My boss is going to a meeting in Bristol, UK this september and I was wondering if there are any tourist attractions in the area that would be recommended by you good people. I spent a year in Berkshire (Bark-sher), UK and didn’t travel as much as I would’ve liked to. So I’m not very useful in this instance. Thanks.
Bristol is pretty cool in its own right actually. There’s been a regeneration over the past ten years or so and the whole waterfront has been done up (river buses and everything!) and there is quite a buzz.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge is pretty wow and there are lots of Georgian buildings up in that part of town. For history there’s one of the first iron hulled steam ships the SS Great Britain .
There are frequent trains (or buses) to Bath about half an hour away.
A day trip to Stonehenge or Avebury should be feasible too. If your boss wants to risk it he could even go over into Wales Tintern Abbey is pretty special.
Thanks so much for all of the info. I’ve made it as far west as Bath and went into Wales a bit. I wish I would’ve went on to Bristol, now! Shoulda Coulda Woulda, huh? Thanks again
Pleasure Chickendoc
Pleasure chickendoc
Wow! A question (almost literally) right up my street!
Of course, it depends what you want to do, but in addition to the excellent suggestions made by Cat Jones, I recommend Explore@Bristol for cool sciencey stuff (though I guess you have similar things nearer home), Wookey Hole Caves and Cheddar Gorge for cool cavey stuff, Slimbridge for cool ducky stuff, Bristol Zoo for cool animaly stuff and Westonbirt Arboretum for cool tree-y stuff (it’ll look spectacular in September). Plus an abundance of various museums, though clearly London is even better for this.
And I don’t suppose they are travelling 3000 miles to go shopping, but if so there is The Mall, which is actually a huge shopping centre for the UK but will probably seem more like a corner shop to you.
Clearly your boss may find all the above deathly boring, so if you can be more specific with their requirements, I can be more specific with my suggestions :). Anyway, here’s a more general resource: http://www.visitbristol.co.uk/batt/. Have fun!
Thanks for the info. I’ll be sure to pass it along. I had no idea that there was so much to see and do in Bristol. Those are very good suggestions. I think that this will give them a good start. Many, many thanks.
I’m told that Saint Peter and Paul’s cathedral is rather nice.
[Insert obligatory Bristols joke here]
Well, they’re not exactly all in Bristol - some are, and some are up to 40 miles away, but I thought that’s not too far for an American visiting our little country! Some can be reached easily by public transport, while for others you’d do best to rent a car.
Cunctator, I believe the cathedral you are referring to is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. London is reachable from Bristol (3 hours motorway (freeway) drive, plus a bit/a lot depending on how far into London you want to drive, which, if you’re sensible, is not far), but Bristol itself has a very nice cathedral too.
If you’re heading to the Clifton Suspension Bridge it’s worth visiting the Camera Obscura on the Downs overlooking the gorge.
Nice and quirky, it gives great views of the bridge and it’s often overlooked by visitors.
More good views of the town at the top of Cabot Tower.
And for a quintessentially English sea-side experience try Weston-super-Mare.
I second the bridge and observatory thingamajig below, it was quite a picturesque gorge. Walking across the bridge was rather unnerving because it bounces quite a bit as traffic goes by
**Dead Cat ** - no, the cathedral to which I’m referring is Saint Peter and Paul’s. It’s the Catholic cathedral (not the Anglican one) for the diocese of Clifton, and is in Bristol. I’ve been told it’s rather nice. I’ve not actually visited it myself.
If it’s cathedrals you’re after, Wells is just down the road, and Salisbury is near to Stonehenge, should you be headed in that direction.
Moved to IMHO.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
It’s quite an impressive building - v. modern, all concrete and glass, very striking (particularly as it’s on a street with grand geogian mansions so it doesn’t really fit!)
Doh! Not only did I wrongfully imply ignorance on the part of Cunctator (apologies), but I’ve even been to the place! I just didn’t know it was called Saint Peter and Paul’s - I know it as Clifton Cathedral. And yes, it is an interesting building. I wouldn’t have leapt in with my misplaced correction, but I Googled “Saint Peter and Paul’s Cathedral” and thought I saw that that was the “official” name for St Paul’s Cathedral. On taking a second look, however, it seems I got this wrong, too.
Summary of the above: I’m an idiot :smack:.
You can see the Cary Grant memorial statue, if you’re into that sort of thing. He was born and raised in Bristol.