From Running to Rugby, and Badminton to Bouls, there is prety much any piece of sporting equipment…read moreyou could want from this shop (or the website if it's not in stock) I find that alot of the central sports shops only deal in the more mainstream sporting goods and equipment, more specifically football and semi casual sports wear. Doug Hillard is good if your after something that is a little bit more specialist. Also for all the budding and fresh new teams out there they also do a design embroidery service. So you can design your own team logo and email/give it to them and they can see what they can do in terms of creating it and placing it on some sports wear/equipment. Go on, get that proffesional look for your team!

I enjoy sports to a certain extent. I like a bit of squash or rugby for instance, and I don't mind…read morewatching a bit on the TV. An entire shop, however, dedicated to sporty stuff is a bit much for me. For those that aren't too overwhelmed and are in need of some good quality kit, head down to Doug Hillard's. From swimming to soccer to cricket all the kit, balls, bags and supplies you could ever need are all down here. They keep it local too supplying local teams with their kit and some Bristol Rovers merchandise. If it's kit you need they run a little T shirt printing bit on the side, make an already able store a little better.

My family and I have had several pairs of running shoes from Moti and it has been my go-to place…read moredue to excellent service however my recent experience has soured this. I had driven 12 miles or so into Bristol and paid for parking only to spend very little time in the shop. The sole member of staff there did not seem enthusiastic and told me if I wanted a replacement Asics shoe they had very little stock of them and none in my size. He tried looking on their website but there was no stock anywhere. I would have thought my size of 8.5 or 43 was reasonably common and that a running shoe shop would have stock. He did not make much effort in finding something else. I had gone to the shop thinking I'd buy some new kit - leggings, at least one top and socks as well as the shoes but just wanted to leave. Disappointed.

For my sins I have recently attempted to try exercising. When I had a go at running recently I was…read moreirritated to find that my regular gym kit doesn't quite cut the mustard so I came to Moti looking for some advice. The woman behind the counter was cheerful and sprightly (although I'm increasingly finding this to be the case with most exercise loving Bristolians) and was quick to point me in the direction of some decent socks. I won't get into too much detail but after the state my feet were in after my first run I'm now only too aware about the importance of a lightweight, breathable sock. She explained all I needed to know, answered all my questions and the fact that I was new to running didn't put her off in the slightest. If anything she was very enthusiastic, even though I didn't commit to buying anything (I'm still not convinced running is for me). As well as running there is plenty of kit for sporty types, including a large selection of specialist trainers. There are group running sessions on a Thursday evening and a team of in-house therapists who offer free 15 minute assessments on your physical health.

Looking out onto The Downs on Blackboy Hill, is the Gyle's Brothers' Sports Shop. Unlike other high…read morestreet sports shops, this one is less fashion oriented and more enthusiastic about delivering a friendly and personal service. They don't sell trendy sports kits particularly, but instead offer good quality equipment and spares, and are really knowledgeable about everything that they are selling. They are slightly out of the way, but if you do need to drive there, they have a customer car park, which is really handy.

I remember going into a 'sports' shop with a mate once and him getting really exasperated because…read morewhen he asked for some strings for his squash racket, they replied that they weren't that kind of sports shop. Gyles Bros is the antidote to this type of place, where they sell proper sporting equipment, not garrish tracksuits and Man Utd calendars. It's the sort of place where, if I'm about to play football on the Downs and realise I have a stud missing, I can jog over here before kick off and they'll screw one in for less than a quid, saving a telling off from the ref. With an emphasis on functonality over fasion, Gyles Bros is part of a sady dieing breed and a friend to the amateur sports enthusiast.

This place seems to change it's name very three months or so, which is a tad confusing, but it's…read morethat massive sports shop by the entrance to Cabot Circus which always has a bucket of balls, a selection of white socks and some golf umbrellas sitting outside the door. Although I wouldn't recommend it as a fashion outlet, if you actually play sport, this is a great place to stock up on the cheap. No one wants to spend more than they really have to on stuff that's just going to get muddy, broken and smelly, and you can get football boots here for £15, shinpads for around a fiver, and tracksuit bottoms for less than a tenner. This place is the perfect antidote to 'sports' shops that don't actually sell proper sporting equipment; and it's also worth occasionally checking out their range of largely horrible but very cheap trainers ( I once picked up a pair black Adidas shells for £30 when they cost £50 everywhere else).

