Ever been to Bristol?
Like me probably not, but whether you know it or not you’ve been influenced by it.
So many familiar names hail from this city – Black beard the Pirate, Brunel, Banksy, John Cleese, Cary grant, Bill Bailey, Lee Evans, The Stig, Darth Vader (Well David Prowse…) Massive attack, Tricky, Goldfrapp and Portishead all started out here.
They even gave us time! Having brought about the widespread use of GMT…
Ship shape and Bristol fashion? What do they mean?
Everyone sounds like a pirate??? I love the west country accent, drinking cider and eating cheddar ;) actually they do have quite the pirate history as the Hole in the wall pub was the inspiration for the pub in treasure island.
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I’m a born again tourist
/> When you see folks snapping happily from open top buses I generally don’t want to join them, perhaps I should get over ourselves and realize that whilst not exactly cool they are practical and a bit of fun. Particularly when it comes to a city the size of Bristol (with so much crammed into it). First off it gives you an instant grounding and helps you find your barrings. Next is those useful bits of information flowing from the guides. Finally with your head straight and the knowledge of what there is you find you can best use your time to suit your needs. So get on the bus Gus!
Family friendly
/> I hate zoos! Can’t deny it but for the Tom Dunne Show I will endure many fates worse than death. So I dragged a friend and her 7 year old to road test Bristol for us. Bristol’s garden of animals is patroned by none other than local-boy-done-well John Cleese. Maybe he helped out but they have a keen eye on what they can and can’t achieve in their limited space. They’ve gone all out on keeping the kids happy, the most popular attraction seemed to be the animatronic dinosaurs! Lots of small creepy crawlies and reptiles, an aquarium etc. they also have an enormous climbing adventure assault course right beside the gorillas.
All kinds of people!
/> To give you an idea of how varied this town is my hotel had street artists, German OAP bus tours, hens and stags, street artists and a business conference! All getting along quite nice and making for great people watching.
Cool?
/> I hate to even use this word but Bristol is  Very cool without being too hip.
/> Banksy and the street art/graffiti scene have given this town the kind of street  cred that rivals London and Berlin. But whilst the worlds street artists flock here the art is not just on the streets, there are galleries everywhere with even the smallest cafes exhibiting original art.
/> The Arnolfin and the Watershed are great all round venue/gallery/cinema places.
/> The Bristol city museum is a must for for families, a very well sorted potpourri of just enough exhibits to keep everyone happy without wearing your shoes out. M Shed is a new a museum on the history of Bristol.
/> This weekend they have a block party on Nelson Street with great art being produced in a mural competition for the event.
Music too is a big one for Bristol with names like Massive attack and Goldfrapp starting out here there are plenty of music venues to be discovered.
Brunel
/> The little guy with the enormous hat. Builder of everything and all round Victorian superman. Bristol claims him and rightly so as he rose to fame and did some amazing things here, most tragically the worlds first suspension bridge which he designed(aged 23!), started but never saw completed.
/> SS Great Britain – another first for mr B. and Bristol this time its the first steel hull propeller driven ocean liner. The visitor centre around this boat is so good I could easily see myself coming back again (in fact the clever folk have foreseen this and give you a free access for the year). So kid friendly, all weather, informative an entertaining. I can’t recommend it enough.
Actually even without mr Brunel Bristol still gave us an amazing mix of things – the Bristol car, frys chocolate, Concorde and Wallace & Grommit!
Tons of food choices
/> From local pie and mash to sushi, there’s something for everyone. Actually a great Italian restaurant stole the show for me!
/> There seem to be terraces everywhere, café culture is strong, as is the pub culture. What’s really pleasing is the lack of chains, there are some but Bristol is very proud of its locally owned and run retail business community. 70% they proudly declare. They even forced tescos out in one area.
The Christmas steps best demonstrates this. A beautiful street of steps winding up through an array of art galleries, specialist music shops, photographers and book shops.
Shopping
Bristol is very proud of itself and the things it makes. They have fought hard to keep major chains out of town and have succeeded in maintaining a real identity and feel that isn’t ruined by homogeneous brands. They famously fought back Tesco’s sparking riots in the Stokes-Croft area. Which as a result has locally owned and run cafe’s and shops that are a rarity in major cities these days. They have gotten more organised now and are even adopting their own currency, Bristol pounds, to run alongside sterling in a bid to keep the money circulating in Bristol. Fresh ideas and thinking outside the box are something common here and I found it very inspiring.
The end result is a miriad of cool and unusual shops offering anything from antique cameras, rare, books to bow repair shops.
Hills and maps
/> Again with my new found fervor for all things touristy I found myself walking around map in hand trying to find various locations. In fact everywhere you go they seem to give you a map! Walking really is a great way to see the place and the pace is perfect. Be prepared for some straining of calf muscles though, Bristol is hilly, people even warn you about it .
Water babies
/> Another great charm of Bristol’s is the water. Of course the sea but I’m talking about the rivers. It actually has a real Amsterdam vibe with tonnes of boats converted into bars restaurants and venues. A stroll along the various wharves, quays and backs is a must. Under the stars and glass boat recommended.
/> Also highly recommended is the ferry boat service. Get a day ticket and hop on and off at all the hot spots throughout the city.
A base of operations
/> Bristol is perfect for a weekend break, but if you want to do more the. It’s also a great centre for a longer holiday. Within an hours drive you have the great Brecon Beacons national park, Cardiff, Bath, Glastonbury, chepstow, cheddar gorge & the largest arboretum in the UK!
How to go
/> Ryan air (mine cost €50), Aerlingus, car ferry (rosslare to Cardiff/Swansea)
FYI: Ship shape and Bristol fashion refers to the fact boats that entered the harbour in the old days had to be stronger and more reinforced and everything needed to be lasked down and squared away. Why? Because the the tidal range is one of the greatest in the world. This estuarial city has the river Avon flowing through it and in the old days when the tide went out the boats would end up sideways on the mud. Hence everything needed to stronger to handle the rocking of the boat.
style="text-align: center;">With thanks to Choice Hotel Group ”“ Four star Hotels, Individual and Different style="text-align: center;"> style="text-align: center;">FaceBook Bob himself href="http://www.facebook.com/bob.kelly.92123">http://www.facebook.com/bob.kelly.92123 style="text-align: center;">tom@newstalk.ie style="text-align: center;">/>
