STEP INTO CHRISTMAS

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Another longish walk in the Brizzle drizzle, broken up by the £1 ferry across the Avon. Our captain had reached the stage of saying “Show us your change” as students claimed not to have a quid on them.

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Bristol has a lot in common with Norwich.  Both fine cities with an excess of beards, water, craft beer, mediocre football, with fantasy gaming rooms on every corner.

But Norwich doesn’t have a glitterball this big;

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Disco was big in Bristol in the ’70s

There’s a particular beauty about Bristol you get in towns or cities with a few hills; Edinburgh, Ramsgate and Sheffield spring to mind.

One of the best views is at the top of the Christmas Steps.  Typically in England, they’ve been renamed from Summer Steps since 1 September, skipping Autumn altogether.

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Don’t run down here after six pints, Si
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Christmas Steps – sister pub to the Easter Hops

Despite WhatPub proclaiming it “A heritage treasure“, I’d never noticed the eponymous pub before, oddly. Odd because it’s rather gorgeous, albeit in a knowing way.

It reminds me of the Monks Walk, an adult drinking venue in Beverley.  OK, at 6pm it was mainly groups of students and couples, but I could definitely envisage a more mature crowd on the Prosecco and “Smoked Mackerel Tart with Beetroot Jam“.

Sadly, my phone died on me as I walked down the Steps, so I can’t bring you photos of the beetroot jam or the sort of cask and keg range you get in upmarket 2018 Bristol.

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Crack

“Ooohh.  Is that an “ale” ?. I’d like an ale” said Edward.

“Ugh.” said Emily.

Si will hate it, I guarantee it.  I admired it, though the house beer from Crack (honest) was average at best (NBSS 2.5).  At least I found a charging point to breathe new life into my phone.

But really, look in the Gents if you want to capture the feel of the Steps in one shot.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

16 thoughts on “STEP INTO CHRISTMAS”

  3. “Si will hate it, I guarantee it. I admired it…” –I’m interpreting this as you’re more forgiving of an upscale pub, in general, than Simon is? Or was there some other aspect of the place that you thought wouldn’t meet with BRAPA approval? 🙂

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    1. Si was much harsher on the venerable Queens Head in Newton than I thought, his inverse snobbery goes even deeper than mine !

      I thought the Christmas Steps was a nice place slightly let down by “craft beer for beginners”, but I sense Si will not warm to candles on the table, payment by card and the lack of mobility scooters !

      We’re not, as you well know, claiming to be objective pub reviewers 😉

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      1. It’s funny that, as you know, I am no fan of pretentiousness and posery in pubs, but the Queen’s Head really didn’t strike me like that at all.

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      2. Agree, but then I’ve been there a dozen times over the years. It’s unashamedly upper middle class, but it has no pretensions. The Harrington Arms in Gawsworth was similar once.

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  4. Technically you crossed the Floating Harbour, rather than the Avon which runs it’s course to the south and ebbs and flows with the tides, unlike the Floating Harbour where you can always … float.

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    1. But the Floating Harbour is the original course of the Avon, so it and the New Cut could be considered two channels of the river.

      Maybe, given the proportion of student customers, the ferryman should start accepting cashless payments 😉

      Incidentally, did you know that the phrase “shipshape and Bristol fashion” originates from the fact that the Avon has an exceptionally large tidal range, so ships had to be very sturdily built to cope with this and rest on the mud at low tide in what is now the Floating Harbour?

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      1. It probably is the same river because you can get in and out of the floating harbour at both ends.

        Yes it does have a phenomenal tidal range. I would have loved to have seen it at it’s zenith when the harbour went much further into the city and had many arms.

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  5. “Disco was big in Bristol in the ’70s”

    I thought that was an attempt at a different kind of lighthouse.

    “Don’t run down here after six pints, Si”

    Never fear. I have it on good authority his knee is still wonky. 😉

    “Christmas Steps – sister pub to the Easter Hops”

    I’m trying to come up with something about Bank holidays and Micros but it’s eluding me.

    “though the house beer from Crack”

    Just don’t call it the Crack house beer. 🙂

    “look in the Gents if you want to capture the feel of the Steps in one shot.”

    I’d have a hard time passing water with that lot looking at me.

    Cheers

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