Looks like I might be going to Bristol for a week next summer on business. I’ll have a few hours of free time each day, plus one full day each weekend. I’ll have a car at my disposal, but I’d prefer to take the train whenever possible. Some questions:
1: Is a trip to London within the realm of possibility? British Rail’s website was difficult to navigate and it didn’t look like it even had July 2011 fares and timetables available yet. Can someone give me a general idea of how long the trip takes, plus round-trip fare (assume Saturdays in summer)?
2: I’d like to see a football game. Is football season even going on at the time? What team should I support? About how much do tickets to a football game cost (assuming Bristol has an EPL team)? And if going to a football game is possible, I’d like to buy a jersey. What is the British equivalent of a US Men’s XX-Large?
3: A side trip to see the Roman baths in, uh… Bath - is on the schedule. Is this a cool experience?
4: Is a trip to Stonehenge within the realm of possibility? Is it worth the effort?
Yep. Totally doable from Bristol. Just over a hundred miles or so. I don’t know the costs from Bristol, but I’d guess at about £40 return trip, couple of hours, outside peak time (after 9.30am). Don’t consider driving - you’ll regret it when you get close to London.
Bristol has Bristol City FC. Dunno on cost, I’m afraid (not a footie fan myself). They’re called shirts, not jerseys, should you try searching online. I don’t know the British equivlanet of a US Men’s XX-Large because I don’t know what a US Men’s XX-Large is.
Totally. Close by, totally worth the trip. Bath is beautiful.
Totally possible. IMO… not worth the effort. You arrive, you look at some stones in a field, 10 minutes later you’re done. There’s nothing else there (I think there was a tiny gift shop and cafe last time I went, but that was 20 years ago). I don’t think you can go up to the stones any more, but someone should be able to confirm that.
According to First Great Western’s website, rail fares are not available more than 12 weeks beforehand, when they become bookable. It’s a 90 minute journey each way and should be very cheap - £15-20 each way. The stations are Bristol Parkway and London Paddington.
You’ll be out of season for football.
I’ve not been.
Stonehenge is 90 minutes by car, but allow yourself plenty of time for traffic, especially if it’s a nice day. Forget about going there after work - it’ll be closed by the time you get there. I’ve not been there for over 20 years, but it’s impressive.
I once stayed in Bristol for a couple of weeks. London and Bath are easy trips. The suspension bridge in Bristol is quite fun (frightening) to walk across, due to the significant bounce from passing traffic
Stonehenge info. I’ve been there a bit more recently than CandyMan74 and Quartz, maybe 5 years ago. Still a big pile of rocks on a hill with a gift shop & coffee shop, but with the addition of audio tours.
Definitely, I loved the Roman Baths. The whole complex was really cool.
To be honest, I was kind of underwhelmed with Stonehenge. It’s really cool for a few minutes but in the end, it’s a bunch of really big rocks. Still cool, but I wouldn’t go out of my way. We saw it on a daytrip out of London along with Bath and I thought Bath was way cooler.
You could go to London, but why bother (unless you are determined to see a West End show, or something)? There is plenty of touristy stuff to see in Bristol itself, and its surroundings. As well as Bath, Wells Cathedral (Britain’s smallest, and a medieval architectural gem) is just a short drive away.
Because it’s London, one of the world’s great cities, and the OP will be an easy train ride away. Why wouldn’t you go? Bristol is a nice place, with a decent selection of restaurants and bars, but it’s a different world from London.
Bath is a must, and you’re very close by. Stonehenge can easily be combined with a visit to Salisbury, a lovely medieval Cathedral City. Salisbury Cathedral holds the best preserved copy of the Magna Carta.
If you have good weather when you’re here – and July could be glorious – then with a car you could spend a day on the beach somewhere along the North Devon Coast, and official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Yes, london is under 3 hours away by train, (possibly 90 minutes express train, most are around 2.5 hours) or coach.
However, if you’ve not been introduced to the joys of UK rail travel before- book your tickets as soon as you can after they become available- the cheap tickets sell out fast, and if you leave it until the day, it’s possible to get stuck with a return costing over £80 , as happened to an Aussie friend who was visiting… :eek: If you decide last minute, it’s possible to get coach tickets for £10 each way at very short notice, and they actually take little longer than the train, if they are less comfy.
Not a clue, I’m afraid… I think there’s a stadium around somewhere?
Bath is a very interesting city for a day trip- the baths are fairly interesting, if you’re interested in that sort of thing, the city itself is beautiful, at least in the old centre.
Stonehenge is a reasonable drive away. Apparrently I’ve been. I have no memory of it. That’s how exciting I found it. Could be combined with a visit to Avebury (a bigger and older stone circle, surrounding the village of Avebury, where you’re not fenced off from the stones) 20 minutes drive away, which is probably more interesting, if less well known. I’m going to visit both with a friend in a few months, so could give a better review then.
I’m afraid you’re out of luck on the football front. The league season ends in May and restarts mid-August and, besides, Bristol’s teams, Bristol Rovers and Bristol City, are not Premier League. In fact the West Country, generally is not strong on football. Rugby is the preferred game in that part of the world, but you’re out of season for that too.
However, if you want to watch a local sporting event, then you WILL be there during the cricket season, and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club are based in Bristol – and ARE ‘premier league’ (known as ‘County Championship’). They have 1 and 4 day matches on during your stay, although those games are appear to be in nearby Cheltenham, which isn’t far and is also a very nice town. Shame you aren’t here a month earlier, as the Bristol ground is hosting England v Sri Lanka.
What do you people call an ATM (a bank machine that dispenses cash)? [In case I need to ask a local for directions]
Is there anything in Bristol proper that you recommend? Perhaps a museum or restaurant?
Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.
With regard to Stonehenge: This thread is not the first place where I’ve read that Stonehenge can most charitably be described as “underwhelming.” But at the same time, it’s freaking Stonehenge, and if for no other reason I want to go there so I can tell people I’ve been to Stonehenge. However, it may or may not work out, but it remains on my list of possible things to do.
Do you like pubs and good beer? Do you have either an iPhone or Android phone? For £5.00 you can get the CAMRA Good Beer Guide app for your phone. Very useful for finding pubs when visiting someplace you’ve never been before.
Yeah, I think that if it had been a trip out to Stonehenge, I would have been massively disappointed. However, since it was a stop at Stonehenge on the way to Bath, it was okay. We stopped, hung out for 45 minutes, and went on to our destination. It’s not bad, per se, it’s just not worth a special trip of its own, imo.
Hell of a lot of pubs take cards these days, although they sometimes impose a minimum limit (like, £10). Visa as a brand is universal, as is MasterCard. AMEX not so much, except in large stores. All shops except little corner shops selling newspapers and magazines will take cards. Some B&Bs only take cash, but I presume your accommodation is sorted.
