Trip Report: 7.5 weeks in UK, France, Italy, and Spain - with a family of 6!
07-14-2018
, 12:20 PM
08-03-2018
, 06:32 PM
Yeah, and it continued. 
Heh, it can be trying at times. But we've traveled with my parents quite a few places now. Always with separate cars & hotel rooms those times, though.
Well, I've been in London a few times, and my wife once, so we had some idea what to expect. And with a trip this long in Airbnbs, there's a whole lot of eating at home going on. But really, how much can I complain anyway? I'm from Canada! Not sure what I can claim as Canadian "cuisine" outside of poutine (which I never eat), maple syrup, and back bacon.
Yeah, that's been more of a struggle than I expected. The time I have in the evenings is quickly consumed with future planning, work, and usually an update on Facebook. But now there's not much left to plan, and we have some train time coming, so hopefully I can get things a little more caught up ITT.
Yeah, that's been more of a struggle than I expected. The time I have in the evenings is quickly consumed with future planning, work, and usually an update on Facebook. But now there's not much left to plan, and we have some train time coming, so hopefully I can get things a little more caught up ITT.
08-03-2018
, 07:35 PM
Back to Bristol, and our day in Stonehenge & Bath. The drive to Stonehenge was uneventful, although I was, not for the last time, longing for some spacious freeways. But all in all, a pretty simple drive with more than enough roundabouts for a lifetime, taking close to an hour and a half.
At Stonehenge, you park at the visitor center, and then you can either walk (about 1.5 miles) or take the shuttle bus, for which there is a bit of a wait (especially on the way back for us) - we chose the latter, as do most people.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from Stonehenge. I've always wanted to go see it, but really, it's just some rocks, right? Yeah, it is, but still...have to confess to finding myself a little awestruck by the first sight of it.
Of course I took dozens of photos (as I do of so many things); will try to limit myself here.
As you can see, you don't get right up close and personal with the stones - you're about 10 metres/yards away at the very nearest. There is a Stonehenge Special Access tour available, which allows you to walk among the stones. It's very limited in numbers and thus must be booked way ahead, and is done in the early morning, and the evening. If I come back to Stonehenge, it will be to do this.
Stonehenge is believed to have been built from 3000 to 2000 BC, in multiple phases. The huge sarsen stones weighed 25-50 tons, and were brought here from about 40 kilometres away. The much smaller bluestones weigh around 2 tons, but are believed to have come from Wales, over 200 kilometres away, primarily on the water.
Now, as is normal for this trip, we didn't get off to an early start. Our tickets, which I bought online the night before, were for a 1-1:30 arrival window, so by the time we were all done and ready to head back, it was close to 4:00.
On we went to Bath, which you quite literally drive by on the way to and from Brsitol and Stonehenge. However, it was approaching 5:00 when we got there, and the natives were restless. Not for the last time on this trip, I'm not going to do everything I would have liked. Disappointing, but I expected this to happen numerous times on the trip. Our visit to Bath ended up being a bit of a drive through town, and then everyone waiting in the car while my wife and I took a ~45 minute walk to the actual Roman baths and back again. Add this to my list of things I want to see more of next time we're here.
The King's Circus was cool - this goes on for a full 360 degrees; took a few laps in the car, and parked temporarily while my wife got out and took pictures:
Here's the entrance to the courtyard where the Roman baths are found:
Bath Abbey, to the left of the baths:
And the building that houses the actual baths:
All in all, a good day. I knew trying to squeeze both Stonehenge and Bath in the same day was pushing my luck, so the result wasn't a surprise. When you see as much of Europe as we're going to in just 7.5 weeks, there will be a huge list of things you either don't see, or don't see enough of, and that's OK. That's what the next trips will be for.
At Stonehenge, you park at the visitor center, and then you can either walk (about 1.5 miles) or take the shuttle bus, for which there is a bit of a wait (especially on the way back for us) - we chose the latter, as do most people.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from Stonehenge. I've always wanted to go see it, but really, it's just some rocks, right? Yeah, it is, but still...have to confess to finding myself a little awestruck by the first sight of it.
