Bristol Floating Harbour

 In our neverending quest (aka 'obsession') with vintage cameras we'd planned to go out to somewhere sunny and scenic, suitable for a weird little old camera (Ensign Full Vue II).  We already have one of these, best described as a box camera with a little chuztpah.  Its main feature is the stunningly bright viewfinder which shows an imagine far better than the very basic lens can deliver.

Anyhoo...it's one of three old cameras we're yet to test so we brought it to Bristol with us.

The weather was supposed to be quite good on Friday so we got on the ferry and went to the far end of the harbour to see if we could get a decent couple of images of "The Bridge" and Clifton with the sun on them.  Taking the ferry is such a brilliant way to get there (but actually, not really much quicker than walking) and on the way I mused about what this part of the city was like in my teens (70's/80's, since you didn't ask).  I remember how unloved and unlovable it was.  Now it's thriving and lively, mixing old and new fairly comfortably whilst still retaining bits of urban grot amongst authentic heritage and shiny aspirational housing.

The second part of our mission was to go and try The Pumphouse now it's been taken over by BBF.

We took 11 of our allotted 12 pictures (square format 120 film, if you were wondering), started to feel the cold a bit and headed to the Pumphouse.  The last time we were here it was sunny and warm and the previous iteration of the place definitely emphasised the very good food but had lost its sense of pub, to be honest.  Mind you, it was a useful refuelling spot for brunch with friends and the beer offering was pretty good, considering.

There were lots of people out in the sun so maybe not too surprising that it was reasonably busy at 3.30pm. It's clearly early days and the transformation to "proper pub" promised feels like a work in progress.  But, as I'd entirely expect, the beer range was very respectable and the cask beer we had (Dragon something or other) was excellent.  We were asked if we were "OK" with mugs - which was an odd way to phrase it, I guess, but it gave us the easy option of asking for straights -  supplied with a smile.

I hunted around for a cosy corner which was a bit tricky but eventually found a small table which I thought just had two chairs but then proved to have a cushioned "bench" too.  As I sat down I realised that it was atop a radiator (by design) so it was gorgeously warm.  The BBB congratulated me on finding me the best seat available (he was very much chilled by the walk around the end of the harbour).

When I went for a second, I decided it was too early for kegged Wiper and True IPA so he had Independence and I had Joy of Sesh (NBB).  Sadly no 2/3rd glasses were available but the lady behind the bar gamely offered to measure with their 1/3rd glasses which I feared would be a pain in the arse so I went for pints, whilst thanking her for the offer.  It's a BBF outlet so, no doubt, 2/3rd glasses will become available in time.

All in all, it was a nice place to go but it's not proper pubby just yet.  We assumed that this is just a time/cost factor.  We'll definitely be happy to come back...hopefully it'll have some snug corners by then.

We thought it would be a good idea to stroll back the couple of miles in more than one stage so we carried on along the northish side of the harbour thinking to look in the Three Tuns.  We passed it but it also didn't look particularly cosy, either (something we've felt before with the place) so we cut down to the Limekiln.

Now, this is definitely a proper little old pub run by a man (Paul) who definitely knows and loves his beer and makes sure there's something for everyone.  We settled in (sadly the places by the fire were already taken) with "Afghan IPA" (by a brewery I can't remember) which, at 5.4% was just about perfect strength.  I'd also whether 2/3rd was a available and the chap behind the bar had a game look for a 2/3rds glass but came up empty - so I stuck with a pint.  Very lovely it was too.

There were about 7 other folk in the pub and it felt perfectly "peopled".  We reckon that this would be a place that some of our "traditional cask" pals who remain surprised at how readily we'll enthuse about hazy keg beer would be fully approving of.  Must remember to bring them next time they come and stay.

Walking back mostly via backstreets we're reminded how walkable this city is - another reason to love it.

We're heading back to Sussex on Monday, we're excited to be going "home" (or, more correctly "other home") but in about 6 weeks we'll be gagging to be back.