With a week to go until the third BS4 arts trail, we wanted to share some local tips to help make the most of your trail weekend. We’ve suggested shortcuts between venues that take you through some of our beautiful woodlands and meadows, and things to do each day. We would love to know how much of it you manage to see! With any of these suggested routes, you can do them in reverse too. This route would be a good option for Sunday 15th June, as there’s nothing on here that is open on Saturday only, but it could work for either day.
All home venues and most community venues will be open from 11am to 5pm, but check Visitor FAQs for full details on what is open when.
Starting at St Anne’s House (Venue 17 – open from 11am)
St Anne’s House (Venue 17) makes a great place to start the arts trail. There’s a lovely new bakery just around the corner on Wootton Road, Catleys Bakery, that’s open earlier if you want to grab a coffee and pastry first. There are 15 guest artists in the Mill Room, plus the St Anne’s House artists open studios and exhibitions, workshops for kids and adults, and plenty of food and drink all weekend. You can have a go at Lego Printing with Little Leaf Press at 11 till 12 while you’re there – pre book a place on her website. There’s even a community sauna on site if you fancy that to start the day.
If you turn right out of St Anne’s House and head towards the Co-Op roundabout, you’ll come to a gate into St Anne’s Woods. Follow the path, keep to the right and go past the ancient St Anne’s Well, before crossing over the footbridge. If you head left, you’ll pop out near Jessie Abstract’s beautiful home garden studio (Venue 20 – image above) and you can go along from there to Emily Dennys Ceramics studio (Venue 21). Then head back to the right along Newbridge Road to the Langton Pub on your left (Venue 22), another of our community venues with 4 artists and a free nature crafts activity table for kids.
After you’ve browsed the stalls at The Langton pub, head back along Newbridge Road and left on to Highworth road to find a lovely jewellery studio, new to the trail this year, belonging to Jo of Redbird Makes (Venue 18). Loop around the corner back to Wendy Calder’s ceramics studio on Arlington Road (Venue 17 – photo above). and you can have a go on the potter’s wheel for free, any time between 11am and 1pm or 2 and 4pm both days. From Wendy’s you can head to the arts trail hub, Sandy Park Road. As you come along Wick Road, turn right along Upper Sandhurst road to find 2 lovely home studios – Simon Reeves (Venue 15 – on the left) and local poet Liz Cashdan (Venue 16 – a bit further down on the right) and then cut back down Sand road to St Cuthbert’s Church, another of our main community venues where you’ll find 15 artists and free drop-in arts and crafts for kids from 12 till 3pm on Sunday (and 11 till 2 on Saturday).
From there you can either head down Sandy Park Road to These Two Hands shop (venue 12) where you’ll find lovely Bristol artist Torigami for the trail weekend and on down to three lovely home venues off Harrow Road on the left – Dona B Drawings Bristol-inspired art (Venue 8), Angela Davies Design (Venue 10) where you can book on to try Tetra-Pak Printmaking and Emma Lucy McArthur Art where you can have a go at lino printing on her tabletop press(Venue 9) . Or carry on down Wick Road to visit two more artists home studios – Vernon Hewitt Landscapes home and garden studio full of beautiful acrylic land and seascapes ( Venue 24) and Tessa Wilkinson watercolour artist (Venue 23).
From either of those options, you can then head to Arnos Vale Cemetery, another big community venue with 18 artists and free mural art workshops happening at 1 and 3pm both days. If you pop along Bath Road first you can see the big collaborative street art project being created at number 493-499 Bath Road (Venue 28).
From Arnos Vale cemetery, cut through the top of Arnos Park to discover a cluster of lovely home studios around Runswick Road and Queensdown Gardens including The Corbeau Press glass studio (Venue 7 – image above), Lindsey King art (Venue 6 – image below) and finish with a pint at The Knowle Pub on Leighton Road.
If you’re travelling by car, then you can head from here on to the furthest venue, Stamrod Goldfinger (Venue 29) 828a Bath Road with his brilliant UV art and string art and then over to finish at The Glass Loft (Venue 31) where there are 6 great artists, free glass cutting and printing workshops and more. If there’s any time left, enjoy a well earned pint at Hop Union Brewery where you’ll find another 2 artists.