Of course I took dozens of photos (as I do of so many things); will try to limit myself here.
As you can see, you don't get right up close and personal with the stones - you're about 10 metres/yards away at the very nearest. There is a Stonehenge Special Access tour available, which allows you to walk among the stones. It's very limited in numbers and thus must be booked way ahead, and is done in the early morning, and the evening. If I come back to Stonehenge, it will be to do this.
Stonehenge is believed to have been built from 3000 to 2000 BC, in multiple phases. The huge sarsen stones weighed 25-50 tons, and were brought here from about 40 kilometres away. The much smaller bluestones weigh around 2 tons, but are believed to have come from Wales, over 200 kilometres away, primarily on the water.
Now, as is normal for this trip, we didn't get off to an early start. Our tickets, which I bought online the night before, were for a 1-1:30 arrival window, so by the time we were all done and ready to head back, it was close to 4:00.
On we went to Bath, which you quite literally drive by on the way to and from Brsitol and Stonehenge. However, it was approaching 5:00 when we got there, and the natives were restless. Not for the last time on this trip, I'm not going to do everything I would have liked. Disappointing, but I expected this to happen numerous times on the trip. Our visit to Bath ended up being a bit of a drive through town, and then everyone waiting in the car while my wife and I took a ~45 minute walk to the actual Roman baths and back again. Add this to my list of things I want to see more of next time we're here.
The King's Circus was cool - this goes on for a full 360 degrees; took a few laps in the car, and parked temporarily while my wife got out and took pictures:
Here's the entrance to the courtyard where the Roman baths are found:
Bath Abbey, to the left of the baths:
And the building that houses the actual baths:
All in all, a good day. I knew trying to squeeze both Stonehenge and Bath in the same day was pushing my luck, so the result wasn't a surprise. When you see as much of Europe as we're going to in just 7.5 weeks, there will be a huge list of things you either don't see, or don't see enough of, and that's OK. That's what the next trips will be for.
08-04-2018
, 09:46 AM
Thanks!
Out last full day in Bristol, we took it easy, sticking close to home. My wife and I hiked up the hill with my mom & dad to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Beautiful views of the Avon Gorge and parts of Bristol.
Then above that, there is the Clifton Observatory:
From which you can climb down through some caves:
to a lookout from the middle of the cliff. From the bridge, you can see where the caves lead to:
That yellow railing in the middle and near the bottom of the picture.
And this is the view from the end:
The suspension bridge was a pretty ambitious project when it was first considered in 1753, and designed in the 1820s by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was started in 1831, but was halted by the Bristol riots, and the original contractors went bankrupt. The towers were complete, but the bridge construction didn't start again until 1861, a couple of years after Brunel's death. It was finally completed in 1864, 111 years after it was first planned.
For those who don't know, Brunel is a pretty big deal, considered by many to be one of the most prolific and ingenious people in engineering history. He also placed second in a 2002 BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons".
We ended the day in a very small local pub to watch the England-Colombia game. Great to see the passion as it went to penalty kicks - definitely some colourful language during the highs and lows, but nothing unusual for a major sporting event.
Out last full day in Bristol, we took it easy, sticking close to home. My wife and I hiked up the hill with my mom & dad to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Beautiful views of the Avon Gorge and parts of Bristol.
Then above that, there is the Clifton Observatory:
From which you can climb down through some caves:
to a lookout from the middle of the cliff. From the bridge, you can see where the caves lead to:
That yellow railing in the middle and near the bottom of the picture.
And this is the view from the end:
The suspension bridge was a pretty ambitious project when it was first considered in 1753, and designed in the 1820s by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was started in 1831, but was halted by the Bristol riots, and the original contractors went bankrupt. The towers were complete, but the bridge construction didn't start again until 1861, a couple of years after Brunel's death. It was finally completed in 1864, 111 years after it was first planned.
For those who don't know, Brunel is a pretty big deal, considered by many to be one of the most prolific and ingenious people in engineering history. He also placed second in a 2002 BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons".
We ended the day in a very small local pub to watch the England-Colombia game. Great to see the passion as it went to penalty kicks - definitely some colourful language during the highs and lows, but nothing unusual for a major sporting event.
