Bristol, often overlooked, has major draws such as bustling markets, Brunel's bridge and a shoppers' paradise, writes KIERAN FAGAN
B IS FOR Bristol and Brunel and the graffiti wunderkind Banksy. A is for Aardman Animations, creator of Wallace and Gromit, the stars of A Matter of Loaf and Death, based in the city. And C is for Cary Grant, born Archibald Alec Leach in Bristol in 1904, who found fame and fortune in Hollywood, playing suave romantic leads.
Bristol, the unofficial capital of southwest England, just a kilometre or so upstream from the Severn estuary, is easily reached from Ireland by boat and road or rail, or by air. In the 18th century Bristol was Britain’s second city and, between 1730 and 1745, its premier slaving port. The 19th century saw a great flowering of engineering, led by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, principally in ships and railways. In the 20th century shipbuilding continued and tobacco flourished. Today the industrial emphasis is on aerospace, with Airbus, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to the fore, plus pharmaceuticals and an increasing focus on tourism.
Its maritime situation, on the River Avon just before it joins the Severn estuary, gives it the variety that tourism demands. I’ve visited only two cities where I did more sightseeing on water: Venice and Sydney. It was a quick adjustment from taking a bus or taxi to taking the ferry, and a welcome one.
Bristol is a city of villages, and one of the most central, that around St Augustine’s Parade and Broad Quay – effectively two sides of the one streetscape, with Bordeaux Quay at the southern end – makes a good hub from which the visitor can branch out.
From the quay you can take a Bristol Ferry boat south and west to visit Brunel’s finest ship, the SS Great Britain, passing Bristol Cathedral on your right. The vessel was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic. Built in Bristol and launched in 1843, this magnificent ship made voyages to New York and Australia, taking many Irish to their new homes, and was used as a freight and cargo ship during the Crimean War. The Great Britain now rests in the dry dock in which it was built, and is Bristol’s principal visitor attraction, having won 14 major heritage, tourism, conservation and access awards. Don’t miss it. Allow at least an hour to get full value from it, and get there before 3.30pm if visiting in winter.
Afterwards vary the return by taking a smaller ferry across the river and walking back, taking in the Harbourside attractions, including Explore-at-Bristol, a modern interactive science “museum” that is much more fun than those words suggest. It takes about 15 minutes to walk back to Bordeaux Quay, not allowing for distractions.
The river opens up the city and skyline, nowhere more so than towards Clifton, on the west of the city, where the Avon Gorge rises and Brunel’s splendid suspension bridge dominates the skyline. I had driven over it before but not seen it properly. To do that you need to get the No 8 bus out of town, from Cabot Circus or St Augustine’s Parade, and overshoot your destination by getting off at Bristol Zoo – or, better still, visit the zoo and take in the suspension bridge on your way back. From the zoo go back a few hundred metres to a junction, then take the path that runs alongside the road you have just travelled along. That veers off into the Avon Gorge parkland, which takes you up above the bridge. This is a great vantage point to see the bridge in all its glory, and you have also passed through one of the most elegant Georgian suburbs in this green and pleasant land, all accomplished in 20-25 minutes of unhurried walking.
Below you see a bus stop, which will take you back into town, though I lingered in Clifton, admiring local architect Charles Dyer’s splendid and welcoming Christ Church, begun in 1841. Churches in Bristol merit a separate piece. I’ve mentioned Bristol Cathedral, vast, majestic and atmospheric, dominating College Green, and there’s also John Wesley’s New Room chapel, near the Broadmead shopping area, and St Mary Redcliffe, “the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England”, as Queen Elizabeth I observed on a visit in 1574.
The new £500 million shopping and leisure precinct at Cabot Circus extends the existing shopping area at Broadmead and hosts a welcoming cluster of restaurants, including a Carluccio’s, where, I’m told, power breakfasting is the new business lunch. The 49 per cent of the population likely to be less taken by the myriad gleaming shopping opportunities will be impressed by the imaginative layout, which succeeds in giving a street feeling rather than the standard mall-shopping experience, and also by the 13-screen, 3,000-seat cinema. Cabot Circus opened last year, and was a major factor in Bristol’s being named one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit by the respected DK guidebook series. If only I could have found a decent bookshop . . . but that’s me showing my age.
Brunel’s head pops up again – metaphorically speaking – at the Corn Exchange at the centre of a warren of small streets adjoining St Nicholas Market. There’s a lively farmers’ market on Wednesday morning, clothes are traded on Thursday, art and jewellery on Friday, and so on. It is a cheerful, lively place where locals gather, and a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich, or perhaps something more upmarket, in a streetside cafe is just the thing to revive the footsore traveller. But watch the time. The Exchange building’s clock has two minute hands, 11 minutes apart, recalling when Bristol counted the hours by the sun.
Bristol is too often overlooked by Irish travellers. It doesn’t take visitors for granted and I found good value across a range of price points, from cheap and cheerful to opulent. It is worth seeing for its own sake, or as a staging post to take in some of the attractions of Wales and the west of England.
www. visitbristol.co.uk
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go if you're planning to spend a weekend in the English city
5 places to stay
Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel. College Green, 00-44-117-9255100, www.bristolmarriottroyal.co.uk. A luxurious Victorian-style hotel, beside Bristol Cathedral and close to Bordeaux Quay. Deals from about £270 (€305) for two nights, including dinner. Note that there are two Marriott hotels in Bristol.
