Bristol had a lot of sights to offer, many that were free, and we kept busy during our several days there.

Tuesday

In the late afternoon we walked back up the (College Green Rd) hill to the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery which is a mish mash of fine art, modern art, and natural science museum. It was wonderfully random (and free)!

   

From there, we walked past the Victoria Rooms fountain and through Victoria Square where we saw a ton of butterfly bushes in full bloom.

The Bristol Suspension Bridge was another 10 minute walk and though we were only able to walk on one side of the bridge it did offer some expansive views. Unfortunately the river below was mostly mud during this part of the tide.

We did enjoy the cheeky signs on the far side.

We headed further up to the Clifton Conservatory to see another Wallace statue and the great views of the bridge and surrounding hills.

Wednesday

At lunch we went to see “The Matthew” boat at the M Shed. We were able to board and view much of the upper and main level of the small vessel. Somehow twenty people sailed this boat across the Atlantic to Newfoundland!?

We also saw a Henbury steam engine, built in 1937 and still working today!

We continued along the canal to the Aardman Animations headquarters where we found the sole Shawn the Sheep sculpture and Banksy’s Girl with a Pierced Eardrum (a nod to the ‘pearl earring’ being a fire alarm box).

The nearby Bristol Marina offered some lovely views of the colorfully painted row houses on Clifton Hill.

After dinner we walked down to the Southville/Bedminster area for the North Street murals. We wandered all the way to Bristol Beer Factory Taproom, stopping for a half pint of their cider and stout before heading back, making a quick detour down West Street. We covered a lot of ground and saw a ton of memorable art, plus we discovered a new favorite street artist – Angus.