My home city is Bristol, I have lived here since I was 9 and since then, I have done a lot of exploring. On this post, I want to tell you all about the sites and places you all need to visit!
Content of the Post – click on the heading to send you to that specific part of the post!
Where is Bristol?
Bristol can be found in the South West of England, along the same line as London and next to the British Channel.
It was a part of Avon country until 1996 when the county was abolished and Bristol was split into Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Surrounding cities include Bath, Gloucester and Weston-Super-Mare, all of which I will be doing a post about at some point!
Bristol Downs
The Downs is one of my favourite places in Bristol!
It can be found on the top of Whiteladies Road as a part of Clifton, as can be seen on the map to the right.
So what is the Downs?
Simply put, the Downs is a large field in the centre of the city. It is bustling with people who are walking their dogs, cycling or picnicking and it expands 400 acres!
This is the place where I usually walk my dogs, and recently my family and I did a little exploring. We found a place to the riverside of the Downs that has billy goats on it! It is really worth exploring all the nooks and crannies of this place, even if it does just seem like a huge field.
You will also find lots of adorable dogs in this area! You can see some of the photos I have taken below:
Whiteladies Road and the Triangle
The Downs is located at the top of Whiteladies Road and is a major shopping area. Leading off of the bottom of Whiteladies Road is the Triangle, which also boasts of a huge variety of shops, cafe’s and nightclubs.
It is very easy to decipher which is the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of this prestigious road as it is one big hill!
The range of shops in this area is huge! You can visit a furniture shop, a butchers (I highly recommend Ruby & White, their sausages are delicious!), charity shops, tattoo artists (I’ve had my two big tattoo pieces done at Forever Bound Tattoo, they’re incredible) and many, many more!
You could quite easily spend a whole day just in this area of Bristol!
I also recommend visiting Clifton Village which is a 5 or so minute drive from the top of Whiteladies Road as there are some wonderful cafe’s and parks.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
The Clifton Suspension Bridge was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who is a hero of Bristol (I was very surprised to learn that most people who do not live in Bristol don’t know who Brunel is!).
The bridges length is 214 metres, with towers that stand at 26 metres, totaling at 76 metres above the high water mark in the Avon River Gorge.
More information can be found out about the bridge on its website: https://www.cliftonbridge.org.uk/
You can walk across the suspension bridge for free, or drive across for £1, payable in cash or contactless card.
It is a perfect place for a photoshoot, something I want to do when summer arrives.
Bristol Zoo
Once again near the Downs, Bristol Zoo is one of the premier attractions in Bristol.
They house a variety of animals, ranging from lions to red pandas to penguins. They pride themselves on their education programme as they have shows at different times of the day on feeding, conservation and cleaning.
You can check out there website for more information here.
The zoo always has events and activities on for all of the family, they are currently hosting an opportunity for people to overcome their fear of spiders! So be sure to check out any upcoming events to fit into your plans.
I also think everyone should check out the gorilla size chart, outside the gorilla’s enclosure of course, as I love taking photos of my brothers every time we go to see how much they have grown!
SS Great Britain
Once more designed by Brunel, the SS Great Britain is a ship docked in Bristol Harbour and accessible to the public.
There is also a lot of restaurants surrounding this area and boat trips you can take on the harbour-side so it worth checking these out!
You can view all of their information on there website here.
Photo credit to: visitbristol.com
Museums and Galleries
There are a variety of sites you can visit if you’re interested in history, some of which have already been mentioned such as the SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
I do recommend looking into:
- We the Curious (previously known as @Bristol)
- Aerospace Bristol
- Blaise Castle Estate
- M Shed
- Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
- Georgian House Museum
- Red Lodge Museum
Heritage Sites
There are two main National Trust sites in Bristol: Tyntesfield field and Dyrham Park.
This brilliant site is available for those with dogs and perfect for families. There is a large ground that you can walk (although be careful of the deer as ground keepers are not happy if your dog chases them!) and also a house to explore.
The cafe there has a variety of food too but you can bring your own picnic should you wish to do so.
Although Dyrham Park is a little closer to Bath then it is to Bristol, it is still briliant for a family day out!
However, dogs are not allowed in the main garden but they can enter the deer park (see the Fenton video above!). Also, buggies are not allowed in the house but this is the same for most National Trust sites.
Chew Valley Area
I have been living in the centre of Bristol for the past couple of years (although I have been going back and forth to Gloucester and Plymouth), but most of my time in Bristol has been spent in the countryside – the Chew Valley Area!
It is by far my favourite place in Bristol, and is about a half an hour drive from Clifton area.
There are so many things you can do out here! For starters, Chew Valley Lake is a stunning attraction with a park, fish and chip resturant and a beautiful walk. During the summer, you can also sail and fish on the lake.
One of my favourite things in the area is horse riding! There are plenty of riding stables, to which I have volunteered at Vale Hollow Farm Livery and Lakeview Stud Equestrian.
There are hundreds of walks you can do with your dogs, or hacks with your horses. With about 3 pubs in each little village, there’s a large variety of places to eat and drink.
So sadly the one and only time we went to the U.K, though we spent a 6 weeks on the Island, we didn’t get a chance to go to Bristol. We kind of went around it as we stayed a week in Buckinghamshire and then took the train through it to Cardiff. But we have made it a resolution to return and explore much more like Bristol.
A walk across the Clifton and exploring the SS Great Briton would be amazing amidst just walking the town and getting lost in its history for sure.
You are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. I’ve always wanted to visit Bristol
One of our friends studied in Bristol and told us how great this British city is. We still haven’t made it there but it’s on our list! Good to know there are several museums too.
Some really great recommendations, living in Wales I’m pretty familiar with Bristol, but must admit I was not familiar with Brunel, but the bridge looks amazing at night! I’m also a sucker for dog content so loved the cute dog pictures
I would love to visit one day. I haven’t explore much of the UK. This area looks very lovely and I’m adding this to my list of places to visit.
What a wonderful place to grow up! I bet you have so many adventures and stories as a result, especially in those fields where you would take your dogs. Was one of them a Vizsla? I have one too, and he would love to run and explore this area.
Yes! One of my dogs is a Vizsla called Arthur, the other is a Labrador
One of the things I miss about the UK when visiting cities in other countries, especially in Eastern Europe, is the lack of open/green spaces like the Downs. It really makes such a big difference to the enjoyment of a place and being able to have somewhere to relax.
I would love to visit someday, everything looks so beautiful.