By Alice Manning, Third Year, English
The Croft Magazine // Whether it's with a significant other, friends, flatmates, or by yourself - we should all get out of the house this season and enjoy what it has to offer
With summer fading into obscurity, beer gardens and golden hour are eclipsed by freezing flats and puffer jackets. The new academic year brings with it autumn and winter, for some the most arduous seasons of the year, maybe because of its association with the clumsy and stark readjustment into university life.
To help you brave the next few months, we have compiled some cosy autumn and winter activities to do with flatmates, friends or significant others.
Clifton Suspension Bridge: Autumn edition
We all know the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a Bristol must, an all round crowd pleaser for visiting family. In the autumn, the panoramic view of the bridge’s surroundings are complete with brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow. Find a crisp autumn day to visit the bridge - remember to bring a warm jacket!
Pubs
There’s nothing more wintry than walking into a cosy pub with a roaring hearth and feeling the blood rush back to your cheeks. The sensation makes you feel like a Dickensian character spending the last of your wages on a hearty meal.
One of my favourite pubs is The Lansdown near Manor Hall, which quenches the thirst for a quaint english pub, and it makes a change from the usual Spoons haunts and includes gas lamps as part of its decor.
Food
Colder weather means warming food and preparing your immune system for the imminent and unavoidable freshers’ flu. Making your own soup is a productive and tasty way to appreciate the season, especially if you use seasonal vegetables like pumpkins, butternut squash, carrots and potatoes. They’re a solid reminder of wholesome home cooking after, no doubt, spending weeks eating beige. There are plenty of recipes online to mull over.
If you fancy eating out or ordering in for a change, I can think of nowhere more autumnally appropriate than Pieminister, offering a range of pies and patties with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options.
Cinema
Cinema trips offer a perfect cosy retreat after a day of studying; after hours of reading, I jump at the chance to relax and experience something visually. Some noteworthy films out at the moment include Joker, Judy, and Downton Abbey.
The Odeon offers cinema tickets for students for just £5. If you want to add a bit of Hollywood glamour, the Everyman on Whiteladies Road offers a more luxurious viewing experience, with plush velvet seats and a bar in the foyer. There are other cinemas dotted around the city, including The Orpheus cinema in Westbury Park and the Showcase Cinema de Lux in Cabot Circus.
Seasonal baking
Make use of seasonally appropriate spices such as ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon by making a batch of baked goods with flatmates or friends - a great flat bonding exercise with tasty results. They also double up as great gifts for others, being relatively inexpensive and a thoughtful handmade gift that any friend would cherish. For the ultimate winter experience, serve with hot chocolate.
Featured: Epigram / Daisy Farrow
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