I've been to other sports direct and had an okay experience so this two star rating is quite…read moresubjective but hey my experience today was shocking. Firstly I was in the shop with my pushchair and found it impossible to navigate round the shop. More than 50% of the aisle were to narrow for me to go down turning the whole shop into this frustrating maze. The fact that it was busy didn't help the situation. I then found my way to the lift and went to the top floor where the children's shoes were located. By this point my son had had enough of being pushed so I set him loose while trying to find him some trainers. I quickly found a pair and gave them to the staff member on duty who said they'd find his size. He disappeared behind a door and literally didn't return for 10-15mins!! What the hell he was doing out there I don't know, but I'm sure it cant take that long to locate a pair of shoes. By the time he did return my son and pulled and twenty different things off the shelves but I thought oh well serves you right! He wasn't apologetic either. I should add the trainers were really nice and a bargain so I'm sure I'll be back but definitely minus the pushchair!

Wet & Windy is Bristol's best watersports shop, with friendly and knowledgeable staff selling a…read morewhole range of gear and offering expert advice on both the sports and the kit you need. They sell wetsuits, dry suits, sailing dinghies, boat spares, repair kits and buoyancy aids - as well as surfing and body boarding gear, snorkelling and swimming kit, technical clothing, and footwear. What's particularly nice about this shop is the passion the staff clearly have for the various sports they're involved in, and their enthusiasm is contagious! If you've been considering taking up sailing or another water-based sport, it's as good a place as any to start finding out how to go about it. They also know about all the local courses and tuition available. You can find it just by Sainsbury's on Winterstoke Road in Ashton - but check it's open before you make a trip there, because it doesn't have the usual 9-5, Monday-Friday hours!

There's a few sporting shops that have carved out a little enclave for themselves on Whitchurch…read moreRoad, and this one has to be my favourite. It is a really large outlet that is incredibly well stocked, with all manner of gear. You can even buy archery equipment here!!! (Not that this is what I come here for... I'm lethal enough without needing to resort to using something like a bow and arrow! My car is the only potentially dangerous piece of machinery that I'll allow myself to use... I give everything else a wide birth!) My needs that Cardiff Sportsgear meets are of a much more mundane variety. I come here for my swim suits, as I tend to call in at RatRigs, the surf shop just down the road, whilst I'm about it.. (RatRigs have a sale on a the moment, and so I called into both last week to scoop up a couple of bargains. Sadly, Cardiff Sportsgear didn't have what I was looking for in my size on this occasion, (a Speedo with long legs, like the type of suit that competitive swimmers wear... something that is proving nigh on impossible to find)... The staff were really helpful, and said that if I knew exactly what I wanted, then they would happily order it for me. Great service!

Wowee! Whatever sport you're into you will undoubtedly be incredibly impressed by Cardiff…read moreSportsgear. They offer: racquets, cricket gear, pool table, gym equipment, riding helmets, wetsuits, and so much more! Whenever I come in here with friends we like to play a game of how many sports we can count (at least 25 last count). The staff are all incredibly friendly and know their stock well (surprising considering how big this place is). The only thing they don't have much in the way of is, gym clothes, which is ironically the only thing I need.

Y C Sports provides sporting goods and accessories. The business has had a renovation and the…read morequality of products is excellent. Products range from football to more unusual sports. The staff really knows what they're talking about, so if you need advice check them out. When you really need an accessory and you can't wait to have it delivered go to Y C Sport and get it instantly.

Amazing Shop !!! Especially The Gentleman John, who showed me the tennis rackets and accessories. I…read morewalked in THINKING of buying a racket and left with a racket. Babolat Pure Drive Play was amazing!! The quality of the strings and they are basic are outstanding!! The RRP for this product was £250 and the gent bumped the price down :) Such an amazing store, My go to shop for tennis stuff 10/10, youll be seeing more of me.

Six-way sports has been around for donkey's years, and the owner certainly knows his stuff. You can…read moredrop in for everything from hockey sticks to swimming goggles, rugby shorts to cricket balls, and he's almost certain to know exactly which item will suit your needs best. The prices are very slightly higher than you might find in a big chain store, as there are less "three for two" type gimmicks, but the service more than makes up for the difference in price. The shop stocks an excellent selection of running shoes and football boots, absolutely essential for any active youngster. My parents took me here for all my school sports kit, and I still have most of it, because Six-ways only sell items of genuine quality. Children are welcome here, if kept under control, but it's most often the adults you see acting childishly, unable to resist bouncing footballs down the aisles or pretending hockey sticks are lightsabers. A place for the energetic child in all of us!