The seventeenth Bristol Splunch will take place on Saturday, 21st May 2015 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?
It's a 'vanilla' 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.
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 mayor, who introduced the limit, has already been 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 331 bus service to the bus/coach station and proceed as above from there.
Hotels the usual chains are readily available: Premier Inn, Lewins Mead (approx mile from 92); Premier Inn, Haymarket (next to the bus station, approx mile from 88); Premier Inn, King Street (approx mile full); Hotel Ibis, Temple Quay (approx mile from 102); Hotel Ibis, Anchor Road (approx mile from 111); Travelodge, Anchor Road (approx mile full); Travelodge, Mitchell Lane (approx mile from 106); Holiday Inn Express (approx mile from 130); Holiday Inn (approx 1 mile from 127); Novotel, Victoria Street (approx mile from 104); and Mercure Brigstow (approx mile from 113). 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 laterooms.com or similar sites, try the Royal Hotel, Avonmouth, or check the out-of-town hotels from the above chains.
Dinner please let me know if you'd like to stay for dinner on Saturday evening; it's likely to be Chinese.
I'll be hoping to do an outdoor mud shoot on the Sunday (always subject to the bl**dy weather and availability of models and sober drivers).
If you have any further questions, post them here or pm me.
Mike.

Damm I'm away go on holiday that day

Ginger Dubberdee and I very much look forward to joining you all there, Mike.

Hey Mike. Hope your well.

I really hope I can make this one. This would be my first Splunch. Mind you I will be very nervous meeting new people who already know each other. I hate being the new person!

I keep on saying I will come & keep on chickening out!! This time I really will-I hope

Hoping to make this one as well. Will be able to confirm nearer the time though.

www.thegungeshop.com

Gaaaaaahhhh!!!!! Can't make this one!!!!! I will be in Munich being pervy at Boundcon......buggeration!!!!

I promise I will be at the August meet...


Have fun guys....

There you are; you each have another newbie with whom you can chat. There'll be other newbies there too, and I'm sure that the other attendees will be only too happy to make you feel welcome.

Mike.

Have fun at Boundcon. I was there last year and had a great time and go tied up loads. No messy play though. Will try and make this splunch but wont know until a bit closer to the date for sure.

I'm not away a week ahead of myself so I should be attending. In fact I'm going to make it definite unless a shoot pops up.

I went to the Birmingham event earlier this year (first real splunch meet) and it's just a bunch of folk drinking and eating later on.............please people don't be afraid of going it's just beers and a chance to actually talk to people about sploshing/mess/mud etc.....like it was the weather or what you had for tea yesterday! no pressure at all and just a fun day/weekend out (well for me it is) lol

Have to add that i can't make this one as in Loch Awe (with a hot tub! defo a wet weekend and maybe messy ) for the weekend (a lot closer and easier to get to) but will be looking at the August meet as soon as i know when it is Mike? but you'll all have a cool time

I'll be there Mike. Together with my 'plus 1' this time. We will both stay for the evening meal too.

Thanks Mike, and Sploshed! You have convinced me! I just need to get the time off work and will let you know Mike

im away that weekend! So hope to make one later in the year was lovely to meet everyone at the last meet in Birmingham x

Hi All.

Will be there and staying for dinner too.

I've been a bit remiss with updates on here.

Three weeks to go, and the numbers are building steadily.

The definites and probables, with those staying for dinner marked (D) are as follows: -

Mike Nomic (D)
Sammy-Jane (D)
Trouso & Ginger
Wamadeus (D)
Garywam
Joedeep130535
Messy Laura & Mordicus (D)
Dave & Hayley (D)
Djmeak (D)
Falkor + 1 (D)

The possibles are: -
Candy Custard & Henry Wilcox
Sophie Smith + 1
Dungeonmaster 1
Totalcoverage-UK
Nina Jay
Jason 33
piximini
Kaij

If you haven't already done so, please post and let me know if you're staying for dinner: it's likely to be Chinese, we just have to decide whether to go for the 'posh' one or the 'comedy' one.

