In the ever changing modern world, it pays to be fast. Reacting quickly to events and circumstances can give us the edge: whether we’re at work or at home, doing exercise or DIY, playing video games or music. If you want to train your responses and reduce your reaction time, we’ve got the activity for you. Clay pigeon shooting is a target sport which stands out from the crowd because the targets are in motion. They’re clay plates made to simulate the flight of pigeons and other birds, and your job is to shoot them out of the sky as soon as you see them. Apart from quickening your reflexes, this sport is a lot of fun and a great way to get some fresh air and enjoy the countryside. For that reason, we’ve written this guide to clay pigeon shooting in the beautiful surroundings of Bristol, the biggest city in the Southwest. Countryside and coastline, hills and woodland, a wonderful background is guaranteed for a clay shoot here and so are the fun and the value for money.

Where are the best places to go clay pigeon shooting in Bristol?

• Cribbs Causeway: just North of the city, the shopping mall at Cribbs Causeway is easily accessible from the centre and hosts some top quality shooting. This is a great place for beginners to take their first shots, as the shotguns on offer are designed to improve accuracy whilst reducing the recoil of firing. Experienced shooters will also find a lot to enjoy here, including the Barn Door, the Rising Teal and the Dropping Duck - if you know what those mean, you must be a pro already.

• Norton Malreward: clay pigeon shooting is well established in the rolling countryside to the Southwest of Bristol. Near the small village of Norton Malreward, there are shooting experiences for novice and organised groups, as well as the increasingly popular pursuit of simulated game shooting. This takes the action off the range, where clays emerge unpredictably from concealed locations, just as birds would on a traditional shoot, and the hunters have to take aim and fire before they get away.

• Chipping Sodbury: just 25 minutes’ drive from the city centre is a shooting range with top quality sport and a beautiful woodland setting. This is a perfect place for learning to shoot, or to host a group clay pigeon activity for your friends, workmates or organisation. You can even experience the highest shooting tower in the country in this 55-acre countryside shooting paradise.

• Nailsea: if you’re looking for a fun day out with a difference, you can’t do much better than shooting in Nailsea. Especially catering for first time shooters, family groups, birthday, stag or hen parties or team building activities, the focus of the marshalls here is your enjoyment. It’s not hard to have a good time hitting your first clay out of the open skies above this countryside range

• Portishead: on the Bristol Channel, Portishead is a growing port town. Nearby, there’s a great spot for a day’s shooting, where you’ll be in good hands whether you go as an individual or a group. The large woodland site has numerous shooting stands, offering different shooting styles for newcomers to get a good idea of what this sport involves, and for seasoned shooters to have a new challenge.

• Henbury: on the other side of the River Avon is Henbury, the site of another great option. The guns, clays and layouts are all top of the range, which ensures a shooting experience to remember. But the good news is that it’s all available to beginners as well as connoisseurs.

Who can do this activity?

The fact that is a gun sport might make some alarm bells in your head start ringing, but we can assure you that it’s no more dangerous than any other outdoor pursuits. It’s so safe that you don’t need to have ever held a gun before, let alone have a licence, to take part. This is thanks to the safety procedures that ranges put in place, and the professionalism marshals who will be responsible for your safety - and enjoyment - from the moment you step up to the shooting stand. They’ll also make sure that you have a great time, adjusting the flight of the clays to suit your ability and giving you and your group tips and tuition to make sure everyone goes home with a smile on their face. Having said that, holding and firing a gun isn’t possible without the right strength and stature. The requirements vary from gun to gun, so depending on the equipment that each provider has, the minimum ages for getting involved can range from 8 to 18 years old.

While the concentration and patience of clay pigeon shooting can make it a fantastic individual sport, we think that it’s more fun to take part as part of a group - especially if your goal is to have fun. You can bring up to 40 people with you to this experience and have a tailor made session with your own personal instructor. Stag and hen dos are well catered for, as are birthday parties and corporate groups who are celebrating a success, or strengthening their capacity to work as a team.

How long does an experience last?

Much like real pigeons, there’s a wild side to clays and you can’t set your watch by them. That’s why the best way to organise your experience is by the number of clays that you’ll shoot at, rather than the time you’ll spend at the stand. If you want a quick taster session, you can choose 20 clays, which might tak around half an hour to get through. Longer shoots are available, with 40 or 50 clays selling as popular packages. If you factor in some time for arriving, getting equipped and briefed on safety and technique before taking your first shots, you could spend 2 hours on site - the time is sure to fly by as fast as the clays themselves.

Now that you’ve read this guide, you can test your reaction time by making a reservation in a fraction of second - just click the Book button!