Picture the scene - you’re crouching behind a tree. You can hear the enemy moving around in the bushes not far away. A couple of metres above you, your friend is watching them from a lookout tower. You wait. Suddenly, they give the signal and you’re up on your feet, unleashing a vivid volley of paint at your opponents! Does that sound like fun to you? If the answer is yes, then you need to know about paintballing in one of the woodland venues near Bristol.

This region is known as the capital of the Southwest and boasts a rich cultural scene, an aviation industry and two universities, but it’s easy to escape the civilised urban environment and go AWOL. You can battle across game zones as diverse as you can find in any shoot ‘em up video game - but the obstacles, the guns and the action are for real. Whether you’re a solitary sniper or squadron commander you’ll find the most realistic and exciting combat experience around in an open air paintball arena, with games to suit every age, ability and budget.

Where are the best fields to go paintballing in Bristol?

• Cribbs Causeway: You can combine the release of paintball with some retail therapy at this shopping centre to the North of the city centre. Inspired by the Call of Duty and Fortnite video games, this centre has a battlefield strewn with ex-military vehicles and other interactive obstacles which is the setting for mission style games. You’ll have to continually develop your planning and strategy to outsmart your enemies and complete the objectives while the clock is ticking!

• Portishead: At the mouth of the River Avon, you’ll find a woodland paintball arena where the themed games and areas can lead you from a mediaeval castle to the Wild West to a military heli-base. You can even take part in paintball rugby, a fast-action, adrenaline-fuelled, point-scoring sport that will turn this into a truly memorable experience.

• Hamburger Hill: Find your thrill of Hamburger Hill to them South of the city centre. Here the fun takes place on the wooded sides of the hill, where the highlights are a downed jet fighter plane, a 100 ft two-story bridge and a bamboo village spread over a huge 150 acre site. The trained marshals will split the group up into equally matched teams to ensure the competition brings out the best in everyone, and that no one goes home without a smile on their face.

• Wrington: On the way out to Bristol Airport there’s a paintball centre where you can live out your wildest fantasies. Cold War era tanks and bunkers litter the battlefield and are the setting for Vietnam War style action, or an enemy at the gates game mode. Will you have what it takes to emerge triumphant?

• Thornbury: Set in the Gloucestershire woodland, you’ll feel a million miles away from the bustling city - despite being just 10 miles away from the centre of Bristol. The reason is that the carefully thought out arena, complete with a faithful replica of the Pegasus bridge that was a crucial battleground in the D-Day landings, transports you from the routine of daily life to the excitement of the best war films.

Kinds of games you can play

- There’s a huge variety of paintball action to choose from in Bristol, so you’ll be coming back again and again for more. The people who run the centres are passionate about their work and create fantastic, immersive environments which make you believe that you’re really in such diverse situations as the jungle of Vietnam, the American Wild West, a Cold War Nuclear facility or a Second World War battlefield. On top of that, they go beyond simple deathmatches to organise game modes including Capture the Flag, Defend the Base, Save Private Ryan and many more.

- With so much on offer, you’re probably worrying about making the right choice. Well there’s no need, because when you book your experience, you’ll get a session that includes multiple games. This will cover half a day (3 - 3.5 hours) or a full day (6 - 7 hours), guaranteeing four or eight games, so you can experiment with different strategies, team up with different players and hone your aim over the course of the day. You also get time to reload and re-equip between games; most bookings will come with a certain number of paintballs included - 300 or 500 for example - but you can always buy more as you need them between games.

What will you receive when you arrive to the field?

Paintballing involves shooting soft paint projectiles. Although they’re far from lethal, they can hurt you if you’re hit - especially on bare skin. The marshals in activity centres want you to enjoy yourself and for that reason they won’t let you into the arena before ensuring that you’re safe. The first thing is equipment: you’ll be given a mask with goggles for your face and eyes, gloves and overalls to cover your skin and help you blend in with the undergrowth. After that they’ll go over the rules that prohibit you from firing at someone under a certain distance, and then they’ll be on the battlefield with you, ensuring that the rules are followed.

Requirements to do this activity

So the whole family can enjoy a day’s paintballing here. Even the younger kids can get involved, so long as they’re over 7 or 8 years old, because you’ll find low impact guns at the centres. Best of all, there are no upper limits - so bring your grandparents if they’re keen!

But it doesn't have to be a family affair - in fact, you can get the most out of an experience if you have a group to play with. It’s a classic choice for birthdays or stag and hen parties, but it’s also a great option if you’re looking for a treat for your group or organisation. A sports team, a Scout or Guide group, even the team from work, you can give them a day to remember with paintballing.

Now you know what this sport here is all about, just make a reservation and relax - we’ll do the hard part.