08-04-2018
, 09:55 AM
The next day was a travel day, from Bristol to Liverpool on the train. After driving to the train station and dropping everyone off, returning the rental car and walking over myself, we then were on the trains for a little over 3 hours, on 2 trains. Short commuter train into downtown, and then a 10 minute walk to our next Airbnb. Great location; here are some pictures from our front window:
08-05-2018
, 05:13 AM
Thanks Zeno, and that's a negative on Alyson.
So in Liverpool the heat was getting cranked up a little, and our place wasn't the coolest - my parents and especially our kids had some pretty warm rooms to sleep in - but our host was good enough to bring us by a new fan on the second day, which helped.
It turns out our host is also involved in one of the local "hop on hop off" bus tours, and he gave us tickets for one, so we took advantage on our first day and enjoyed their Beatles tour.
The bus picked up just outside our place, which was great - the only bad news was that our stop was several stops into the tour, and all the seats up top were taken. Our solution was to take the tour for a second go-round to get the better views.
Much better up here:
Down on the waterfront:
Penny Lane sign:
Paul McCartney had been in town just a few weeks before we were, and signed this on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. I've added an edited version of this picture with the signature circled. It's at the bottom right of the sign.
Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children's home. John Lennon attended the summer garden party every year as a kid, and was constantly scaling the walls to play with the children. Here's the gate that still remains, with my parents in front:
Dovetale Towers on Penny Lane - when it was known as St. Barnabus' Church Hall, Paul McCartney was a choir boy here, and he later played at this spot with the Quarry Men. It was later known as Grove House, and Farrokh Bulsara lived there for a while, when he was playing with Ibex. We now know him as Freddie Mercury.
"In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs, of every head he's had the pleasure to know"
John Lennon's childhood home:
Paul McCartney's childhood home, down the street on the right. There's a bus stop on this corner where Paul met George Harrison for the first time.
The bus isn't able to drive down this street, so that's as close as we got, but you can see it on that Carpool Karaoke episode, where Paul stops in for a visit.
Since we're renting a minivan for the trip up to Edinburgh and back, I had actually booked it starting on this afternoon, so we could drive over to northern Wales and see Snowdonia one day, and over to Manchester another day. But once we saw for ourselves where we were located and what there was to do in the area, I scrapped that plan, and changed the rental so that we're not picking it up until the last day.
So in Liverpool the heat was getting cranked up a little, and our place wasn't the coolest - my parents and especially our kids had some pretty warm rooms to sleep in - but our host was good enough to bring us by a new fan on the second day, which helped.
It turns out our host is also involved in one of the local "hop on hop off" bus tours, and he gave us tickets for one, so we took advantage on our first day and enjoyed their Beatles tour.
The bus picked up just outside our place, which was great - the only bad news was that our stop was several stops into the tour, and all the seats up top were taken. Our solution was to take the tour for a second go-round to get the better views.
Much better up here:
Down on the waterfront:
Penny Lane sign:
Paul McCartney had been in town just a few weeks before we were, and signed this on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. I've added an edited version of this picture with the signature circled. It's at the bottom right of the sign.
Strawberry Field was a Salvation Army children's home. John Lennon attended the summer garden party every year as a kid, and was constantly scaling the walls to play with the children. Here's the gate that still remains, with my parents in front:
Dovetale Towers on Penny Lane - when it was known as St. Barnabus' Church Hall, Paul McCartney was a choir boy here, and he later played at this spot with the Quarry Men. It was later known as Grove House, and Farrokh Bulsara lived there for a while, when he was playing with Ibex. We now know him as Freddie Mercury.
"In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs, of every head he's had the pleasure to know"
John Lennon's childhood home:
Paul McCartney's childhood home, down the street on the right. There's a bus stop on this corner where Paul met George Harrison for the first time.
The bus isn't able to drive down this street, so that's as close as we got, but you can see it on that Carpool Karaoke episode, where Paul stops in for a visit.
