A Holiday Every Weekend!

So here we are in the middle of the biggest recession in living memory, but like some politician said once, a big crisis is also a big opportunity, and if the recession is the crisis, then this here guide is, believe it or not, a big opportunity.

If money is too tight to go off gallivanting in foreign parts for this year’s holiday, or if you’ve simply decided it’s time to be a bit more careful financially, then we guarantee that, used responsibly, Days Out 2009 will provide you with a summer that is more enjoyable than one involving spending a fortnight getting drunk in some foreign country where the locals secretly hate you.

There are three steps to summer happiness:

1. Piously tell everyone you’ve given up flying in order to do your bit against global warming.

2. Arm yourself with your handy glove-compartment-sized Days Out 2009 and spend weekends in the spring, summer and early autumn exploring all the wonderful places to see and stuff to do around these parts. Make sure (and this is quite important) that you enjoy yourself while doing so.

3. And then show off to everyone your knowledge of local attractions, boast about all the wonderful country pubs you’ve visited and give everyone wise advice on the best roads to drive or cycle on. (Whether they want it or not.)

We’ve not had room to include all the great stuff round these parts, but what we’ve tried to do is list all the major attractions in the Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset areas. From there, we’ve fanned out into Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and been a little choosier. We’ve also included suggestions from further afield.

THE MAP

The Zones are a rough guideline as to how far things are from Bristol and Bath. Most places listed in this guide will have a Zone reference in their listing entry. But if you’re travelling far and wide, don’t rely on this map - get a real one!

Venue Days Out Guide - Bristol and Bath's best excursion guide. To order your copy ring 0117 942 8491. Only £2.95.