while in bristol for UK nats, i knew i wanted to visit some of its skateparks. Bristol has a pretty good reputation for its skate scene so i had to sample some of what the city had to offer. i had hoped to go on the thursday but my plans changed slightly so monday was my only day where, unfortunately, it rained quite poorly. nonetheless, below i've listed and reviewed the skate spots i managed to visit in bristol

St George's Park

maybe the most well known park in bristol, the skatepark here is in st george's park itself (which is a really lovely park by the way and worth strolling around, wheeled or otherwise). it's not the biggest but there's some good features, the best of which are the three bowls in the middle of the park. the ground is asphalt so if you're going, leave the hard wheels at home and bring softies otherwise you'll be like me and get about 5 feet before having to push again. the weird thing i found was that the features and obstacles were all made of concrete which meant they sat pretty weirdly on the surface so everything had a lip at the base which meant getting up and onto them a pain. not to mention the park definitely shows signs of its age, as a lot of the features are pretty heavily cracked in places and there's lots bits that have just been kinda tacked on.

the rain didn't help my visit as the park's best feature is easily the three bowls which range from a nice shallow and mellow offering that transitions very seamlessly into something a bit deeper, with the third bowl having a lot of depth and carving potential. the rain did mean that there was some pretty significant pools at the bottom of each bowl rendering them unskateable. definitely a shame as these look a tonne of fun to skate for all levels.

definitely one to visit on a sunnier day, preferably with some nice soft wheels to make getting around a little easier. 3/5

Dean's Lane

(i forgot to take a picture of this one 4giv me)

i really really like this park. another outdoor one, this one is iconic in the UK and irish skate scenes. there's tonnes of really nice features and transitions, and a real nice mellow half bowl. it's very old school and definitely on the crusty side but it drips with character and a sense of community. the art on the ramps is great and it's got some real nice lines and runs available. being a rainy ass day it wasn't the best conditions to experience what the deaner has to offer but it's certainly got a lot to do and a tonne of charm to it. i don't think it's great for the more beginner level skaters as a lot of the ramps are on the higher and steeper side, with some very tall banks and harsh transitions. that being said it has a great vibe and it's a lot of fun to skate with plenty of really good features and obstacles. will absolutely be going to this one again if im back over.

4/5

Side Review: Fifty Fifty Skate Shop

after leaving the deaner and before my next skate spot, i wanted to try pick up some new bushings for my skateboard. had a quick google and found fifty fifty. it's a nice spacious store with lotsa nice apparell and skate hardware available. definitely a bit more of a clothes shop but they have a nice selection of decks available and they stocked the bushings i like and were nice to chat to. would recommend if you need skate stuff in bristol

M32 DIY Skatepark

fed up with the rain, and with the two indoor parks closed, there was one spot that i could have a dry skate in and one i wanted to visit anyway. slightly outside of bristol city centre underneath the motorway flyover is a wicked little diy skatepark. it's built on a fairly steep slope so be prepared to pick up a lot of speed, even when cruising, but this is a really fun "park" to skate. everything's a bit bockedy and cracked but it's a real great vibe and there's a little bit of everything. there's a nice 4 or 5 stair and a good few railings, as well as a few homemade manny pads that are mostly just wood palettes with a flatter side. the ramps are awkward and a bit slippy, and coming back down it's easy to lose balance as you go over the many cracks and lumps on the transitions. there's lotsa space and a nice little ramp up near the top thats pretty chill. it's certainly not a beginner skatepark as you'd want a good level of balance to get around it well and safely, not to mention you absolutely should pad the fuck up here. in addition to the high speeds you can get and awkward ramps, there's the odd nail or bit of broken glass littered about that can really be a fucker to land on. once or twice i fell down and saw something that would result in a tetanus shot if i'd connected with it. however with that, i would still highly recommend this place. i love it, and it was a real blast to skate, especially on a day where it got rained out liek fuck. 4.5/5

Summary and Honourable Mentions

bristol has some real great skate spots and they all have a great character and vibe to them. there's a couple others i would love to get to but didn't get a chance to. most notably the campus park and campus pool indoor skateparks which look absolutely cracker but were sadly closed on the day i had to skate. i'll absolutely be coming back to bristol to skate it some more, hopefully maybe once i've managed to figure out how to actually land a kickflip