Bristol is a great city for so many reasons, but one of the big ones for me is that it’s such a lovely place to go for a scenic amble of a weekend afternoon. There are lots of routes I like to take through the city, but my favourite by far is around the harbour.

The richest part of Bristol’s history starts here – some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in the city can be found by the water and there is always something exciting going on no matter what the hour or time of year. So the next time you’re stuck for something to do of a weekend, I suggest you gather some friends and go on a cider or ale quest around the water’s edge. I’ve even put together a suggested route, because I’m nice like that.

Stage One: Welsh Back

You can’t start any central pub crawl of Bristol without taking in the legend that is The Apple. Firstly, this is a pub on a boat. We have several of these in Bristol, but as a native Londoner this never gets old. Secondly, they have over 40 ciders available at any one time. I don’t know about you, but I view that as a challenge to be accepted.

Three Brothers Burgers next door is a good alternative starting point, with a fine selection of beers & ciders, and a super good value £7.50 lunch deal for a burger & fries (available every day too!).

The King Street Brew House is across the road/cobbles from The Apple and is a large pub – perfect for big groups to huddle inside or take a seat at the long benches outside. They show sport (if that’s your thing) and have a fairly extensive beer selection, as well as an in-house brewery (hence the name).

Next stop should by rights be The Old Duke . The Duke is well known for hosting its own jazz festival and free live music almost every night of the week – they also do a rather fine selection of local ales and ciders, so a good place to get any party started!

Across the road, The Llandoger Trow makes a great first impression with its mock Tudor exterior, and it gets better inside with a maze of rooms and original features, and an extensive beer list (28 keg, 4 cask and 5 ciders on tap) which is particularly strong on German-style beers and a range of real ales. The pub was allegedly the prferred drinking hole of Alexander Selkirk (the inspiration for the castaway book ‘Robinson Crusoe’) and also provided some inspiration for literary classic ‘Treasure Island’ – you can certainly imagine a fair few interesting characters having propped up the bar over the ages.

Further down the street is when it starts to get reallly good. The King William boasts the rarity of not one but THREE pool tables, and is surrounded by what has come to be known as Bristol’s ‘Beermuda Triangle’ (more like a rhombus these days) – The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer (fantastic beers, cosy chairs and hidden nooks), The Beer Emporium (all the beer!) and Small Bar (come for the beer, stay for the Wings Diner chicken, plus the games and cosy sofas upstairs).  Kong’s is also well worth a look in (ping pong! Arcade games! Table football!)

Notable mentions: Once you’ve reached the end of King Street, continue on towards Cascade Steps/ Narrow Quay for some drinks by the water. Under the Stars is a lovely bar on a boat, they have a nice top deck for enjoying the sunshine, and also do a great tapas menu. The Stable (huge choice of ciders with waterside seats) and No.1 Harbourside (great beers, harbourside seating and occasional live music) complete the trio of nicer bars along this section, unless you’re happy enough sat on the cobbles outside The Arnolifini dangling your feet over the edge of the quay, proper Bristol style.

Stage Two: Redcliffe

This is where the walk start to get particularly interesting. Once you’ve crossed over the swing bridge on Redcliffe Way, follow the water around past the little boat yard, alongside the old pirate caves and the old Scout Hut and then around to The Ostrich.

The Ostrich is one of the best places to come on a sunny day due to having so much outdoor seating in such a great location – you can watch the boats go by and hot air balloons soar overhead in summer. Plus there’s a pirate skeleton in a cubby hole when you go in – it’s all very exciting.

Next up is The Golden Guinea around the corner – a litte treasure of a pub which has lots of exciting urban art adorning the walls and some fantastic ales and craft beers on tap.

Notable mentions: The Ship (another great traditional cubby-hole of a pub) and The Severn Stars (consistently interesting ale selection, plus if you sit outside you might be able to hear some of the music emanating from The Fleece next door)

Stage Three: The Harbourside

You’ll have a bit of a walk on your hands now – a whole five minutes during which you can work up a good thirst for the next watering hole.

You can either follow Cumberland Road alongside the feeder canal, or go for the more aesthetic route of cutting down by M Shed and walking along the water, taking in the impressive views of the city and the old docks railway.

By the time you reach The Orchard Inn you should certainly be parched enough to have earned one of their ciders. The problem might be deciding which one – they have over 20 ciders on tap at any time, ranging from Thatchers Gold to scrumpy from local farms.

Once you’re suitably hydrated, you can continue along the harbour (past the mighty landmarks of the SS Great Britain and The Matthew) until you reach The Cottage. The inside isn’t much to shout about but again the views are very impressive – you can look across the harbour to the Georgian terrcaes of Clifton and the colourful houses of Hotwells. There’s plenty of action on the water here too, from ferries and paddleboarders to the occasional appearance from The Matthew.

Next up is The Nova Scotia – you can get here by cutting through the Harbour Master car park and then along Avon Crescent while Underfall Yard is closed (the visitor centre is worth a visit to learn more about the Impressive history of Bristol’s Floating Harbour). The Nova Scotia is a another cosy little pub where you can easily lose several hours looking at the nautical nick-nacks and old photos of the city on the walls – but remember you’re on a quest; no loitering!

Notable mentions: The Avon Packet (more on the New Cut than the harbour, but great prices, a big garden and some quality old school vibes inside).

Stage Four: Hotwells

We’re on the home stretch now folks, so fear not. Although, if you’ve been sticking to local ciders the whole time I expect you wouldn’t have made it past the 3rd pub on this crawl. No matter.

Once you’ve cut over another swing bridge you’ll be over the other side of the harbour – back in to the safe haven of the North Side of the river. Good times.

The first pub to greet you is The Pump House, one of the more expensive bars on route and it also prides itself on some very good food – so if you’re getting peckish this would definitely be the time and place to refuel.

Then it’s on to the Grain Barge – a brilliant spot in the summer with its lovely upstairs deck to lounge on in the sunshine.

If you’re feeling like a questionable night cap to celebrate the end of your pub crawl, the best place to finish your epic journey has to be The Mardyke; dark, full of locals and pints of cider for under £3 – a surreal but always enjoyable experience.

Get one final drink down your neck and then call it a night. Taxi!

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