While the Summer holidays have finally arrived, there is no need to despair! There are lots of things to do with young children in and near Bishopston this Summer.
Below (in no particular order) is a list of 15 fun local activities to enjoy with your children this Summer. I hope you find it useful!
Please be sure to also check out the Bishopston Mum What’s On page to see what’s on locally. And, do pop over to the Bishopston Mum facebook page and give it a like to keep up with even more local activities!
1) The Golden Hill Community Garden
The Golden Hill Community Garden will be open throughout the Summer holidays on Wednesdays and on the first Saturday of every month. It is free and open to all of the community and is a great place for children to explore and learn about nature.
You can read more about the Golden Hill Community Garden in this post on Bishopston Mum.
2) Pre-school drop-in gymnastics sessions at Bristol School of Gymnastics
This August, there are 8 drop-in gymnastics sessions for pre-schoolers and their carers at Bristol School of Gymnastics. Sessions are £5 per child and you can drop-in whenever you wish – there is no need to book. Please see the Bishopston Mum What’s On page for dates and times these sessions are running.
3) Libraries
While we wait in anticipation for the new library to be built on Gloucester Road, there are several other great local libraries to take your children to and introduce them to reading, including Henleaze, Horfield, Cheltenham Road and Redland libraries. All are free entry.
I regularly take my children to Henleaze Library (and used to come here when I was a child!). It is bright and spacious and there is a great Children’s Section of books, complete with little sofas, comfy cushions and soft toys for very young children.
This Summer, there is an arts and crafts activity for kids at Horfield Library planned on the 10th August at 10am – 12 noon – please keep an eye on the Bishopston Mum What’s On page for more details.
4) Launchpad Summer Session
This Summer, there will be a one-off Launchpad session at KudaCan in Bishopston for young children on Thursday 13th August. Launchpad offers regular fun and educational classes in term-time and this Summer class will be perfect to keep your little ones entertained!
The session runs from 2 – 2.45pm and is £5 for your first child, £2.50 for siblings over 2 and siblings under 2 go free. The price also includes free entry to KudaCan as long as you purchase from the cafe.
To book a place, please contact Emma and Adele via the Launchpad website to book your place. www.launchpadclasses.co.uk
You can also read more about Launchpad in this Bishopston Mum review.
5) Local walks
Just walking down Gloucester Road is an experience in itself with all its sights, sounds and general buzz. There are so many old houses, churches and other interesting buildings to look at, plus foreign restaurants, fab indie shops and family friendly cafés to pop into. And, walking down Gloucester Road, you will almost always bump into someone you know.
Bishopston and surrounding areas also offer some quieter walks too which offers parents and children alike a bit of nature and peace. My favourite walk is Gaston Lane (see photo above), a lovely little lane which you can access between 134 and 136 Longmead Avenue.
Gaston Lane is over 400 years old and for the most part is surrounded by allotments making it beautifully peaceful. It offers a ready-made nature lesson with birds nests and flowers, bugs and birds – perfect for little ones to enjoy.
6) mmmBOPP Summer Sessions
This Summer, mmmBOPP music and movement for young children will be holding two Summer sessions on Tuesday 11th August at KudaCan.
- 10am Frogs (walkers from 15 months – 3 years)
- 11am Tadpoles (non-walkers from birth – 18 months)
The price will be £5 per child, pre-booking and payment are required. Please email bristol@mmmBOPP.co.uk
7) The Bristol Downs
While on the subject of green space, if you are new to Bristol or if you have just never visited the Downs before, you absolutely must this Summer. The Downs are beautiful and vast, with acres of green space and only a short drive away (or a walk away depending on how fit you are!).
The Downs are perfect for picnicking, playing, walking and kite flying!
Here is a post about a wonderful walk on the Downs that I enjoyed with my children on Bishopston Mum’s sister website, Bristol Mum.
There are also an event for families and children of all ages being held on the Downs this Summer. On Wednesday 5th August, you can join The Family Animal Sing-along for a wild, wonderful, musical family adventure.
