Date ideas for Bristol this weekend

So, you and your partner have finally got a free weekend after a hectic summer. Nice.

Part of you probably wants to switch off completely. Trackies on, a big bag of Maltesers, and a proper catch-up on Bake Off and The Traitors. Honestly, fair enough.

But if you fancy spending a bit more intentional time together and doing something a bit different, Bristol has loads going on. Here are seven ideas we've rounded up for this weekend, 10 and 11 October.

At a glance

Short on time? Here's the lot, so you can pick what suits

your weekend.

1. Flower picking at Five Acre Farm

@fiveacrefarmer are running flower picking, and this might be the last weekend of the year they offer it. So if you've been meaning to go, now's the time. Make a morning of it while you're there: there's a banging little farm shop, the farm itself to wander round, and a lovely gazebo area with hay bales to sit and chill.

It's a proper regenerative farm in Backwell, about six miles out of Bristol, run as a community interest company. Their grower Annabel raises everything without chemicals, focusing on soil health and wildlife. No need to book, just turn up, grab some snips and fill a jar.

Good to know: Pick your own runs Saturday and Sunday, 8.30am to 3pm, and it's £10 for a jarful (jars are £2, or bring your own). Parking is really limited, so hop on the bus from town: it stops right outside at Kellways. Five Acre Farm

2. Sauna session at Unfold Sauna

Also at Five Acre Farm, @unfoldsauna has a lush sauna looking out over the garden. Get all zen in the heat, then jump in the cold plunge for a proper reset. Pair it with the flower picking and you've got yourselves a full day out.

It's a handcrafted, wood-fired sauna with two ice baths, started by three Bristol mates who felt city life was missing a bit of connection. Sessions are an hour and you use the time however you like: heat, plunge, repeat. Then grab a deckchair round the fire pit and let the tingles do their thing.

Good to know: One hour sessions start from around £13 each, with weekend sessions from 8am. The X1 bus from the city centre goes straight to the farm, and there's a bit of parking on Kellways Road. Unfold Sauna Club

3. Lasagna and tiramisu pop up at The Scrandit

@00pastaboys are taking over @thescrandit on Sunday for a one day special, with lasagna and tiramisu on the menu. If it's not the best lasagna and tiramisu you've ever had, I'll bite my own hand off.

The Scrandit is a bit of a Bristol gem. It's tucked halfway up Christmas Steps and has no resident chef, so a different pop up takes over the kitchen most weeks. It grew out of a street food pop up after lockdown, and there's a little beer garden too.

Good to know: Sunday only, at 14 Christmas Steps, BS1 5BS. Keep an eye on @00pastaboys for times and prices, and get there early because one day specials don't hang about. The Scrandit

4. Longboard and Surfskate Festival at Sparks

@soulfulskateco are hosting a longboard, surf and skate festival at @sparksbristol on Sunday, from 11am to 4.30pm. There are improver sessions and masterclasses, so it's a good shout if you've been meaning to get (back) on a board. Coffee and food come courtesy of @thecoffeelada to keep you going.

Sparks is the old M&S in Broadmead, now a creative hub, and the festival takes over its upstairs Department of Imagination. Think smooth floors, an open skate zone all day, balance boards, a creative corner for customising shoes and making stickers, and board care from Vandem Longboard Shop. You genuinely don't need to have stood on a board before: watching, chatting and wobbling about all count.

Workshops run all day, from Longboard Foundations for total beginners to dance and freestyle, surfskate snaps and slides, and learning to drop in. There's a free mobility session with Val too.

Good to know: Sunday 11 October, 11am to 4.30pm. You'll need a general admission ticket first, then workshops are £15 each on top. No kit? Board hire is £6, a helmet £3 and pads £3. Soulful Skate Co.

5. Vine and Vinyl at Kask

@kaskwine are doing a vine and vinyl night. Expect funk, soul and disco on the decks, with specially selected wines to match. Easy, relaxed, and a good excuse to try something new off the list.

Kask is a natural wine bar and shop on North Street in Bedminster. Everything is organic, vegan or low intervention, a lot of it is poured straight from the tap, and the list changes every week. Add one of their cheese or charcuterie boards and you're sorted for the night. This is the second Vine & Vinyl, so the first clearly went down well.

Good to know: 51 North Street, BS3 1EN. Check @kaskwine for timings and whether you need to book. Kask

6. Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong tribute at Loco Klub

@locoklub are hosting a Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong tribute night. Come and see some live jazz from a really talented band. Dress up a bit, grab a drink and let the music do the rest.

Loco Klub is an underground arts venue tucked into the old railway arches by Temple Meads, and with the candles lit it's a seriously atmospheric spot for a date. Expect an hour of the classics, from Fly Me to the Moon and My Way to What a Wonderful World. There's no dress code, but it's the perfect excuse to dress up a bit.

Good to know: Sunday 11 October, with shows at 5pm and 7pm. Tickets are around £24 to £25 through Fever. Find it in Clock Tower Yard, BS1 6QH, through the stone archway. Ents24

7. Shake illustration fair at Shredenhams

@shakebristol is an illustration fair at @shredenhams, with loads of talented artists and illustrators showing their work. It's on Saturday and it's a must. Have a wander, chat to the makers and maybe come home with something new for your walls.

Shake bills itself as "some kinda art fair" and is run by local illustrator Max K. It pops up every so often, and this time it's at Shredenhams, the old department store in Broadmead that's been turned into an indoor skate park, which is about as Bristol as it gets. Last time they had nearly 60 artists selling prints, zines, cards and gifts.

Good to know: Saturday, at 48 The Horsefair, BS1 3JL. Check @shakebristol for times and entry. Fancy a full Broadmead weekend? Shake's on Saturday and the skate festival at Sparks is just round the corner on Sunday. The Nearfield

Ready-made dates

Can't be bothered to plan? Fair. We've done it for you.

The farm day (Saturday or Sunday)

Get the X1 out to Backwell and start with flower picking while it's quiet. Then book an hour at Unfold to warm up, plunge and reset. Finish on the hay bales with something from the farm shop, which is open until 3.30pm. Budget about £46 for two, plus whatever you treat yourselves to in the shop.

The Broadmead weekend

Saturday is Shake at Shredenhams for a mooch round the stalls and maybe some new art for your walls. On Sunday, head round the corner to Sparks for the skate festival. Two days of good stuff within a few minutes' walk of each other.

The Sunday night out

Go for lasagna and tiramisu at The Scrandit, then wander over to Loco Klub for the 7pm jazz show. It's about a 25 minute walk from Christmas Steps, or a quick cab if you're full of pasta.

If it's chucking it down

Flower picking is the only one that really needs the weather. Everything else is indoors, and honestly, a sauna in the rain is one of life's great pleasures.

Find more on Nook

All of these, and plenty more, are on Nook, so you've always got a few ideas in your back pocket when a free weekend pops up.

So what's Nook? Nook is a relationship app made right here in Bristol, built to help couples stay connected. As well as date ideas like these, it gives you regular check-ins to share some appreciation, see how connected you're both feeling, ask for the support you need and clear the air before little things become big things.Want a fresh batch of Bristol date ideas every week? Sign up to the Nook newsletter and we'll drop them straight in your inbox.

Think we've missed something good? Let us know in the comments.

And send this to your partner. Consider it a date in the diary.

Cheers! Jack & Holly x