The twenty-eighth Bristol Splunch will take place on Saturday, 22nd August 2026 from 2:00pm - 7:00pm in Horts Bar, 49 Broad Street, Bristol, BS1 2EP, and for those who are still peckish/thirsty later at some eatery/watering hole elsewhere in or near the city. This is a vanilla meet; all over 18 from anywhere are welcome, and entry is free. I might even buy your first drink. What is it? The theme of this event is "sploshing" or "wet and messy" which means "getting covered in some non-bodily-fluid substance." It's a 'vanilla' (no mess happening) pub social meet - drink, chat, meet'n'greet, listen, learn, advise, offer opinions, discuss substances, etc, make friends, maybe arrange a session. This is usually followed by a meal in the evening, and an outdoor mud session the following day; always subject to the bl%%dy weather. For the newbies, so that you don't have to go round the bar asking groups "Are you the custard crew?" or something similar, we have a reserved area just inside the front door on the right, and there'll be a map and a light bulb (!) on the table, and a card for people to sign. If I can answer any more questions, I'll be delighted to help; and in any event to welcome you to the Splunch. How do I get there? Broad Street is about twenty minutes walk from Bristol Temple Meads railway station, easily accessible from almost anywhere in the country, and there are several car parks nearby. From the railway station exit, turn right along Temple Gate to the roundabout, cross over onto Victoria Street, continue over the river bridge into High Street, and bear gently left into Broad Street as High Street turns to the right into Wine Street. Horts Bar is about one hundred yards down on the right. From the bus/coach station, exit onto Whitson Street, left into Lower Maudlin Street, cross Lewins Mead to Rupert Street and turn right. After about two hundred yards, turn left into Christmas Street, cross Quay Street and through the stone archway into Broad Street. Horts Bar is about fifty yards up on the left. For those driving, at the bottom of the M32/Newfoundland Street, turn right onto Bond Street, take the first exit at the roundabout into The Haymarket, turn left into Bridewell Street, left into Nelson Street, right into Halifax Street and into the multi-storey on All Saints' Street - only £5 for the whole day, and closer than any other one. Please note that many roads in Bristol are subject to a 20mph speed limit; the previous mayor, who introduced the limit, was caught speeding. To get to the bar, from All Saints' Street, turn right into Pithay, right into Tower Lane, left into Newmarket Avenue, and right onto Broad Street - the bar is a few yards down on the right. (Politically correct notice other car parks are available in Bristol.) For those flush enough (or subsidised) flying into Bristol (Lulsgate) Airport, take the Airport Flyer bus service to the bus/coach station and proceed as above from there. Hotels - the usual chains are readily available. For those hotels that are not available for Saturday only, rooms seem to be readily available for two-night stays, either Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday nights at very reasonable rates. Other hotels are available; check http://laterooms.com or trivago or similar sites, or check the out-of-town hotels from the usual chains. Dinner - please let me know if you'd like to stay for dinner on Saturday evening; it's likely to be Chinese or Indian unless there's an overwhelming vote for something else. I'll be hoping to do an outdoor mud shoot on the Sunday (always subject to mud and the bl%%dy weather and availability of models and sober drivers). If you have any further questions, post them here or pm me. Mike.
Hoping to come along to this one,and hopefully it'll have a few more wammers than the one a few weeks ago!
As for the last one, it's unlikely I'll be staying for dinner afterwards, due to the need to travel back to London. However, I shall still be there in Horts, looking less puzzled than last time!
Unfortunately if all goes to plan we will be in the Australian outback at the time (24-48 hours from major civilisation) catching and tagging crocodiles as part of our second jobs! Which is gutting because we both really want to come to a splunch at some point! If this changes (bushfire season) I'll let you know!
Hey looks like I am finally going to be able to make one of these. Have an accommodation booked for the weekend with Platypus539 and Bip0lar. We will probably all stick around for food.
Love you, too