The event runs from 2 – 3pm and is £4.00 per child – please book with the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project, on 0117 9030609 or e-mail mleivers@bristolzoo.org.uk
8) Local parks
A trip to the park is always a great thing to do; it wears the kids out and gives them a burst of fresh air too. Plus, a picnic lunch saves you cooking at home and the kids love it!
St Andrew’s Park is beautiful and large with a great play area and paddling pool, plus there is a little cafe in its centre (great cakes!).
Horfield Common is also a great space to take your kids with its new play area and great green space, plus the Cafe on the Common should hopefully be open every day throughout the Summer holidays.
There is also a park next to Horfield Leisure Centre which is especially good for older children, plus there is Old Quarry Park in Henleaze and a small little play park on Falloden Way in Henleaze, also.
A favourite of ours is Canford Park in Westbury on Trym (see above photo) which is fantastic and I recommend you taking your children there!
9) Nature Reserves
Did you know that there is a small nature reserve in St Andrew’s Park? The nature reserve is home to many species of insects and plants so is an interesting place to visit with children, plus it is free and open at all times. Please note, however, it is not pushchair-friendly.
There is also a nature reserve on Horfield Common, and though small, it is worth checking out.
10) Hopperz Summer Sessions
The wonderful Hopperz fun and fitness classes for children aged 15 months + will be running over the Summer holidays on these dates:
- Monday 10th August
- Monday 17th August
- Monday 24th August
Hopperz sessions will run from 10 – 10.45am at Horfield United Reformed Church and you can either drop-in or pre-book – please find out more information about this here.
You can also read a Bishopston Mum review of Hopperz to find out more.
11) Cairns Café
A personal favourite of mine, Cairns Café is a great place to bring young children. Based within Cairns Road Baptist Church on Cairns Road, there are activities for children, plus a safe enclosed play area for crawlers.
This Summer, Cairns Café will be open from 10am – 2pm from Monday 20th July – Friday 14th August (when it closes for 2 weeks).
There will be simple and very reasonably priced lunches for grown-ups available, kids’ snack items (30p per portion), plus tea, coffee and amazing cakes! What’s more, the cafe is free entry!
To find out more about Cairns Café, please see this post on Bishopston Mum.
12) Shaun the Sheep spotting
There are two fantastic Shaun in the City sculptures nearby, one outside Boston Tea Party on Gloucester Road and one by the Ardagh Pavilion on Horfield Common. You can see the full list of Shauns around Bristol on the Shaun in the City website.
Interesting Shaun in the City facts: Did you know that Sparkles the Unicorn on Horfield Common took a full 27 hours to paint and sparkles in the sun because of his rainbow glitter paint?
13) Play Cafés
There are several great play cafés suitable for young children aged 0 – 4 years with their carers to drop-in to situated in and around Bishopston, including Playful Cafe, KudaCan and Rimando’s Soft Play and Coffee Lounge.
Each play cafe is unique and different from the other – have fun checking them out!
14) Badock’s Wood
Not far from Bishopston lies the centuries-old Badocks Wood in Southmead. It includes woodland and areas of meadow through which the River Trym runs and is pushchair-friendly with level, well-laid paths throughout with no steps.
If you would like to visit Badock’s Wood, you can access it via Lakewood Road in Southmead. You can find out more via The Friends of Badock’s Wood.
15) Meet the Bees event on Gloucester Road
On Gloucester Road (outside Room 212) on Saturday 1st August from 10am – 5pm, there will be a Meet the Bees event, complete with a buzzing live bee hive as part of the BCR Green Treasure Launch.
Children and grown-ups will have the opportunity to learn more about bees from Hives and Herbals bee expert, Nigel Hurst, who will there with lots of advice and wonderful bee related products.
16) The Green Treasure Hunt
This Summer children and families will be able to tackle The Green Treasure Hunt and discover various green treasures located around Bishopston, Cotham and Redland. The Green Treasure Hunt takes place from 1st August until 13th September and you can find out more here.
Bishopston Mum 