Since we're renting a minivan for the trip up to Edinburgh and back, I had actually booked it starting on this afternoon, so we could drive over to northern Wales and see Snowdonia one day, and over to Manchester another day. But once we saw for ourselves where we were located and what there was to do in the area, I scrapped that plan, and changed the rental so that we're not picking it up until the last day.
08-11-2018
, 10:22 AM
Our second day in Liverpool, we decided to go back and visit some of the things we had seen in passing on the bus tour.
St. Luke's Church:
And then the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, or "The Phil". To hearken back to the Carpool Karaoke video again, this is where he played at the end of the show. A VERY impressive pub. I've seen John Lennon quoted as saying "The price of fame is not being able to go to the Phil for a quiet pint."; it turns out he may not have uttered these exact words, but he was definitely a fan of the place.
This picture is taken from where we were sitting, which as it turns out, is where the stage was where Paul played. Across the room is where they set up what I assume was a temporary bar for the show.
Never been inspired to take a picture of a washroom (pardon me, a toilet) before:
Then it was over to the Liverpool Cathedral. It is the longest, and 5th largest, cathedral in the world.
To be honest, it's not much to look at from the outside.
But on the inside...
I'm not sure if you can appreciate the scale from those pictures; hopefully the next couple will help.
That's a decent sized gift shop at the bottom, dwarfed by the stained glass windows above, and this is only one small corner of the cathedral.
And in this picture, you can better appreciate how cavernous it is:
Here's the Lady Chapel, the first part of the cathedral to be finished, in 1910 (construction went on from 1904-1978!). In spite of being what most would consider to be a pretty large chapel, this is only a small fraction of the rest of the cathedral.
Hopped on the city tour bus from here and headed down to the waterfront.
The most impressive buildings down here are the "Three Graces". Here's two of them; the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings, with an Edward VII statue in front:
Royal Liver building is the third:
Port of Liverpool again:
You might recognize these guys:
Amazing to me, and a little sad, that they never played in Liverpool again after 1965.
Yup! Didn't know he just played there, though - very cool. Now I'm even happier I went.
So I have to admit, I have heard of the Cavern Club, but it really wasn't on my radar for this trip. While I've done a lot of planning, I'm also trying not to overdo it, so when we get to some of these cities, I have a rough idea of some things to see, but not a lot of specifics - Liverpool was a good example of this. So what got Cavern Club on my list was being taken through numerous souvenir shops at the waterfront, and seeing a number of Mathew Street signs with the other landmarks on every tchotchke, so I googled it and discovered my ignorance. Next stop...
This wall is full of bricks with famous musical performers - as the plaque says, everyone who appeared at the club from 1957-1973. It goes on quite a number of feet in each direction. 1,801 bricks in all:
All 56 Number 1 singles by Liverpool artists. I believe they attribute 18 to the Beatles, and then there are a number of solos by Beatles members:
Cavern Club entrance. It's a small cover to go in (I believe it was around 3 GBP); might be more in the evening or depending who's playing.
And down I go; 4 flights of stairs:
Everything you'd expect - loud, crowded, warm, and lots of drink available.
Back on the street again.
St. Luke's Church:
And then the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, or "The Phil". To hearken back to the Carpool Karaoke video again, this is where he played at the end of the show. A VERY impressive pub. I've seen John Lennon quoted as saying "The price of fame is not being able to go to the Phil for a quiet pint."; it turns out he may not have uttered these exact words, but he was definitely a fan of the place.
This picture is taken from where we were sitting, which as it turns out, is where the stage was where Paul played. Across the room is where they set up what I assume was a temporary bar for the show.
Never been inspired to take a picture of a washroom (pardon me, a toilet) before:
Then it was over to the Liverpool Cathedral. It is the longest, and 5th largest, cathedral in the world.
To be honest, it's not much to look at from the outside.
But on the inside...
I'm not sure if you can appreciate the scale from those pictures; hopefully the next couple will help.
That's a decent sized gift shop at the bottom, dwarfed by the stained glass windows above, and this is only one small corner of the cathedral.
And in this picture, you can better appreciate how cavernous it is:
Here's the Lady Chapel, the first part of the cathedral to be finished, in 1910 (construction went on from 1904-1978!). In spite of being what most would consider to be a pretty large chapel, this is only a small fraction of the rest of the cathedral.
