After enjoying city breaks in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham we decided to head to the south west of England for our next weekend away. My journey on board a CrossCountry train was pleasant, having an interesting conversation with an Edinburgh green keeper, learning about life on one of Scotland’s premier golf courses as we journeyed south.
After three and a half hours, my train pulled into Bristol Temple Meads station just five minutes behind schedule at 1.45 p.m. and it was good to find my son waiting to greet me as I stepped onto the platform.
Temple Meads station was opened in 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway from London Paddington. This railway station was the first to be designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is now a Grade 1 listed building.
Our first stop was to the Bristol Central Travelodge on Mitchell Street, conveniently located for visiting the majority of the city’s attractions and not very far from the station. After checking into our room and leaving our luggage, we were ready for a bite to eat so we settled down in the Knight’s Templar pub where we planned our afternoon activities over a light lunch.
An hour later and we were ready to begin our tour of the city. Our first stop was at Temple Quay which lies to the west of the station and is a waterside development including a significant amount of office accommodation. It’s also the starting point for the Bristol Ferry’s service, which operate regularly through the city.
Continuing further, we arrived at Bristol’s Harbourside which at one time was the Port of Bristol’s busy dock area where merchants traded goods and ships sailed on voyages of discovery. Strolling along the quayside, we discovered that the area has been transformed into an attractive tourist attraction with shops, restaurants and cultural highlights lining the waterfront. Former warehouses have been converted into museums and galleries overlooking historic ships moored on the quay.
A quick check of our map followed and soon we had arrived at College Green which is surrounded by Bristol Cathedral, City Hall, the Lord Mayor’s Chapel and the Abbey Gatehouse. Entrance to the cathedral is free of charge and so we took an opportunity to admire the interior with its tall, gothic windows and clustered columns along the nave towards the main altar.
From the Cathedral we made our way to the top of Park Street so that we could take a look at the landmark building of the University of Bristol. Known as the Will’s Memorial Building, this neo-gothic tower was completed in 1925 and is considered to be one of the last, great Gothic buildings to be constructed in this country. We were able to walk into the entrance but public access is not permitted beyond this point.
It then started raining heavily, so we took shelter looking around the Broadmead shopping centre with its festive lights helping to brighten up a dark, damp evening. Finishing shopping, our feet were beginning to tire so we found a city centre pub to rest awhile, enjoy a meal and finalise plans for our next day’s activities.
There was only a slight drizzle when we returned outdoors and made our way to Millennium Square by the harbour to enjoy the Christmas Market with its ice rink, Ferris wheel and enchanting small wooden huts decorated with twinkling fairy lights.
Being a lover of Ferris wheels, we couldn’t resist the temptation of a ride on the Sky View Wheel for some stunning nighttime views of the city skyline from a height of 35m. The Bristol Christmas Market continues until 16th January 2018 allowing plenty of opportunities for visitors to come and enjoy the festivities.
It was then getting late, so we returned to the hotel to get a good night’s rest as we wanted to make an early start the next day.
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Other posts in this series:
City break in Bristol and Bath
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When I used to live in Bath I would take the 40/45 minute bus trip to Bristol. I used like walking around by the water parts. This was between 2004 and 2007. I wonder if the shopping area looks better than it did?
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I can’t really say if it has improved or not because I hadn’t been before. Some parts are a bit dated whilst others are new and more pleasant.
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Great place Bristol I was born and grew up there. I used to love Cabot Tower.
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Thank you for your kind words, Bristol is a lovely destination.
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Pingback: Day 1. The start of our Bristol city break – SouthWestBiz WordPress Blog
Heavens, those skies are grey! But I do love Bristol. 🙂 🙂
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Oooh Bristol is wonderful and I used to live there. Did you go to Clifton? Try if you can. Its the most wonderful bit of town and full of lovely cafes
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Thank you for your kind words. We did visit Clifton, I’ve written a post on it coming up soon!
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I felt a longing to travel at your mention of Edinburgh. I visited Edinburgh a couple of years ago, and loved it so much. Also your mention of the rain–I really miss is there.
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Edinburgh is indeed a beautiful city but other parts of the British Isles are lovely too. Thank you for your comment.
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Someday I hope to see it all!
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Great review. I must say I missed seeing some of those lovely places possibly because I had the dog with me at the time but we did spend a good two days there.
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Thanks Harriet for your kind words. It’s good to read you also enjoyed spending time in Bristol.
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It’s always a treat to visit your blog and complete the tour with you from an armchair. Fascinating the way you can take each weekend as a special time to bond and share in a new experience. The photos take us with you too. Thank you!
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Thank you for your inspiring thoughts. I hope you enjoy the rest of the Bristol and Bath series too.
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Day 1 of your Bristol break has been very informative and interesting. The photos are superb! Looking forward to day 2!
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Thank you for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the rest of my series in and around Bath
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Beautiful pictures, wonderful place!
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Thank you for your kind words. Bristol is a very interesting place to visit
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I love following your wonderful trips Marion; such great adventures you have.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Sue. It’s good to hear that you still like following my trips Sue. I love taking them!
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We’ve stayed in Bristol three or four times – en route to Devon and Cornwall and I’ve always enjoyed it there Marion – it’s a lovely city with so much to see and do. I’ve always been in the summer though, it must be interesting to visit at this time of year and explore the Christmas markets. The big wheel looks fun too.
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I’ve visited Bristol a couple of times but never stayed there. I used to go to Devon and Cornwall each summer with my parents but we never stopped off in Bristol so it was lovely to be able to spend time there looking around. We loved it and I’m sure it’s equally nice in the summertime Joy.
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Great pictures. The old and the new together…
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Thank you so much for your kind words and for continuing to follow my blog. It’s much appreciated.
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Going to be in London for Christmas and new year.. Looking forard to it 🙂
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London is beautiful at Christmas. Enjoy the festivities and thank you for your kind words.
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Nice photos!
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Thank you for your ever welcome comments.
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Wow – that cathedral! I missed that part. My husband went to university in Bristol so has shown me a few sights but I obviously need to return 🙂
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Oh Lana, there is so much to see and do in Bristol. I hope you get an opportunity to return again soon, and that this series of posts might inspire you.
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It is a vegan friendly place too
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Bristol looks very interesting 🙂
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It’s such an interesting city with so much to see and do.
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