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.

Ashton Gate has undergone massive renovations in recent years, demolishing some old and tired…read morestands that had numerous stanchions blocking your view, replacing them with much more spacious seating. The concourse where you can buy overpriced pies, coffee and the like are vastly superior to what was there previously. Seats in the Dolman Stand are still cramped, but at least the view is great and unobstructed. Parking is an absolute nightmare, with much of the on-street parking that used to be available decades ago now prohibited by the police and council. Be prepared for a good 20-30 minute walk to the stadium from wherever you may luck in finding parking. There is limited public transport, with buses and a Parson St rail station nearby. But good luck getting a train that actually stops there. Why the rail companies can coordinate trains for match days is farcical.

I knew a girl named Ashton, and she had a lovely gate. But my gf's is better, and so like Rick…read moreAshton once said, I'm "never gonna give her up", or let her down, or run around, except when I'm playing footy maybe. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - even though this stadium is a bit of a death trap and a 70s relic, I am still giving it a solid 3 because my only experience there was an intense and wonderful game of Bristol City vs Bristol Rovers. I feel very lucky to have been at one of these, even though it was back in the 00s, because it's now going to be torn down. A shame, because it's a grand old stadium, but it either needed a major rework, or to be destroyed. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** Speaking of which, this stadium is much maligned (just read some of the reviews), but it's currently being knocked down ish, 13k capacity, and expanded to 27k so it should be one of the better ones in the league by the time it's done. It's not far from the haunting shadow of the Clifton Suspension Bridge which is super cool. It was built in 1897. So I will revisit this review after the work is done.

The Watershed is a welcome break on that row of bars and clubs by the waterside. Where all the…read moreother venues simply exist to be a bar where the rowdy Saturday crowd revel in, the Watershed is more focused on socialising, good food, and screenings of movies with depth and intelligence. Much like the Little Theatre is to Bath, the Watershed is a must -go for more alternative, independent films. I love coming here to watch films because you are ensured that every film being shown is a good film, and not something brainless that you might waste your money on. The cinema rooms are a fraction of the size of a big cinema like the Odeon, which just adds more charm to the movie watching. It feels much more intimate, comfortable and private. Much like you're watching a good secret. Prices are good too, if you come here for a film before 4pm, rates are £4.50 (£3.50 concessions), which is a real good price for a good film. After 4pm, prices go up to £7 (£5.50 concessions). They have movies and documentaries for children too, during their Cinekids days, where kids pay £2 for a movie, and £3.50 for accompanying adults. Plus their Cinebabies days (which I think is such an amazing idea), where parents can bring their under 12 month old babies to watch a movie! The Watershed provides great facilities like a place to change nappies, and even a bottle warming service! This is super for parents to enjoy a film with their newborns, and get to know other new mom's around. The watershed is such a great place, all the years I've been going here, it's never disappointed me in terms of the films they screen, or the friendly service they give you when you're here.

The Watershed function spaces are great for small to medium conference events. They are…read moremultifunctional; the three cinema rooms (seating 43, 102 and 198 respectively) offer comfortable, air conditioned lecture spaces and the watershed 1, 2 and 3 rooms can be used individually or joined together to create a large space. The cafe/bar/restaurant sits between the cinemas and function rooms, offering food, drink and free wireless Internet. The staff are extremely hospitable; catering for all of your needs throughout the running of the event; from setting up spaces, to catering and even running last minute photocopying or printing. The Watershed is newly refurbished, clean and welcoming and in an ideal central location.

The Here Gallery is such an assuming little place. They are fully stocked with tonnes of inspiring…read morearty things; books, posters, wallpaper, stickers and lots more, that always makes me really smiley when I'm here. There is a gallery downstairs which exhibits interesting work, from local and international artists. They always welcome submissions for their consideration, and you can tell they are quite select with the work they choose, as the work shown always is quite spectacular. If you're a little down in the dumps or facing a mind block with your own artwork, this place will really help re-jig your mind.

Stokes Croft's got a few flowers poking through the grey concrete, the Here Shop is one of them. A…read moregallery and bookshop, they've got an often changing range of contemporary art. They do exhibitions by visiting artists, with pen drawings of slightly alien looking organic shapes (that description's ripped off their website) by a Yugoslav-American Yellena James currently on display. Whatever is being shown the gallery is always a warm and quiet respite from the traffic on Stokes Croft. The bookshop side of things is similarly left-field and varied. They have loads of children's books, as well as books on graffiti, manga, and an eclectic mix of other subjects. You really have to go along to get a proper sense of the sort of thing they have. It feels like one persons just taken their personal interests and made a shop around it. I like this about the shop, you get exposed to things you might not otherwise get exposed to. The Here shop is kookish and neat, a nice play to wonder round for half an hour or so.