A square of green, surrounded by terraces on all sides, St. Andrews Park is probably deserving of…read morethe 'green oasis' cliché. Big old conker trees at the top of the hill make lovely shade for reading. As you go further down, there's a bit more open space usually where people play football. As the land isn't flat here it's not perfect for sports, although I have enjoyed a few afternoons of Frisbee here. There's a kids park, which doesn't usually have glowering teenagers sitting on the swings, always a plus. They've also got a bowls green (so a lied, there is at least one small patch of perfectly flat land) tucked away for your granddad. Since its surrounded by housing it's unsurprising how popular it gets when the sun comes out. On a fine day in July or August it can be a challenge to find enough space to set your picnic and you can certainly forget about being able to play Frisbee. I don't blame the people for coming, this park offers a little lung for the surrounding area.

St Andrews park is great, it's a luscious green haven just a short walk from the hustle and bustle…read moreof Gloucester road. The park has lots of green grassy space, and trees to offer shade from the sun. The kids play area is at the top of the hill and hosts your usual park utensils, it also has a paddling pool which is open during the summer. This park offers something for everyone, it has a really chilled feel and during the warm weather has a real festival vibe. With groups of people having BBQs and enjoying a few beers in the sun. There's a small catering can that offers drinks and nibbly treats! The toilets are the only downside to this place, they are a little worse for wear and could do with a bit of TLC. I love this park and would definitely recommend you pay a visit!

This is a very concealed park, despite it being quite large, and having a beautiful tower at the…read moretop of it! Seemingly only known by the locals, I feel there should be more signs towards it so the tourists can find it easier, as it really is a park not to be missed when visiting Bristol. The park is a big hill that gets higher and higher till you get to the top, which is where Cabot Tower is. Perfect for summer barbeques, leisurely walks, or sitting on one of the benches staring out into the amazing view. You can see for miles out, on a clear day. It is a wonderful park that everyone should visit at least once, and after that once, I'm pretty sure you'll keep coming back!

Brandon Hill is a patch of greenery between Jacobs Wells Road and Park Street. A blessing for…read moreBristol it has got a little bit of everything. At the peak is Cabot Tower, for your dose of history. This is free to enter and well worth the climb for the incredible views of Bristol. Although you only have to get half way up the hill to see South Bristol spread out before you like a tablecloth - an doable climb even if you're not the fittest of people. As well as getting an education, you can have some fun and experience a bit of a nature. There's a children's play area and a basketball hoop (which are few and far between in Bristol). There's usually someone on the basketball court and I've had a few good games, mostly with students. The only downside is that the courts very small, and you'll often find yourself losing your ball in the buses down the side. Nature comes courtesy of various little reserves that have been set up. They've got a little pond that's chock-a-block with frogs spawn in the spring. I think it's a sight of special scientific interest for something or other too, but I'm afraid exactly what escapes me at the moment. Either way, it's nice to have something really wild right in the centre of the city.

Worth a visit if you are in the area. The suspension bridge is quite majestic especially if you see…read moreit from the woods there. You can also travel across it by car for one pound, aswell as walk across it. The area around is located In Clifton which has beautiful houses and parks and walks around. There is an observation tower which also offers great views aswell as a cafe..

It's a must visit if you're in Bristol ,the area is so beautiful,the views is gorgeousread more

The green lungs of the city centre, or something. It is free to walk across and open 24 hours a day…read more- a tiny square of park to take your lunchtime sarnie on a sunny day. The businesses surrounding it (many solicitors and charities) in the square are gorgeously grand Georgian buildings, making this old part of the city seem quite regal. Many of them have been restored in the last 10 years thanks to a Heritage lottery grant. Woop! Summer months are my favourite down on the square, as it pays host to a plethora of exciting outdoor events like theatre (including Shakespeare and Opera), concerts and is a main part of the Harbourside festival too, fireworks and all.

This is the poshest of Bristol's parks. Queens Square is an elegant patch of grass just off from…read morethe city centre, criss-crossed by paths and with an impressive looking statue in its centre. A good place to go for a few minutes away from the fumes and noisiness of Bristol city centre (as well having a bit of greenery it's bordered by quiet roads on all four sides). It's popular in this respect, with hoards of office workers disgorging on the grass around lunch time each day. There are festivals put on here in the summer, and I recommend going. With grand Georgian terraces on all sides it makes for a slightly different sort of feel when watching live music - it feels like a proper venue (rather than just being random field, where you will find most festivals. Just make sure you don't get stuck behind the big statue, as as hap paned to me in the past. With a sense of history, Queen Square offers a civilised respite from Bristol city centre.

One of the many reasons I love Bristol is the abundance of green space. Not only is the city…read moreremarkably close to the South West countryside but it also boasts a plethora of park space within the city. Sandwiched between Brook Road and Shaftesbury Avenue, Albany Green is a hidden beauty. The park provides the local children with a smorgasbord of climbing frames and swings, the local dogs with a nice green expanse to run free and Bristol's local graffiti artists a designated wall to express some of their better styles. In the summer months the park is awash with locals soaking up the sun, a secret slice of green amongst the tarmac and the concrete.

This is a nice little park in the Montpellier area of Bristol. More popular with younger families…read moreand school children. The play area provides some great slides and climbing frames for children to spend hours running up and down as parents look on pleased, knowing that they will have a couple of hours peace as the children will be too tired to annoy them! Bristol does well with it's park spaces, it is so great that communities has so many large and small parks to go to, supplying families with outdoor areas where their children can play safe in the knowledge that it's safe.