There's plenty more room at the bar and the restaurant if you'd like to join us; you'll be more than welcome to lose your meet cherry with us.

Mike.

Ill probably be there! This will be the first splunch ive been to, i wont be in girly mode though and ill be nervous as hell lol

Its looking unlikely that we will be able to make this now.

We're looking forward to meeting you all next week!

https://youtu.be/p3aU03RSX8I

Just a week to go, and the numbers are creeping up.

The definites and probables, with those staying for dinner marked (D) are as follows: -

Mike Nomic (D)
Sammy-Jane (D)
Trouso & Ginger
Wamadeus (D)
Garywam
Joedeep130535
Messy Laura & Mordicus (D)
Djmeak (D)
Falkor + 1 (D)

The possibles are: -
Candy Custard & Henry Wilcox
Sophie Smith + 1
Dungeonmaster 1
Dave & Hayley
Totalcoverage-UK
Nina Jay
Aufpet
Xenia Dressman
piximini
Kaij
PieMeMistress

If you haven't already done so, please post and let me know if you're staying for dinner: it's likely to be Chinese, we just have to decide whether to go for the 'posh' one or the 'comedy' one.

There's plenty more room at the bar and the restaurant if you'd like to join us; you'll be more than welcome to lose your meet cherry with us.

Mike.

Sadly Candy and I won't be able to make this one, I'm afraid.

We're still planning to make it to the one in August though, to catch up with you all then.

Have a great time, folks - and fingers crossed for decent weather too!

Hi all due to the sudden passing of a close friend today I will not be able to attend

Dj, sorry to hear this; our thoughts are with you.

Mike.

The weather forecast this time last week for our preferred area for shoots was sunny, light breeze, and 20C.
So last weekend (forecast sunny but only 12C due to a biting northerly wind) was time for some location-scouting, and four quarries had been selected for inspection, together with checking out the bizarre Wootton Bassett mud springs which my colleague had never seen.

After a bit of a hike at the first quarry it was found to be flooded due to recent heavy rain, so may get checked again in August in the hope that the water level is far more conducive to a bit of fun.
We made our way to the second quarry, which had grown considerably since I first checked it out some years ago. Just inside the gates and behind a bank there was a silt pond about the size of a football pitch with an adjacent water-filled pool for wash-off.
On something of a high, we decided to skip the third quarry, as that is something of a route march to get to the pits within the site.
After a short stop at the Wootton Bassett mud springs, we moved on to the last quarry, only to discover that the bit we'd previously used and the access route are now part of a landfill site. Quarry infrastructure was still in evidence in the distance, so I'll work on finding a way in from the other side to have a good look about for the August meet.

So, it looks as though we've found a cracking location, but now the weather forecast for the weekend has gone down the tubes windy, heavy showers, and only 14C.

Unless someone has a penchant for doing a mud shoot in several layers of thermal underwear, I can't see there being a session this weekend.

Will we ever manage another shoot? I don't know.

Mike.

Hi Everybody

I am really sorry but can't make today now

I was all set to come today really made an effort to free up my day, was even going to pop into fowlers motorbike shop on the way up to get some bits, but my Mrs has just been asked if she can go into work as somebody has gone sick, so I have to look after my little daughter.
Really sorry, hopefully I can make the August one.

From totalcoverage_uk

I shall be leaving shortly, and I'll see all you lovely people in a couple of hours.

We have an area reserved in the bar just inside the main doors on the right, and there'll be a light bulb (private joke), and an OS map on one of the tables.

Mike.

We'll see you there!

sorry we couldn't make this one, Hayley has been unwell for a while and it would be too much travelling down. Hope you all have a good time and hope to see you all in August.

Great to meet you all. Sorry we couldn't stay for dinner (as things were really warming up!).

And Mike, looking forward to working with you in the mud soon.

Despite some notable absences and the inclement weather, we had a fab time at the splunch and dinner afterwards. Great to meet some new people and catch up with the regulars. Many thanks for organising the splunch Mike.