SHARE YOUR BEST KEPT SECRET SPOTS IN REDLAND

Everytime you move to a new place such as

Redland – or even if you’ve lived there for years – there are bound to be parts

of the area, hidden secrets that you’re yet to enjoy.

Be it a quiet spot of the park where you can

escape the bustle of kids playing, a basement room in a cosy bar or a short cut

to town.

Redland, like all interesting areas of

cities, definitely has some secrets which are not known by outsiders. The

winding residential streets make even fairly high profile ‘secrets’ like The

Kensington Arms even hard to find. So, by default they are secrets, or at

least the best way to reach them is a bit of a secret…or maybe just a mission.

Anyway, I’ve come up with five Redland

secrets to set the ball rolling but I’m sure there are plenty more so please do

share them with us! 

Secret Short cuts

in Redland.

There are at least four different ways to

walk to the town centre, this proves very useful when the roads are completely

covered in ice in the winter months (because the council doesn’t grit them!) The

last thing you want to be doing is heading down one of the steepest hills but

then how to get from the heights of Redland to the lowlands of Broadmead?

Well, firstly you could take the main route,

Whiteladies Road – the Triangle – Park Street and through the centre by the Hippodrome.

Next, you could head past the University of Bristol on Woodlands Road,

which brings you out on Park Row where you can either head down by the

Trenchard Street Car Part to the Colston

Hall or down the gorgeous Christmas Steps to the

one way system by Broadmead.

Or, if you’re on the other side of Redland

then meander down Gloucester Road from the arches, through Cheltenham Road and Stokes Croft and straight through the James

Barton Underpass – the most straightforward route.

Alternatively (and this may be a better way

into town than back home!) there is the monster of a hill which runs alongside

the Bristol Royal Infirmary and

takes you up into Cotham – Marlborough Hill. This sure ain’t for the faint

hearted and it certainly ahould not be your route of choice in icy weather. A

slightly more approachable hill is St Michael’s which runs from the other side

of the BRI to Cotham, and you’ll pass some shops and pubs that way! Finally,

you can brave the maze of the back streets through Kingsdown and come out

somewhere near the coach station but I’m not even going to try and decypher

that labrynth!

Secret Cheap vege food in Redland. Planet

Pizza on Whiteladies Road may look like just another small bar/pizza place

but if you don’t eat meat (like me) and don’t have much money (also like me)

then it is a wonderful find. In fact, they’ve also got one the other side of

Redland on Gloucester Road. Their pizza list has at least five different

vegetarian options and it’s not just margharita or goats cheese! Sure, they’re

in there but it also has blue cheese pizzas, spinach, roasted red peppers and

caramelised onions – yummy! And the best bit? Opt for the 9 inch one and it’ll

only cost you a fiver. Bargain. They do a wicked non-alcoholic Mojito cheesecake

for afters too. If you want to cook yourself then check out Earthbound, Wild Oats and the Whiteladies Farmers Market. And how could we forget Magic Roll, OK so it's technically not in Redland, but it's just a stones throw away and is the best (and possibly healthiest) takeaway in he world. Toasted large halloumi and salad wrap for less than a fiver anyone?

 Secret pub quirks in Redland. The

Cambridge Arms looks like just another City pub from the outside, and a

very inviting one at that. However, the piece de resistance is not its

ambience, its friendly staff or the quality booze it serves up…no it’s the

MASSIVE beer garden out back. Considering there isn’t too much green space

attached to properties and businesses in Redland this is a real coup. It turns

just another city pub into a bit of a getaway destination. Sat supping on your

lager shandy in the beer garden (after parking up in the gravel car park) you

could be in the Cotswolds, rather than Redland. Then there's Cotham Porter Stores which has the most awesome pricing system - £2 a pint or £1 for a half. Simple. They also have a wicked juke box and sell pork pies and sausage rolls to soak up some of that high strength booze. Head to Gloucester Road and you're in for a real treat when it comes to pubs - the main draw is the Blue Lagoon and The Prom, which both look quite similar and are easy to get muddled up. Both are cafe type bars with laid back vibes, outdoor seating, cool staff, good food and occassional live music. Both are well worth spending an afternoon/late night in. And it's a much older crowd than the Whiteladies drag.

 Secret top notch off licences in Redland. The Westcountry is one of the best alcohol

producers in the country – not only has it been making top quality cider long

before Magners ploughed millions

into their rebranding ad campaign but it has some top quality ale brewers and

really decent old English wine. Why then, should we have to buy identikit

imported booze from supermarkets and corner shops? Well, here in Redland we

don’t. On the Westside (nr Whiteladies Road) we have the delightful Corks

of Cotham, selling the finest bourbon, Somerset Cider Brandy and a most

impressive selection or beer/ale/wine and cider. And on the Eastside

(Gloucester Road) we have the hilariously named Brewers Droop which may appear to be

little more than a guy in a rickety old shop selling brewing gear to men with

beards but is actually a great place to go to buy cider by the litre and a

whole host on independent local ales. Finally, there’s The

Liquor Dome (how cool does that sound) on Coldharbour Road. See we’re

surrounded by top quality indie offies. 

Secret innovative independent businesses in Redland. Starting with Woolies Indoor Market.OK, well it’s not too much of a secret –

there’s a big red sign outside but unless you’ve been in then you won’t know

just what treasures it holds. When Woolworths went bust it left a gaping hole

in many high streets and Whiteladies Road was no different. But thanks to the

innovation of the new owners it has now become a thriving indoor market

(keeping a hint of the old Woolies about it in its name). Inside there are

fruit and veg stalls, bakeries, vintage clothes stalls, handmade jewellery

stalls and an ever changing face of delights. It has a real community vibe

about it and there’s nowhere else I’d rather while away a Saturday morning.

Check it out – they serve tea and coffee too and have tables with magazines and

papers on for you to relax at. Then we have Cox and Baloney's vintage boutique, which has recently moved from Woolies Indoor Market to a new premises on Cheltenham Road. See previous story for more details. Between now and October there's also a new pop up boutique (of a similar type) on Stokes Croft. Goldmine, situated opposite Pie Minister sells low priced vintage clothes and accessories and is well worth a visit.

There’s plenty of food for thought there but

I know I’m missing some other Redland secrets s come on, do tell…