Hopped on the city tour bus from here and headed down to the waterfront.
The most impressive buildings down here are the "Three Graces". Here's two of them; the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings, with an Edward VII statue in front:
Royal Liver building is the third:
Port of Liverpool again:
You might recognize these guys:
Amazing to me, and a little sad, that they never played in Liverpool again after 1965.
So I have to admit, I have heard of the Cavern Club, but it really wasn't on my radar for this trip. While I've done a lot of planning, I'm also trying not to overdo it, so when we get to some of these cities, I have a rough idea of some things to see, but not a lot of specifics - Liverpool was a good example of this. So what got Cavern Club on my list was being taken through numerous souvenir shops at the waterfront, and seeing a number of Mathew Street signs with the other landmarks on every tchotchke, so I googled it and discovered my ignorance. Next stop...
This wall is full of bricks with famous musical performers - as the plaque says, everyone who appeared at the club from 1957-1973. It goes on quite a number of feet in each direction. 1,801 bricks in all:
All 56 Number 1 singles by Liverpool artists. I believe they attribute 18 to the Beatles, and then there are a number of solos by Beatles members:
Cavern Club entrance. It's a small cover to go in (I believe it was around 3 GBP); might be more in the evening or depending who's playing.
And down I go; 4 flights of stairs:
Everything you'd expect - loud, crowded, warm, and lots of drink available.
Back on the street again.
08-11-2018
, 07:05 PM
Thanks for the support!
So as I've been pumping out a few updates and pictures today, I've been thinking that there's a piece I've been missing. It was my intention to do a little reflection on each place we've been - things we enjoyed, things that were busts, what we'd do more or less of, maybe some tricks and tips I've picked up, that sort of thing. Maybe some of it will be helpful for others, and I think it will be helpful for me as well to be able to look back and have a list of places I want to go back to, and have a reminder of what I learned.
And I certainly don't share any of this thinking that I'm some kind of expert after one mere trip to Europe - there are many with far, far more experience than me, and I'm sure there will be some chuckles at my "pearls of wisdom" that will be blindingly obvious to many. But I also hope that even the obvious or mundane stuff to many people will be interesting revelations to others.
So with that said, I'm going to try to remember to add that in each time we're done with a city, and I'll go back now and reflect on the first few.
So as I've been pumping out a few updates and pictures today, I've been thinking that there's a piece I've been missing. It was my intention to do a little reflection on each place we've been - things we enjoyed, things that were busts, what we'd do more or less of, maybe some tricks and tips I've picked up, that sort of thing. Maybe some of it will be helpful for others, and I think it will be helpful for me as well to be able to look back and have a list of places I want to go back to, and have a reminder of what I learned.
And I certainly don't share any of this thinking that I'm some kind of expert after one mere trip to Europe - there are many with far, far more experience than me, and I'm sure there will be some chuckles at my "pearls of wisdom" that will be blindingly obvious to many.
But I also hope that even the obvious or mundane stuff to many people will be interesting revelations to others. So with that said, I'm going to try to remember to add that in each time we're done with a city, and I'll go back now and reflect on the first few.
08-11-2018
, 07:50 PM
Brighton Summary
We didn't "do" a lot of things here, and that was always the plan. I wanted somewhere that would be a good place to slowly get over our jetlag and into the groove, and I think it was good for that.
Things we did:
Brighton Palace Pier - This was a nice walk, pleasant place to spend some time.
The Lanes & North Laine - Ditto.
Royal Pavilion - We really didn't do much here but walk by and take some pictures of the pavilion & museum.
Things I'd do again:
All of the above. The pier's in a great location, and has lots of fun food and nice views. The Lanes & North Laine had a great variety of shops, and I'm sure there's more we could explore. Royal Pavilion, we barely touched on, so I'd be sure to spend more time here.
Things I know we missed:
British Airways i360 - Yeah, it can be seen as something of an eyesore, but it's always tempting to get up above everything and enjoy some nice views.
Brighton Toy and Model Museum - I actually just read about this, and it sounds interesting. Probably good I didn't know about it before, as we were trying to relax.
