I slept in my teeshirt in order to dress quickly as the alarm was set at 4am!
It was very peaceful walking to central Bristol just before sunrise with the only sounds being birds tweeting.
Bristol Harbourside was deserted, not many humans get up to celebrate the dawn of May Day in Bristol.
Nearly there…
The lights on the top of Cabot Tower were still flashing.
Kittiwake Morris were just starting to perform and the sun was rising behind them. The purpose of the Brandon Hill gathering is to dance in the sun on May Day.
A video clip of me dancing with Kittiwake Morris behind me.
The horse ftom Rag Morris came to say ‘Hello’.
This is Pigsty Morris, whoose baldricks are a bit like mine but they wear black trousers. I am dressed in the style of Oxford University Morris as I occasionally do mascot duties with them.
The sun appeared as Heaps Morris were dancing, an all women side with ‘H’ on their backs.
This chappy is a wild boar who belongs to Pigsty Morris.
By 6am I was feeling rather hungry. The cinnamon bun packed by my human went down very well indeed.
Then I just went to sleep…
It was a lovely experience watching the Morris dancers on the beautiful Brandon Hill during sunrise. Well worth a visit if you like early mornings.
Some previous blogs about my Morris dancing with Oxford Morris:
https://horacethealresfordbear.com/2025/05/03/may-day-celebrations-with-oxford-morris-2025/
https://horacethealresfordbear.com/2016/05/02/may-day-morris-dancing/
I hope you enjoyed reading about my exploits!
Horace the Alresford Bear 3/5/2026
On the way to The Matthew I bumped into John Cabot.
He spends all his time now watching the ships in the harbour. 
On reaching The Matthew we found that it was ‘free to board’ which is excellent news for anyone interested in historic ships especially if they don’t have much money.
On the front of the ship there is a white dog that I think might be a greyhound. It looked rather like he might be holding onto a small surfboard.
Once on board I climbed up the steps to the front of the ship.
I promptly rang the ship’s bell, which momentarily caused lots of people to look at me.
I was about to come down the stairs when a volunteer lady who helps look after The Matthew told me I must turn around and come down backwards as I might fall going face first.
I took her advice and safely reached the bottom. I stopped for a little rest, sitting in the life ring in order not to get my bottom too soggy.
There is an excellent view of the old steam cranes from The Matthew.
Here I am inspecting the steering rod. It is incredible to think this little ship has travelled 2271 miles across the ocean.
There are many piles of rope everywhere. Ropes are very important in a sailing ship and are used to raise, lower and control the sails. I think I might just get all tangled up in them if I tried to use them.
I peered out of one of the little port holes, being careful not to get stuck. I could see some water below so quickly pulled my head back. Water is a big problem for me as I soak it up and cannot swim.
Before leaving I put a donation in the box. I like The Matthew and the money helps to maintain her. 
I am hoping the humans might take me on a cruise on The Matthew one day.