Playwright and journalist Steve Lambert’s new play Aftercare is being performed at the Alma Tavern between September 11-15. In the second of a new series which started last week with blogger Joanna Papageorgiou, Steve picks his five favourite places in Bristol:

Queen Square is an elegant green space where people pass through on their way to and from work, sit in sun and shade, or play games of football, cricket, disc-throwing and boules. Attracting families, couples, international students, lunching wage-slaves and roaming toddlers, it’s a great place for people-watching.
www.bristol.gov.uk/page/queen-square

The Harbourside’s southern shore provides an atmospheric walk past old industrial cranes, M Shed, the ss Great Britain and beyond. Across the water, houses in Hotwells and Clifton Wood provide a colourful backdrop by day. At night, the eye is drawn by the glow of the new apartments and the flashing beacon of Cabot Tower.

Willsbridge Mill Nature Reserve (below) is just a couple of minutes walk from my home, allowing a quick visit at any time of day. There’s a route that loops around Siston Brook, taking in the mill itself, a heritage sculpture trail, a pond and a garden in which old bathtubs provide a shelter for frogs, dragonflies and the like.
www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/willsbridge.htm

Arnos Vale Cemetery may be full of dead people, but it’s a life-affirming haven of permanence and remembrance amid the hustle-bustle of our fast-changing times. Full of paths, trees and fascinating graves, it’s a brilliant place at any time of year, with a strong sense of history and community.
www.arnosvale.org.uk

Alma Tavern Theatre is almost a second home to me and about as intimate as theatre can get. Audiences share the same stairs as performers coming from the dressing room. And if you sit on the front row, you may have to pull your feet in as they act their hearts out just inches away. Magical.
www.almataverntheatre.co.uk