For the first time in week, I didn't know what to do with myself during my three-day weekend. The last week of classes are coming up, which means most of my readings and assignments are completed. So, I decided to take a day trip to Bristol! A few Pinterest searches later, I knew what I wanted to see, but the city itself is spread out. I needed to find a way to get to these different places because walking wasn't an option. I found a hop-on-hop-off bus that stopped at all these places and then back at the the train station. Perfect!
With my 16-25 Railcard (I recommend getting one of these if you plan on using the train a lot during your time in England) my ticket from Bath Spa train station was five pounds. After a short fifteen minute ride, I arrived at Bristol Temple Meads. I walked toward the St. Nicholas Markets. The covered market sold everything from hats & scarves to candles & soaps. On a Saturday morning this places a buzzing with locals and tourists alike.
Next, I headed to the city center next to the harbor. The "Watershed" has been made into numerous shops and restaurants overlooking the water. The harbor itself docks small boats and gives an idea of how Bristol became such a popular city with their factories and shipping industries.
From there I went on the hop-on-hop-off bus, which drove the to Spike Island. This places houses studios for young artists along with the museum for the S.S. Great Britain. On a warm day, I would have ventured out to the ship, but the wind would have knocked me right over. The animation studios, Aardman, which created Shawn the Sheep, Wallace and Grommit, and Chicken Run is also on this island!
The bus drove off the island and diagonal to the River Avon. The road follows underneath the Clifton suspension bridge. The bridge itself connects Bristol to Somerset. It took 33 years to actually complete because of funding issues. During that time the original engineer, Brunel, died and as a tribute to him they decided to finish the bridge.
I got off at this stop and followed the roads to Brandon Hill Park. This blooming and green park is a exactly what the name suggests: a hill. Many steps later, I arrived at the landing of Cabot Tower.
This tower was to commemorate the exploration of Newfoundland. A spiral staircase leads to a beautiful view of Bristol out of the small balconies pictured.
On my way back down to Queens Road, I passed a place called The Georgian House. It was a free museum completely furnished to represent a Georgian-style home. Finally I headed to Bristol Cathedral not too far away.
It was a beautiful walk through the gardens. Then, I caught the bus again and through the rest of the route. It carried on through the shopping district and back toward the St. Nicholas Markets. Luckily, one of the stops was Bristol Temple Meads, so after a quick late lunch I hopped on the train back to Bath.
Traveling by myself to Bristol was a really nice day trip. There's so much to do and see in that city. I'm glad I took the fifteen minute trip on Saturday to fill up my time.