The Bristol Hotel. Princes Street, 00-44-117-9230333, www.doylecollection.com/bristol. Better known to Irish visitors as Jurys, renamed under the Doyle Collection brand. It has been refurbished, and has a good harbourside location and an attractive bar and restaurant. Rooms from £85 (€97) off-season.
Tortworth Court Hotel. Wotton-under-Edge, South Gloucestershire, 00-44- 145-4263000, http:// tortworth-court-hotel.four- pillars.co.uk. Stay out of town in splendid four-star, listed country-house hotel set in 15 hectares of parkland, boasting an established arboretum with over 300 trees, including some of the rarest in Britain. Rooms from £89 (€100).
Berkeley Square. Clifton Hotel Group. 00-44-117-9254000, www.cliftonhotels.com/berkeley-square. The Berkeley Hotel is the well-located flagship of Clifton Hotels, an independent chain of four hotels located in and around Clifton, Bristol's elegant suburb. Three stars. Doubles from £85 (€97) per night.
Novotel Bristol. Victoria Street, 00-44-117-9769988, www.novotel.com. Modern four-star hotel on a slightly dingy street but close to Cabot Circle shopping centre and Temple Meads station. Nice Italian-themed cafe Dolce Vita is nearby. Five minutes' walk from main attractions. Doubles from £80 (€90).
5 places to eat
Severnshed. Harbourside, the Grove, 00-44-117-9251212, www.shed-restaurants.com. A modern restaurant housed within a former 19th-century boathouse built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. European-style food. Features a floating bar. Music at weekends. Main courses are £7-£15 (€8-€17).
Bordeaux Quay. Harbourside, 00-44-117-9431200, www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk. Combines a restaurant, brasserie, bar, deli and bakery. Ingredients are sourced locally and sustainability forms the heart of its operations.
Queen Square Dining Room Bar. 63 Queen Square, 00-44-117-9290700. Located in the centre of Bristol on historic Queen Square, with a large outside seating area. It has a modern British menu, specialising in locally sourced and seasonal products. Typical dishes include potted shrimps, rump of Somerset lamb and seasonal fish, plus vegetarian options. Bar-food mains are £10-£20 (€11.50-€23).
The Glass Arcade. St Nicholas Market. The Glass Arcade has won a reputation for the quality of its food outlets and cafes specialising in world cuisine. Choose from local cheeses, Portuguese, the Bristol Sausage Shop, Italian, Pie Minister pies, Moroccan, Juice Bar, Soup and Salad, Caribbean or Turkish.
Carluccio's. Quakers Friars/Cabot Circus, 00-44-117-9338538, www.carluccios.com. A cafe, restaurant and foodshop in the prestigious new Cabot Circus development. Expect to spend about €40 per head for three courses and half a bottle of wine.
5 places to go
Explore-At-Bristol. Anchor Road, 00-44-117-9155000, www.at-bristol.org.uk. This must-see science centre, at Harbourside, is marvellous fun for kids and adults of all ages. My favourite exhibit involved watching ice form and melt through a polarising lens that rotates to reveal different views. Patterns of infinite delicacy appear as the ice freezes, sending out tiny chilled fronds into the unfrozen water, which then link up in patterns of vivid colours. Also features a planetarium and optical illusions.
Bristol Zoo Gardens. Guthrie Road, Clifton, 00-44-117-9747300, www.bristolzoo.org.uk. One of the oldest zoos in the world. New exhibit Explorers Creek opens this year. Enjoy getting up close and personal with the lemurs in Monkey Jungle.
Clifton Suspension Bridge. Spanning the Avon gorge. Interpretative centre on the other side of the bridge. The Avon Gorge Hotel (www.theavongorge.com) offers magnificent views of the bridge. Enjoy a drink on the terrace or return at night for a meal at the Bridge Cafe. The bridge is illuminated at night.
St Nicholas Market. Corn Street. Open six days a week. There's a food market every Wednesday and Slow Food market on the first Sunday of every month.
Hop on and off a Bristol Ferry boat around the historic Harbourside (services leave from Bordeaux Quay and Temple Meads). Crossing the river Avon is often best accomplished by a two-minute boat trip, costing 60p. The Bristol Ferry boats feature in a Beryl Cook painting at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.
Where to shop
The new €570 million shopping and leisure precinct at Cabot Circus (www.cabotcircus.com).
Hot spot
Banksy's big home-town debut is the hottest show in town. His work New York Bristol (Monkey) – on canvas rather than a wall – has just gone on display at Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery (00-44-117-9223571,
www.bristol.gov.uk/museums).
Go there
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin, Knock and Belfast City Airport to Bristol. Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) flies from Belfast International to Bristol. Irish Ferries (www.irishferries.ie) sails from Rosslare to Pembroke and from Holyhead to Dublin. Stena Line (www.stenaline.ie) sails from Rosslare to Fishguard, and from Holyhead to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire.