Bristol, UK - 2025

Introduction

In 2010, my wife and I promised our adopted daughter that if she got a Master's Degree, we would take her on a trip to my home city of Bristol in the UK. She not only got the degree but also her Nurse Prectioner board exams. I could taste the full English breakfast as soon as everything was booked!

On August 6, 2025, we flew Aer Lingus from Indianapolis to Dublin and then on to Bristol, where we picked up a hired car and started our trip.

On The Way and Home Again

At Indianapolis airport On the plane to Dublin On the plane to Dublin On the plane to Dublin Patty in Dublin Me in Dublin Kristiana back in Dublin on the way home

The Hotel and College Green

We decided to splurge a bit and stayed at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green.

Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Sign in the foyer leading to the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Patty on the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Kristiana with her tiarra on the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Lower garden of the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Lower garden of the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Lower garden of the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Kristiana in the lower garden of the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Statue of Queen Victoria The unicorns on the ends of the Council House on College Green look as good as ever The unicorns on the ends of the Council House on College Green look as good as ever Wallace on College Green Wallace on College Green Wallace on College Green Grotesques on Bristol Cathedral Bristol Aquarium from Trinity Street, College Green

Balloon Fiesta

We arrived in Bristol on August 7 and found out the Balloon Fiesta was on from the 8th to the 10th. The car parks were lready fully booked but the bus company had tickets so bought three for Saturday, August 9. That turned out to be a much better idea than trying to drive there. The bus company did an amazing job with the extra buses. I did mess up the tickets though. There were three of us, so instead of buying three tickets, I accidentally bought three group tickets for £63 instead of the £21 I should have paid.

Walking back to the bus pickup point, Kristiana asked a policeman where it was, saying "I'm not from round here." The policeman repleid "I can fucking tell."

Bristol Balloon Fiesta Bristol Balloon Fiesta Bristol Balloon Fiesta Bristol Balloon Fiesta Kristiana on the Ferris wheel at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta Bristol Balloon Fiesta from the Ferris wheel Bristol Balloon Fiesta from the Ferris wheel Kristiana in front of one of the vendor trucks at Bristol Balloon Fiesta The three of us at Bristol Balloon Fiesta Thatcher's balloon being inflated at Bristol Balloon Fiesta Thatcher's balloon being inflated at Bristol Balloon Fiesta Drums at Bristol Balloon Fiesta Dusk at Bristol Balloon Fiesta Mooonglow display at Bristol Balloon Fiesta

Bedminster

Apart from eating and visiting the secondhand stores, the main point of going to Bedminster was to visit Asda and get a couple of cheap phones for our use as we were too mean to pay Verizon's roaming charges. Asda had some nice phones on display but we were told by their service desk they no longer sold them! We managed without phones the whole time we were in the UK and relied on our laptops to contact people.

East Street, Bedminster has hardly changed A bag Patty bought in Bedminster Patty's bag now on our wall at home in the US Patty's bag now on our wall at home in the US

City

Kristiana by one of the Nails in Corn Street Kristiana by the Beside the Still Water feture on Castle Green Kristiana by a mural in The Galleries Canopy of the Guild of Ancient Merchant Taylors, Tailor's Court (off Broad Street) St. John's Gate, Broad Street and Nelson Street Kristiana in front of the cenotaph in the city center Kristiana in front of Foster's Almshouses and the Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne St. Mary Redcliffe church Kristiana and Gromit in front of St. Mary Redcliffe church

Clifton

There's a corner of The Downs in Clifton that I love. It's the area containing the Observatory, St. Vincent's Rocks, the Rock Slide, and the Giant's Cave.

Clifton Suspension Bridge Mr. Darcy outside of the the Observatory Kristiana and the Clifton Suspension Bridge Clifton Suspension Bridge from The Observatory Kristiana on the viewing platform of Giant's Cave Kristiana on the viewing platform of Giant's Cave The three of us in front of the Clifton Suspension Bridge The Observatory from Clifton Suspension Bridge. The Giant's Cave viewing platform is center left The Observatory from Clifton Suspension Bridge. The Giant's Cave viewing platform is center left Kristiana and a Clifton telephone box Kristiana and Gromit as The Great Gatsby on Whiteladies Road

Family and Friends

Of course after travelling so far we just had to meet up with family and old friends. We decided not to take our phones as we did not want to pay roaming charges so getting hold of relations and friends was done using Facebook on a laptop we took over with us.

Wendy treated us to a Sunday lunch at the Forge and Fern on Staple Road, Bristol. The food and company were great.

Family lunch at the Forge and Fern, Staple Hill, Bristol Family dinner at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Family on the Palm Terrace, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel Meeting friends at The Coach and Horses, Highland Square, Clifton Meeting friends at The Coach and Horses, Highland Square, Clifton Meeting friends at The Coach and Horses, Highland Square, Clifton Meeting friends at The Coach and Horses, Highland Square, Clifton Meeting friends at The Oxford, Totterdown Dave and Penny and the three of us at The Oxford, Totterdown Dawn and me at The Oxford, Totterdown Patty and Dawn at The Oxford, Totterdown Dawn and me at The Oxford, Totterdown

Wallace and Gromit Statues

Wallace on College Green Wallace on College Green Wallace on College Green Mr. Darcy outside of the the Observatory, Clifton Kristiana and Gromit as The Great Gatsby on Whiteladies Road Kristiana and Gromit in front of St. Mary Redcliffe church

Avebury

Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in south-west England. One of the best-known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world.

Avebury Avebury Avebury Kristiana and Patty at Avebury Avebury Avebury Avebury

Battery Point, Portishead

Battery Point sees the second highest tidal range in the world.

Battery Point, Portishead Battery Point, Portishead Kristiana at Battery Point, Portishead Kristiana at Battery Point, Portishead Warning sign at Battery Point, Portishead

Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water is a lovely village nestled in the Cotswolds that is mainly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The villge is a victim of it's own popularity and busier with tourists, such as ourselves, than ever. The beautiful riverside and bridges were packed so we spent most of the day in the model village.

Kristiana and Patty in Bourton-on-the-Water Kristiana outside the Candy Shop in Bourton-on-the-Water Kristiana and Patty by the Green Mini outside the Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water A house in Bourton-on-the-Water

We chatted to one of the people repairing one of the houses in the model village. The larger models take about a year to make. They also use yogurt to help age the stone to give them a more natural aged look.

The model of the village in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Kristians at the model of the village in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Rooftops in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water A building in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water A building in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Kristiana in the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water The model village at Bourton-on-the-Water

The model village contains a room of minature dioramas.

Diorama at the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Diorama at the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Diorama at the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Diorama at the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water Diorama at the model village at Bourton-on-the-Water

Cadbury Hill

A quick trip to the remains of the hill fort at Cadbury Hill near Congresbury.

Plaque at Cadbury Hill Kristiana at Cadbury Hill

Chepstow Castle

Built over the course of three centuries (1067 - 1300) Chepstow Castle is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. The original door tothe castle are special. Although they date from before 1190, they still surivive but have been moved indoors, out of the weather. Their age makes them over 800 years old and they are the oldest survivivng castle doors in Europe. You can read about them here, here and here.

Chepstow Castle Marten's Tower, built in 1284, of Chepstow Castle The three of us outside the main entrance of Chepstow Castle The three of us outside the main entrance of Chepstow Castle Kristiana at Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle Patty resting in Chepstow Castle The 800 year old doors of Chepstow Castle The 800 year old doors of Chepstow Castle Kristiana at Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle Remains of statuary on the walls of Chepstow Castle Remains of statuary on the walls of Chepstow Castle

Fovant Badges

The Fovant Badges are the badges of various regiments stationed near Fovant between 1916 and 1970 that were carved into the chalk hillside of Fovant Down.

The viewing area a little bit of a disappointment. It's just a lay-by on the A30 road and the hedge you have to look over to see them is a bit tall and unkept.

Fovant badges Fovant badges Fovant badges - 6th Battalion, The City of London Regiment and the Australian Imperial Force Fovant badges - Royal Corps of Signals and The Wiltshire Regiment Fovant badges - The Wiltshire Regiment and London Rifle Brigade Fovant badges - Patty at the WWI tank shaped collection box

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is just 45 miles from Bristol, about an hour by car. Patty loves the place and now we've been there more times than when I lived in the UK!

Stonehenge Kristiana at Stonehenge Patty and Kristiana at Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Kristiana at Stonehenge Stonehenge Kristiana at Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge The three of us at Stonehenge Stonehenge Stonehenge

Tintern Abbey

Dating from 1131, Tintern Abbey is now in ruins due to King Henry VIII and his Dissolution of the Monasteries starting in 1536. Once the lead from the roofs were removed the buildings soon deteriorated and all that is left now are the walls.

Parking was a bit awkward. The pay machines would not accept any of our credit cards, but some kind man paid for us to park the car.

Tintern Abbey Kristiana at Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Kristiana by the oak tree planted in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of King George V at Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey

Westbury White Horse

The Westbury White Horse or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) east of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Standing at the northern edge of Bratton Downs, on a steeply sloping hillside below an Iron Age hill fort, it is the oldest of eight white horses in Wiltshire, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century.

It's at the top of a steep one track road and for a while I thought we were lost. The view from near the White Horse is fantastic.

Near the Westbury White Horse is the Respect the Range art installation designed by the Standing With Giants charity. We thought it was an actual shooting range and as there was a red flag flying didn't get too close to the figures.

Westbury White Horse Westbury White Horse Kristiana at Westbury White Horse Patty and Kristiana at Westbury White Horse Plaque at Westbury White Horse Looking northwest from the Westbury White Horse Looking west from the Westbury White Horse Respect the Range plaque Respect the Range display Respect the Range display Respect the Range display Respect the Range display Respect the Range display

Weston-super-Mare

A nice walk along the pier at Weston-super-Mare

Kristiana on the pier at Weston-super-Mare Kristiana on the pier at Weston-super-Mare Patty and Kristiana on the pier at Weston-super-Mare Kristiana on the pier at Weston-super-Mare