Enjoying autumn in Redland: so much to see and do

You’ve got to love autumn – especially autumn in Redland.

I awoke this morning to a beautiful cityscape. Golden sunshine filling the crisp cold September air. Sure summer’s OK, sunshine, festivals and al fresco dining (a la Number 10, Planet Pizza or Aqua) but you cannot beat an autumnal walk, kicking leaves and stopping off in a proper old man pub (Penny Farthing, Clyde Arms and The Bishops I’m thinking of you) for a good ole pint of ale. The fact is, Redland dies a little in the summer – the students all go back to the shires, taking their cars and stolen traffic cones with them and the whole place becomes a laid back summer haven, which is fine for some but I like the buzz of the Autumn - of things starting a fresh, of a whole new wave of clothes, food and drink, of swapping summer dresses for coats, boots and scarves, Greek salads for Pumpkin soup and Pimms for mulled cider. It’s bye bye to those summer tunes (get back in your box David Guetta and Tinie Tempah!) and hello to the melancholy of autumn (cue Portishead and Ryan Adams). So just what to do in Redland in the Autumn...well, the parks are soon to be at their most beautiful with the trees shedding their leaves, the annual conker hunt and possibly the odd mushroom foray. How about spending an afternoon trawling the charity shops for warmer clothes, from St Peter’s Hospice shops on Whiteladies, Cotham Hill and St Michael’s Hill to the Salvation Army further into Redland and Cancer Research on Gloucester Road. Plenty of cheap but cool scarves, gloves and hats to be had in there. Alternatively, haul yourself up in one of the many cosy aforementioned pubs and play board games all afternoon. Bliss indeed.