25th February 2019
Shebeen pub
Location: Clifton Down station, Whiteladies Road, Clifton.
This pub is part of the old building by Clifton Down station.
Times: 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings of the month. From about 8pm onwards. Next one will therefore be on Sunday 10th March
Public Transport: Buses numbers 1 and 2 run via Temple Meads, Union Street and the Centre (Cenotaph stop) every 15 minutes on Sundays. Buses 3 and 4 run from Union Street and the Centre (Cenotaph stop) every 30 minutes.
So there's a fairly good service even on a Sunday. The stop you want is Clifton Shopping Centre (next stop after BBC). A First Night ticket costs £3:50 on bus or £3 M ticket (bought on a mobile phone) and will cover travel all night in Bristol. Buses run back up till about 11:45pm.
Note: the number 8 bus no longer goes to Clifton Down. The number 9 doesn't run on Sundays.
Trains. The Severn Beach/Avonmouth train runs from Temple Meads (via L/Hill, Stap. Rd, Montpelier and Redland) to Clifton Down. The winter timetable is not much use for this session, but from March 31st there will be a train from Temple Meads at 19:51 (arr. 20:06). Last one back is fairly early though - 21:23
Beer No real ales in the pub, but you can buy from the Steam Bar next door (same firm apparently). I bought something called "Neck Oil" which cost a staggering £5:10 a pint! I'm sure cheaper drinks are available.
Session: Well attended. About 15 musicians. Usual mix of tunes and songs. Friendly and welcoming to newbies. Ample seating. Not many non-players.
*********************************************************************
*********************************************************************
Slow Session
Location: Riverside Café, Cumberland Road (very near Spike Island and the Orchard pub).
Times: First Wednesday of every month (next one March 6th 2019). 7:30pm.
Public Transport: The new Metrobus (M2 to Long Ashton Park and Ride) stops by Spike Island which is very close by. The M2 can be picked up by the Marriot hotel (near Old Market), Bond Street and the Centre and by Queens Square. Note: Tickets need to be bought before boarding these buses. There are ticket machines that take bank cards by every stop. Day tickets, concession passes etc. are accepted. Last bus back to near Temple Meads/ Town centre is quite early - 9:37 pm from Spike Island.
Beer: No real ales. Lagers, bottled beers etc.
Session: Small friendly session set up specifically for newer players and those who want to play tunes a bit more slowly. Plenty of comfy seating. Not many non-players. Mostly none at all!
***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************
The Old Stillage
Location: Church Road, Redfield
Time: Last Thursday of every month. Next one should be on the 28th March
About 8 pm onwards
Public Transport: Buses 44 and 45 (to Kingswood and Hanham) go past. It's a few stops past the big Lawrence Hill roundabout. Buses 6 (Kingswood) and 7 (Staple Hill) go quite near. They turn off at Russell Town Avenue and the first stop there is just a few minutes walk away.
Lawrence Hill Station is fairly close.
Cycling: Church Road is quite close to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path. There is some cycle parking nearly opposite the pub.
Beer: Good selection of hand drawn ales. Lots of beers under 4% ABV which is a big plus for me - I've got a thing about pubs that only sell ridiculously strong drinks. Prices seemed reasonable.
Seating: Fairly roomy pub with lots of settees. Moderately busy on the night I went, but easy to find a seat. Oh, there's a free pint for players at the end of the evening!
Session: About fifteen players, I'd say. Quite a fast pace for many of the tunes.
***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************
Folk Feet
This is a dancing/playing event held on Tuesday mornings in Portishead.
Website
Location: Folk Hall, Portishead
Cost: £3. Includes a tea or coffee and bikkies.
Time: Every Tuesday morning at 9:30 till 11:30 for the dancing, followed by a session for an hour.
Public Transport: The X3 and X4 buses run from Bristol bus station, picking up at the Centre (opp. Hippodrome) and Anchor Road. There's a bus that leaves about 09:06 that will get you there slightly late ( you can't use a concession card till after nine). If you don't have a concession card, it will cost a whopping £7:50 for an Outer Zone rider.
Train: The Bristol-Portishead line was due to open in 2018. It hasn't.
Event: This is a well-attended event run by Jill Elliot. It comprises of country dancing with live music provided by those who want to play. Mostly English tunes played in sets. Plenty of "Maggots" (of the musical variety!). I was impressed by the numbers there - close to fifty, I'd say. Mostly older people. The music was good and the musicians welcoming.
Jill Elliot organises lots of events like these, but most are in the country so hard to get to except by car.
She also maintains a very useful website that gives the dots and sound files for all the tunes played.
