other side. Overall it's a good leisure centre, I just wish it wasn't so heartbreaking to be turned away when I've travelled for miles because the staff don't answer the phone and the website is out of date!

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!

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.

A little far out of town, the facilities here (a venue which is better known to most as Beggar Bush…read moreLane) are nonetheless a pleasant drive/cycle to get to, being just over the Suspension Bridge, next to Ashton Court. The main focus is football; they have two astroturf pitches, and their USP is their size - being larger than average they run an 8-a-side league in the close season for those who can't bear to take a summer off. There is also a large focus is on hockey, though the most intriguing aspect is 'the bubble'. I've only seen it from the outside but it's an impressive structure which facilitates netball and tennis in a rain free environment.

Known to its affliated school as BB (down to its location on Beggar Bush Lane), it is the sports…read moreground for Clifton College for things other than the tennis courts and rugby on the schools grounds. With 3 large astro pitches, and a massive 'bubble' looking structure that covers the indoor netball courts, it is readily available for hire to independent teams wishing to use the facilities. It may seem a bit of a mission to get to Abbots Leigh, but the cycle ride, or if you're feeling particularly fit, the run across the bridge can be rather scenic on the road out of the city.

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.