Bristol can be considered a killer hub for adventure enthusiasts to access some of the best of the UK’s outdoor sports and activities. Less than 3 hours from England’s capitol and with a high-speed train direct from London, within hours you can find yourself on some of the country’s best out-door climbing walls, exploring the heritage city through in-land adventures, and as of end October, surf the world’s first Wavegarden - powered artificial wave at The Wave.

Heading out on a weekend road trip packing the best of a gap year experience into a mini break, "microgapping” is an awesome way to adventure close to home and get stoked on all the wild offerings on your own doorstep.

Check out my adventure on a 3 day trip to The Wave for it’s opening day, hitting the walls in Cheddar Gorge, free-falling backwards down a 500,000 year old cave and more!

STOP ONE: THE WAVE, BRISTOL

Packing up our van with our must-haul adventure kit for our next #MyMicroGap experience, just 2 and a half hours after leaving home we found ourselves at the doors of the highly internationally anticipated artificial surfing lake The Wave in Bristol.

A ten year wait for the world’s first surfing lake open to the public has seen anticipation reach an all-time high, and the energy and excitement was palpable as we arrived on opening day. The clubhouse is an incredible facility & stoked-onsite staff are on hand to answer any questions. A first look at The Wave from the dock is a mind-blowing look at the potential future of surfing. With different peaks for beginners through to advanced surfers and divided between left and right breaking waves, The Wave is clearly aiming to cater for all and open surfing, a sport with incredible physical and mental benefits, to more children and adults alike.

The Wave, featuring groundbreaking technology that can generate up to 1000 waves per hour, with a new wave every 8-10 seconds, facilitates surfing for beginners through to advanced, and with local community projects making the most of the grounds, it’s heartening to see a community vibe key to The Wave.

The onsite-restaurant and café has delicious grub and drinks and an eagle-eye view of all the surfing action happening on the lake. With hearty, heaped up plates of goodnesss served on-site and super friendly staff, you can while away hours happily hanging in the vibey club house before you surf or even if you’re just checking out the action.

Checking out the well-stocked board room with coach Nick shows a huge variety of headwear for varying levels of surfer, many shape by British legend Ben Skinner, and with everything from short boards to mini Malibu’s, nose-rider soft tops and modified equipment for those with any disabilities.

Heading out with the advanced left group our surf guide clearly outlined how The Wave works, in-lake etiquette (sticking to the sides paddling out, if you miss your 2 chances to catch a wave, riding white water in before paddling back around) and the drop-in spot.

The advanced left is a super fun wave: a manageable drop-in before a large wall opens up, a mid-section to practice turns before you make the next. With 2 waves per surfer possible each turn, it’s possible to rack up a serious number of waves and really push yourself physically. I racked up a good wave count and was blown away by the experience which felt futuristic and totally new, leaving feeling happily surfed out and stoked.

STOP TWO: CAMP BABOON AT THE WILD PLACE PROJECT.

Surf-weary bodies need cosy digs to recover, and cruising up to Camp Baboon, an overnight camping experience situated within the Wild Place Project, a conservation project run by the Bristol Zoological Society some 10 minutes away from The Wave, feels like a true Into The Wild experience, from padding first feet into the heady and mossy grounds of The Wild Place Project.

With cosy cabins nestled around a camp-fire, and the call of wild-birds close by, we headed out for bush craft experience before a supper feast. Rich, woody grounds laden with fresh apples and golden-orange turning leaves made for a staggeringly beautiful setting. We practiced lighting our own fires on flint sticks, spotted animal tracks and tucked into hearty lasagne before heading back to our cabin and marshmallow toasting around the camp-fire.

Rising with the morning light we learnt about the conservation initiatives of The Wild Place Project, which through conservation science research, works to protect species and habitats overseas, encouraging sustainable behaviours and perceptions, educating tomorrow’s wildlife warriors and giving families a great day out.

STOP THREE: CHEDDAR GORGE - BRITAIN’S YOSEMITE?

The Drive to Cheddar Gorge is a gasp-inducing rambling wind through picture-perfect countryside. Blessed with sunny skies, after a sound night’s sleep in our cosy cabin at Camp Baboon, fingers were itching to arrive at Cheddar Gorge, home to some of England’s most impressive climbing routes.

The chocolate-box stunning town of Cheddar, which, as its namesake strongly suggests, is home to the much-loved cheddar cheese produced in the town, has a huge variety of cute and cosy eateries and tea shops, nestled alongside it’s crystal-clear river and winding road into the hills. Cheddar Gorge is mind-blowing when you first see it, and I was amazed that a landscape like this can be found in the UK. The staggering cliff faces of Cheddar Gorge reach heights of over 450ft, and with an abundance of activities catering for adventure addicts including climbing, biking, caving, hiking, trail running & free-falling in caves, endorphin enthusiasts are well tended to.

Quickly spotting numerous climbing routes and walls and busy climbers making the most of the sun-drenched autumn day, we headed to our guides to kit-up for the day.

Warming up on the beginner wall belayed by my guide, the beginner wall is awesome for those new to climbing and to warm up. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable, and stoked to help you with your climbing with ample tips and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Cheddar.

Making it over to their new wall with intermediate routes ready for lead and top-rope climbing, I spent 4 hours non-stop exploring their incredible routes which have completely mind-blowing views of Cheddar. Honestly it was hard to believe I was in England and how awesome the climbing is on our own doorstep. With many of my climbing trips far abroad, I was so stoked to discover this spot of unparallelled natural beauty and incredible climbing. The natural holds and surface, terrain and views made for my favourite climbing experience ever.

Climbing weary bodies, chalked out fingers and sore legs some 4 hours later but with enough gas in the tank for our awaited free-fall drop in the Cave. Gorge cave were discovered in 1903 by Richard Gough and are an intricate and beautiful network of mainly natural formed caves dating back 500,000 years.

As it’s namesake suggests, Cheddar can indeed be found deep in the bowels of the Gough Caves, ageing in the mineral rich depths until fit for munching.

Climbing up to our drop-in spot, my guide suggested free-falling backwards (the auto-belay stopping after a safe amount of free fall) and perched over the precipice, I let go. The adrenaline and wildness of the experience was amazing, and to do it in caves dating back 500,000 years, surreally awesome.

STOP FOUR: BRISTOL HARBOUR

Waking up to clear skies and a sun-dappled morning, we headed to Bristol harbour, and its beautifully surrounded river with colourful houses, warships and bustling activity. Meeting up with our guide Lexy from SUP Bristol, we grabbed our stand-up paddle boards and headed to the water, a perfect crisp morning for stand-up paddle boarding.

Experiencing the crisp morning of adventure on Bristol’s lapping harbour wrapped up the perfect weekend away on #MyMIcroGap, cheeks shining from the wild adventure we had, body, mind and heart fulfilled.

All Images by Caylee Hankins

Find out more about The Wave, Camp Baboon, Cheddar Gorge, SUP Bristol

Find out more and plan your own Microgap experience here!

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