Travel in Bristol
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With a population of around 400,000, Bristol is the largest city in the south of England after London and the largest shipping port in England. Although Bristol suffered from extensive bombing during World War II and more recently, a steep decline in its manufacturing industry, it has remained a prosperous and attractive city thanks to an influx of commercial investment.
The port of Bristol grew up in mediaeval times around the confluence of the rivers Avon and Frome, requiring ships to navigate the tidal and precipitous Avon Gorge that flows out into the Severn Estuary at Avonmounth. It was from this tidal harbour that John Cabot set off in 1497 in his ship Mathew and became the first European to discover America.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, this tidal port was turned into the enclosed Floating Harbour by the construction of locks and the New Cut (an overflow channel for the River Avon). Because of way this was done, the floating harbour winds its way through the city center in quite a different manner to the way most enclosed docks turn their backs on their host city.
With the advent of larger ships the tricky passage of the Avon Gorge became too much of a liability and Bristol's commercial shipping long since moved downstream to modern docks at Avonmouth and Portbury. But the floating harbour lives on as a real unique selling point for Bristol, providing mooring for leisure craft and preserved ships, a home for the city's industrial museum and a setting for numerous bars, restaurants, apartment complexes and offices.
Although it's often overlooked as a tourist destination, Bristol has a lot to offer of its own and is also an excellent base for exploring the West Country, with relatively inexpensive accommodation compared to some of the main 'tourist traps' (such as nearby Bath) and a huge choice of bars, restaurants and shops.
Bristol International Airport (http://www.bristolairport.co.uk) is situated 8 miles south-west of Bristol city centre and boasts scheduled flights from major European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Paris and Prague (but not London), and as of May 2005 several daily flights from New York. There is currently no train link between the airport and the city, but there is a 'Flyer' bus service which takes 30 minutes and has a peak-daytime frequency of every 20-30 minutes, costing around £7.
The alternative is to use one of the London airports or Birmingham airport and travel on to Bristol by train, car or bus. The most convenient are:
Bristol Temple Meads station is located approximately 20 minutes walk from the city centre and has regular inter-city and regional train services from Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea and York.
Bristol has a second main railway station in Bristol Parkway, which is located several miles north of the city center. Although this station also has frequent services to many of the same locations as Temple Meads, it is principally aimed at suburban residents and is unlikely to be useful to visitors.
From London, you should travel from London Paddington station. There are several through trains an hour, the fastest of which take under an hour for the journey. Train times (from any location) can be found on the National Rail Planner (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmyjourney/) or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.
National Express (http://www.nationalexpress.com) operate services to Marlborough St Coach station, located on the edge of the city centre, from cities throughout the UK including London.
MegaBus (http://www.megabus.com) also operate budget coach services from London to a stop outside the Hippodrome theatre. Tickets must be booked online and fares are demand responsive but can be very cheap (£1.50 if you book far enough in advance).
The M5 and M4 motorways intersect near Bristol and the M32, a motorway 'spur', brings traffic directly into the city centre. The M4 links London with Bristol with a driving time of some two hours.
Most locations in central Bristol (the Harbourside and Old City areas) are reasonable easily walkable, and there are plenty of attractive walking routes along the quaysides and in the pedestrianised central streets. The main station (Bristol Temple Meads) is a little further (about 20 mins walk) but still accessible by harbourside walkways or by bus. Clifton on the other hand is about two, very hilly, miles away from the centre and using a bus is advisable.
Most bus services in Bristol are operated by First Bristol (http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/bristol/home/). As most of Bristol's hotels and places to visit are located near the city centre or are in the upmarket suburb of Clifton, First Bristol's number 8 and 9 buses are probably the most useful for visitors. They follow a route from Temple Meads station to Clifton, passing through the main shopping area (Broadmead), the city centre (also handy for the harbourside) and the West End on the way. Single-trip tickets are a flat rate of £1.20.
Because of the way the city center is intimately interwoven with the old 'floating harbour', a boat is a good way of getting around as well as seeing a lot of interesting sights. Bristol Ferry Boat (http://www.bristolferryboat.co.uk/) runs several ferry services around the harbour, stopping at various quays on route, and even providing a commuter service between the city centre and the main rail station.
Bristol City Council offers a useful walking and public transport journey planner at http://www.travelbristol.org/.
Bristol roads can be quite congested, although the congestion is not of the same order as is found in, say, London. Driving is not particularly to be recommended for local journeys, but is probably the best way of seeing the surrounding region.
