Bristol Booze Cruise Guide

Bristol Booze Cruise Guide

Straddling the River Avon, Bristol is a brilliant city for events, occasions and party getaways with loads to see and do. Its unique waterside areas are beautiful in sunny weather and play host to a huge range of restaurants, bars and venues. A booze cruise in Bristol will make a memorable trip no matter the occasion for your city visit and with so much on offer, can be adapted to suit any group type, size or budget.

What is West Country Games?

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West Country Games embraces all the stereotypes of the West Country in one great day out, comprising of 9 totally hilarious games suitable for all sorts of groups.

If you have an upcoming, Stag do, Hen Weekend, Birthday Party or Team Building Day, then why not give us a try?

Make the Most of your Boozy Bristol Boat Trip

There’s a range of Bristol boat trips available to be booked through various venues and companies, each with a slightly different angle and theme. Bristol booze cruises do get booked up in advance by tourists as well as by locals so it’s best to find the trip you want and make sure you’ve paid for your party’s place at least a month beforehand. Book as early as possible to confirm your Bristol boat party!

bristol boat trips

Boozy Bristol Boat Trips

As with any city that attracts lots of visitors, there’s plenty of companies catering for tour and party groups. Bristol boat trips comes in all shapes and sizes but the most widely available format is a pub tour… by water!

These Bristol boat party trips incorporate sailing between pitstops to pubs, and usually three of them. You can find Bristol boat hire firms in both the city centre ready to sail out (and sometimes loop round back), or further out to then transport into the city. Most travel down the Avon stopping along the way and ending up at Cascade Steps in the city centre.

Providing that you’re aged over 18, in good health and have appropriate ID, there’s no limit to attending a Bristol booze cruise. Bristol boat hire companies report stag parties and hen parties as their most popular booze cruise customers, but these trips also work well for birthdays, leaving dos and celebrations!

The Best Pubs to Visit...

booze cruise bristol docks

Bristol is home to some fantastic pubs, both traditional and a bit newer, but there’s three along the River Avon that we really rate. Look out for a Bristol boat party route that includes these three, and if it doesn’t, don’t be afraid to ask – lots of Bristol booze cruises can be amended and adapted to suit your preferences.

Pump House

pump house bristol booze cruise

The Pump House is an absolutely stunning building and it’ll take your breath away as you approach it by boat… have your camera ready for some social media pics! Situated where the city docks meets the River Avon, its now owned by a chef so you can enjoy some of the city’s best ales and beers as well as some great pub grub. It even has two rosettes for culinary excellence!

The Cottage Inn

cottage inn bristol booze cruise

Sitting on the historic harbour at Baltic Wharf, The Cottage Inn is run by a local brewery who specialise in beer and cider. It’s right on the river and was used as a dockside timber storage building before the docks closed and was then restored and refurbished into the pub that sits there today. You can sit outside or in, and this pub too had a kitchen full of top-notch chefs working on an ever-changing seasonal menu.

The Ostrich Inn

ostrich inn cruise

The Ostrich public house is nestled back in the centre of the harbourside, surrounded by hotels and restaurants. Fairly informal, its family and dog friendly, and deck chairs line the riverside for casual drinkers stopping for a break and a beverage. There’s free Wi-Fi for a quick check in on your social media profiles, and plenty of local and international beers on tap as well as an impressive spirits and wine menu. The Ostrich really does cater for everyone and makes for a great stop to continue your party without any pressure or formalities.

bristol boat

Where to finish off your Bristol Booze Cruise…

Once you’ve alighted and recovered from your sea legs, it’s time to find another bar to continue the celebrations. There’s no shortage of places to choose from within easy walking (or even stumbling distance) from your Bristol boat hire, but these are some of our favourites.

Millennium Square

millenium square boat bristol

If your group are likely to gravitate toward chain restaurants and pubs and are looking for comfort and value, Millennium Square is the right district to head toward for you. This development is home to several venues and is very commercial. You’re very likely to find a chain that you know from home so it’s the perfect place for those members of your party who may like to opt for something a little less adventurous.

King Street

king street bristol boat party

King Street is a well-renowned party area with a reputation for giving celebratory groups a good time. A little more boozy than elsewhere in the city, the street is full of pubs and so is ideal for a further pub crawl; albeit this time on land! In the middle of it you’ll find King Street Brewpub, which brews beer on-site so you can really get stuck in to sampling something local.

The Waterfront

waterfront bristol boat trip

After having visited so many pubs, you’ll be needing to re-line your stomach, and the Waterfront area of the city has lots of food options; from takeaways to sit-down meals and pub grub along the way. You’ll also find several nightclubs in the Waterfront district so once your evening meal has been polished off, you can end the night in style by dancing the night away!

bristol boat party
Sail Into the Sunset

Whatever you choose to do for your Bristol boat trip, there’s no doubt you’ll have a fantastic time. We recommend planning your trip in advance and drafting up a rough itinerary; if you don’t quite stick to schedule, so be it, but it’s always good to have an idea of favoured venues so that you know you’re not wasting your precious time away anywhere sub-par, and keep your Bristol trip memorable for all the right reasons!