If you're in town and you want somewhere pleasant to get away from Broadmead, this is the spot for…read moreyou. Indeed, the thing I most associate this place with is grabbing a lunch time bite with some colleagues when I worked nearby. Due to its location it's not exactly a communal spot, and the layout, with lots of hills, flowerbeds and trees, means that unlike College Green, frisbee and footie games are unlikely to break out. It's a pleasant place though and big enough for you to grab a spot of your own, possibly with a view of the river.

Castle Park, a great place to escape from the hustle and bussle of broadmead. I found this delight…read moreafter getting bogged down in the christmas shopping mayhem, I was after a slice of tranquility then... bam! ... I arrived in castle park, the snow had settled and all was peaceful. Soon my eye was caught by a monuement standing out on the carpet of green and white (from the snow!), there stood this beautiful old derilict church, around the back of the church my eye was caught with a row of trees side by side, leading me down to a fountain at the end. I was sold, took a couple of snaps (see 'Snow hit' photo I uploaded) and Voilá!, my grandparents christmas present had been solved with a few clicks of my camera! Perfect in summer or winter, with the river so close on one side and shops on the other, it's like a link between relaxation and retail therapy.

Anchor Square is a small concreted park or court yard near @ Bristol. It is wonderfully designed to…read morecreate a feeling of open space, and mixes this with beautiful fountains and water displays. There is a large outdoors television screen which shows world news and local weather, along with sport updates and other local information. There is also a variety of fountains and benches for a good photo opportunity, or even a nice place to spend your lunch break. Additionally there are cleverly positioned historical statues which can easily be mistaken for real people if the weather is poor - can make a good 'you've been framed' moment when tourists realise they are not real! I also really like the large rounded silver planetarium in the corner of the area which is quite transfixing to look at! The park is a lovely, cosmopolitan and very clean/tidy area which really shows off the best of Bristol.

Ever seen the massive @ Bristol building down near the Bristol Harbourside? Well this square is…read moreliterally just next to this building, so it's not too hard to find at all. It's a very modern and trendy area laid with concrete and although it's not the biggest open space in Bristol it somehow creates the illusion that it's very spacey and chilled out. They often put on the odd live event here such as music or different acts on a little stage, but the best thing about it is the fact that they have a large plasma screen TV at the front of the square which they use for screening various different things throughout the day - and with the World Cup season coming up I'm definitely going to head down to Anchor Square with a few drinks as I'm sure the atmosphere is going to be brilliant! Located right by the Waterfront its in a lovely location, and all the places surrounding the square are very modern and beautifully designed - it really is just a nice place to go to especially when they've got some kind of entertainment going on! They also have a large underground multi storey car park right next to it which is worth knowing...

This ancient National Trust woodland covers 180 hectares (440 acres) - so it's big enough to escape…read moreto, enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods, and explore woodland sculptures and some unusual trees. Not only is it a beautiful parkland with views of the Avon Gorge, but it's also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest and a National Nature Reserve. The network of hard-surfaced paths means it's fairly accessible, too. Look out for the timber framed barn, which was constructed fairly recently but using the same techniques as were employed in medieval times.

Up yonder past suspension bridge lies Bristol's emerald mystery. Swoop with rare peregrine falcons,…read morestroll with the kids or blow the cobwebs off your mountain bike like I did (it didn't even feel like exercise!) The woods are National Trust owned, crammed with wildlife and only a 15 minute saunter from Clifton. Pack a picnic and make for this site of Scientific Interest (and no, that doesn't mean UFO sightings!). Each avenue you find yourself on is lined with conifers, well-located benches and dizzying views over the Avon gorge. Great for an afternoon's game of good ol' fashioned hide'n'seek. I grabbed my coat and scarf and unleashed my inner child! How often can you say that?!

Perfectly positioned in front of Bristol Cathedral it really should be your first point of call, if…read moreyou've never been to the city before or if the sun is shining and you're not lying in it. You really are in the centre of everything here; you've got Park Street, Whiteladies, Clifton, the suspension bridge in one direction, Harbourside & the river in another, and Cabot Circus and Broadmead the other. The best thing to do is sit here and watch skaters do tricks in the circle, it's even better when they fall over trying to do Kickflips. But I think there's a nice contradiction between the beautiful old cathedral and all the kids using the space to practice skating. Don't worry though, they don't intrude on you if you are just sat on the grass. This really is a perfect spot and should be the envy of anywhere in the world. It's beautiful and you can usually catch something pretty interesting happening down there every day in the summer.

College Green is a beautiful park! Quite small in size, compared to an average park size goes, but…read moreits just such a lovely green break for the hustle of Park Street and for when it gets busy by the riverside nearby. Not that this park doesn't get busy though, all it needs is the sun out, and there will be hoardes of teenagers about, lazing in the sun, drinking, laughing and enjoying their afternoon! It is definitely a very teenagery park, scattered around in their various groups. However that only adds to the charm of this park. Beside it is the Bristol Cathedral, which is a towering block of beauty to look at while you enjoy lying in the grass. There is Park Street alongside College Green, which has many superb independent shops for you to stroll into if you get a tad bored of lounging. Skateboarders come here and practice their tricks in a small paved bit at one corner of the park, there's always a football being bounded about and kids running around. Always something fun to cast your eyes on. Once when I was here, a helicopter landed smack in the middle of the park, which provided some midday excitement. A great park to lounge around and take in the loveliness of Bristol.