This is the area surrounding Bristol's main rail station. Whilst certainly not the most attractive part of Bristol, there are a couple of attractions worth seeing before moving on:
In many ways the floating harbour is the jewel in Bristol's crown, and many of its attractions are on or close to the harbour:
Between the Frome and Avon branches of the harbour, and rising up the ridge that separated these two rivers, are the remains of medieaval Bristol most of which is of some historical interest. Here are some of the highlights:
The old and up-market suburb of Clifton contains several more places of interest:
Bristol is home to two universities: University of Bristol (http://www.bris.ac.uk/) and University of the West of England (http://www.uwe.ac.uk/).
Broadmead is the cities central shopping district, and while awaiting renovation and rebranding as the 'Merchants Quarter' it remains a pretty dire indictment of post war planning and architecture. It contains the Galleries, Bristol's city centre mall. It is large and has a good range of shops. Most of the major department stores can be found in the streets outside. It is in no way a good place to be after the shops shut.
There is also an out of town mall, The Mall Cribs Causeway (http://www.mallcribbs.com/), off junction 11 of the M5. This has a large John Lewis and Marks and Spencer as well as lots of other fashionable shops. It has been accused of being sterile and homogenous.
The area between the docks and the triangle centred around Park Street has a good range of fashionable clothes shop and smaller record shops.
Clifton village contains a wide variety of smaller, more expensive boutique style shops, as well as some nice cafes and restaurants. This continues down Whiteladies Road to the Triangle.
Bristol also has quite vibrant district shopping centres. The best of these are probably:
-North St and East St, in Bedminster in the south of the city,
-Gloucester Rd/Cheltenham Rd in the North, which contains family run business' as well as lively nightlife, and arguably the best burgers in town at Ciao's
-Fishponds Rd and Staple Hill in the East,
-St Mark's Rd in Easton, in the east of the inner city.
These areas provide the antidote to 'clone town' shopping malls.
There are also a number of markets around the city. St Nicholas Market in the centre, near Corn St. is a permanent fixture and has stalls selling jewelry, books, CDs and fresh food. There is also a small farmers market in Corn St. on Wednesday mornings, and occasionally French and Christmas markets at various times throughout the year.
Bristol has a huge choice of bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. They are mainly centred around the Harbourside and The West End's Park Street and Whiteladies Road.
The fact that it's the home to around 30,000 students probably says a lot for the quality of the city's nightlife. Surprisingly, though, it's relatively expensive, with prices similar to those in London. The nightlife centres on Corn Street in the 'old city', the Harbourside and Whiteladies Road, which is a particularly popular student haunt.
Notable Pubs include;
There are a large number of hotels and guest houses in the Bristol area. A selection is listed below. For any mid-priced or up-market hotels, your best bet is to use one of the online booking services, such as Expedia (http://www.expedia.co.uk/).
Bristols's area code (for landline numbers) is 0117 when dialed from within the UK or +44117 from outside the UK.
Bristol has easy internet access like most cities, and as a city, has the advantage of broadband being easily accessible both to install and use. Bristol also boasts an abundance of internet cafes available for all to use. The council has also recently installed the internet in most of the main libraries in Bristol, so once you join for a small fee you are given a username and password and are free to surf. A network of free wi-fi hotspots called StreetNet is being deploying in central Bristol. It is currently available around the Watershed and along Queen's Road.
Many small "i" stations can be found in and around the centre which allow you to surf certain approved sites such as the job search pages nd the entertainment guide for the local clubs and venues. You can also send emails with media attachments: for example you are able to film a message for someone to send alongside your regular email.
Like many larger cities in the UK, Bristol has its rough areas. The general advice seems to be that you have to use your common sense while getting around; just as you would in your own home town. After pubs and clubs close on Friday and Saturday nights it is wise to get yourself home (taxis are in abundance), as in the center of town, especially near the water front, there are often brawls which are best to stay right out the way of.
There are also specific areas which do have a reputation after dark (and some in the day...). The ones which immediately spring to mind are St Pauls, Southmead, Horfield, Eastville and Fishponds.
This showcase cycle path runs on a disused railway line from central Bristol to Bath. With its traffic free tarmac, gentle gradients, and only two minor road crossings on its 22km stretch, it is ideal for cycling. At a leisurely pace the journey to Bath takes a good 2h through green suburbs and some attractive countryside. If you are too tired to cycle back , you can take your bicycle free of charge on one of the frequent trains from Bath Spa to Bristol temple meads station. The journey takes 10-15 min.
From Bath, you can continue cycling along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal all the way to Bradford upon Avon, taking another hour or so. Though not paved and somewhat narrower than the Bristol to Bath cycle path, the towpath is still traffic free and the scenery even more beautiful. There are two or three places to stop and eat or drink on the way. The Aqueduct at Avoncliff is worth seing. From Bradford too there are direct trains back to Bristol that carry bicycles.
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