People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Farrah Fortnam
Farrah Fortnam painted her first ever mural in lockdown and has been painting in Bristol, Bath and beyond ever since.
She is an environmental artist with a passion for saving the rainforests; and seeing the destructive impact by humans on the natural world, she wants to highlight the climate crisis to the wider public through her street art.
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These are Farah’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Ashton Hill
Ashton Hill contains 148 acres of mixed woodland including a magnificent stand of Californian Redwoods – photo: Pedal Progession
“I’m a tree lover as my art is inspired a lot by trees. So I love to grab as much time with them as possible to unwind. I head over to Ashton Hill quite often. It’s right down the end of Beggar Bush Lane. I love the tranquillity and the variety of trees there. The walk is a good one hour loop so it’s easy to fit in a busy day still. The redwoods make me feel so small and they have such an elegant yet powerful beauty about them. I never shy away from a tree hug either, it would be rude not to!”
Conham River Park
Conham River Park follows the winding route of the River Avon – photo: Martin Booth
“Another absolute favourite nature dose is Conham River Park. As much as I love greenery, I also find being by the water soothing and calming. I take my kids regularly but often like to go alone to destress and rebalance. I love watching the canoes paddling up and down too. If you’re lucky you may even find a real-life mermaid (environmental activist, river campaigner and a lovely friend, Lindsay Cole) swimming along there too!”
The Clove
The Clove with the Six Sisters mural behind – photo: Mimi Sorrentino
“The Clove Indian restaurant on Luckwell Road in Bedminster is my current favourite easy dine-in getaway. I used to love cooking but I really am getting uninspired and lazy in my old age! When I’ve been creating art all day, I seem to lose all creativity come dinner time. So when I’m staring into the fridge and empty pot for eternity, my kids will help me out and say let’s go to the Clove, as it’s not far from where we live. It’s a really friendly cheapish restaurant with a cosy vibe. The staff are so accommodating and my cheeky kids manage to wangle the extra handful of after-dinner mints!”
Bean Tree Cafe
Bean Tree Cafe opened in 2017 after funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund – photo: Binodi Dissanayake
“Yes, you’re getting a good idea that we love to eat! So my next favourite eating place is Bean Tree Cafe in Page Park in Staple Hill. My friend Melody runs the family friendly cafe with her hubbie, Tom. They have created a really special place there, wholesome food including the best pizzas around and a lovely family park which it’s set in. It’s especially lovely in the spring and summertime when you can eat outside and watch the kids play. They often have a live performance or show going on at the same time! There’s not many cafes that run events, plays, workshops and serve great food in a park!”
The Happy Cow
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“Now onto desserts! The Happy Cow ice cream van sums me up as I’m definitely one after eating their ice cream! So it’s not your usual ice cream van. It’s a vegan ice cream van. Hence the name! Their portions are massive and the ice cream is delicious with such a range of toppings and sauces. One is usually enough to share if you’re not too greedy. It’s usually parked up on Narrow Quay which is why I find it so easily as I walk around the harbour.”
Main photo: Farrah Fortnam
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