Best Man speech guide, tips & ideas – How to write a Best Man’s speech

Best Man Speech

Being given the job as best man is one of the highest honours you would likely to achieve in your life time! Your friend fully trusts you to be there on the day with the ring and the best man speech of the century... not to mention organising the best stag do ever!

Here is our guide to writing the best speech possible with a little help from our freinds at Speechy...

What is West Country Games?

Play Video
West Country Games Home Page Logo

West Country Games embraces all the stereotypes of the West Country in one great day out, comprising of 9 totally hilarious games suitable for all sorts of groups.

If you have an upcoming, Stag do, Hen Weekend, Birthday Party or Team Building Day, then why not give us a try?

Best Man Speech Guide

Create That Perfect Best Man's Speech

You sit down at your computer, with a blank piece of paper by your side, and you do the common mistake most men commit by searching “best jokes for a best man speech”. Chances are, even if you go to the depths of your Google search, the ‘jokes’ will illicit groans rather than genuine laughter.

The truth is, you’re not alone as most best man speeches have become a clichéd mess, often leaving the best man feeling embarrassed (rather than the groom!).

In order to achieve a speech that is both witty and heart-felt, the writing experts at Speechy have told us their tips for writing a best man speech.

Avoid 'Wedding Jokes'

Nobody wants to hear overused jokes about how the newlywed couple are off to Bangor, or how the wedding cake is already in tiers from your speech. Ditch those sort of jokes immediately.

Instead, focus on the groom. What is it about him that makes him unusual? His out of proportion Tex-Rex arms, his obsession with avocadoes or his reluctance to give up his Adidas Tree Stripes? Spot the quirks that are truly ‘him’ and you’re onto a winner.

Wedding Speeches

Get The Evidence

Instead of wasting your time on PowerPoint creating a collage of all of his worst haircuts, spend your time researching everything you can about the groom. This isn’t to say you don’t know him, but make sure you’re taping into every resource available.

Get his other mates involved and utilize his folks – they’ll definitely be able to tell some tales.

If the bride isn’t giving a speech, she might also like to supply some damning evidence of his poor hygiene habits or questionable quirks.

Less Is More

The rule of thumb is to aim for around 8 to 10 minutes – hopefully with a bit of added time for laughter and ad-libs. Nobody ever said they ‘wished it were longer’ – at least, not when referring to a best man speech.

Be strict with yourself and make sure your material is punchy and snappy. You can mention certain memories, but TMI is never good. For example: you can mention the stag do, but it might be best to leave the trip to the strip club and his private lap dance out. We don’t want to give Granny any ailments.

Best Man Speech Jokes

Make It A Proper Tribute

Above all else, the speech is a heartfelt tribute to a true friend. Don’t resort to clichés about him being a ‘world-class mate’ without providing the evidence to back it up.

What’s with his fascination with Sex and The City? How did it take him 9 times to pass his driving test? How is he the only one of your mates to know what’s going on with Brexit? You get the gist, just remember to keep it NUT – Nice, Unique, and True(ish)

Don't Forget The Bride

You have to remember that two people have gotten married, so make sure you spend a minute or two focused on the bride, maybe mention some antics on the hen weekend and how they complement each other’s personalities perfectly.

Definately don’t do the clichéd line saying the groom promised to let you be best man at his next wedding if you did well this time round.

If you don’t know the bride well, do some research so you can say more than the typical platitudes. How has she turned the groom into a better person? Has she converted him to a chai latte fan?

Best Man Speech Ideas

Confidence Is Key

Believe it or not, most best men get nervous prior to addressing the guests. Nobody wants to be remembered as the boring one when it comes the speeches, but try to relax. A lot of confidence comes from simply faking it, so fake it!

Body language has a lot to do with how others perceive confidence so don’t look down and try to keep the shaking to a minimum. Make eye contact and remember to smile. It’s scientifically proven to be infectious, and those scientists seem to know stuff. So much of the humour for a speech relies on the delivery so make sure you talk slower than feels natural and pause where you expect laughter. It will come!

Enjoy It!

Overall, it’s important to have fun and remember that you’ve been chosen to give this speech because of how much you mean to the groom.

Avoid alcohol prior to delivering the speech – disappointingly, Dutch courage is a myth.

Make sure your speech is something both you and the groom can look back on in your later years, and laugh at – rather than grimace!

Get More Advice

Check out more of Speechy’s Tips for Writing A Best Man Speech. They offer Best Man Speech Templates, a Speech Edit Service and their team of TV comedy speechwriters can even write the whole speech for you!