Close to the city centre, hidden behind the hustle and bustle of the busy shops, lies Brandon Hill with its famous Cabot Tower, iconic on the Bristol skyline. If your legs are feeling strong, the view from the top never fails to wow, far reaching across the city to the hills beyond.

We always head for the benches below the tower and spend a while looking for our house and then the boys’ school and any other landmark we can spot.

Soon the lure of an ice cream is too much as we make a beeline to the blue spotty VW camper van named Daisy. Veedoublemoo serves locally made ice cream from the beautifully restored 1973 van on Wednesdays to Sundays throughout the spring and summer. My son’s eyes stood on stalks at the sight of the smartie covered ice cream, surely the best ice cream ever?

After spending the morning running around and climbing in the play park, our stomach reminded us it was lunch, so a short walk back to Park Street and lunch in the Bristol institution Boston Tea Party, sandwiches and of course a good cup of loose leaf tea in their terraced garden.

Images by Lou Archell