Sea Life Centre - World's oldest aquarium, and it's right there by the pier. And yet, I don't know if I'll ever do it.
Getting around:
Walking. Everything I've named here, we could walk to from our place in 15-30 minutes. But there does seem to be a pretty good bus system, and you can pay when you get on, as we did when we took them to and from the train station. I believe there is a smartcard as well; we didn't need the buses often enough to bother.
Our accommodations:
We had an AirBnb that was a ~15 minute walk to the pier, and yet it was nice and quiet - except for the damn seagulls! Seriously, they were loud at times. It was pretty warm when we were there, so we had our windows open all the time, and they made a racket at the strangest times. I slept through most of it, but not everyone did. That said, I'd still recommend being in close proximity to the pier, and thus, most of what you'll want to do.
The food:
There were a few small grocery stores where we were, and a few restaurants - the closer you get to the pier, the more of both you find.
Big hits or misses:
I don't think there really were any. It was hard to miss by much with simple ambitions, and we weren't striving for enough to have any big hits. Just enjoyed our time there, and relaxed - probably not for quite as long as we could have used.
We didn't "do" a lot of things here, and that was always the plan. I wanted somewhere that would be a good place to slowly get over our jetlag and into the groove, and I think it was good for that.
Things we did:
Brighton Palace Pier - This was a nice walk, pleasant place to spend some time.
The Lanes & North Laine - Ditto.
Royal Pavilion - We really didn't do much here but walk by and take some pictures of the pavilion & museum.
Things I'd do again:
All of the above. The pier's in a great location, and has lots of fun food and nice views. The Lanes & North Laine had a great variety of shops, and I'm sure there's more we could explore. Royal Pavilion, we barely touched on, so I'd be sure to spend more time here.
Things I know we missed:
British Airways i360 - Yeah, it can be seen as something of an eyesore, but it's always tempting to get up above everything and enjoy some nice views.
Brighton Toy and Model Museum - I actually just read about this, and it sounds interesting. Probably good I didn't know about it before, as we were trying to relax.
Sea Life Centre - World's oldest aquarium, and it's right there by the pier. And yet, I don't know if I'll ever do it.
Getting around:
Walking. Everything I've named here, we could walk to from our place in 15-30 minutes. But there does seem to be a pretty good bus system, and you can pay when you get on, as we did when we took them to and from the train station. I believe there is a smartcard as well; we didn't need the buses often enough to bother.
Our accommodations:
We had an AirBnb that was a ~15 minute walk to the pier, and yet it was nice and quiet - except for the damn seagulls! Seriously, they were loud at times. It was pretty warm when we were there, so we had our windows open all the time, and they made a racket at the strangest times. I slept through most of it, but not everyone did. That said, I'd still recommend being in close proximity to the pier, and thus, most of what you'll want to do.
The food:
There were a few small grocery stores where we were, and a few restaurants - the closer you get to the pier, the more of both you find.
Big hits or misses:
I don't think there really were any. It was hard to miss by much with simple ambitions, and we weren't striving for enough to have any big hits. Just enjoyed our time there, and relaxed - probably not for quite as long as we could have used.
08-11-2018
, 08:38 PM
Bristol Summary
Bristol is a unique stop for us on this trip, as it's the only one where the city we stayed in wasn't our prime focus - it was more of a "jumping off" point for us. We probably could've explored the city a little more than we did.
Things we did:
Clifton Suspension Bridge & Observatory - I enjoyed both of these, and they were cheap. The only cost was 4 GBP per person to go to both the top of the observatory and into the caves. Not a "must-do", but good.
Cotswolds - Beautiful area. One could easily spend days exploring the area both by car and on foot. I like that we got a small taste; if you really like this kind of thing, you'd probably want to stay in one of the little towns and commit more time to it, as we may one day.
Stonehenge - Now, this is a must-see as far as I'm concerned. It is still just a bunch of rocks, and maybe it doesn't do something for everyone, but I was a little surprised how cool I found it to be. I was able to book my tickers for this the night before, but I could only get afternoon times (which is what I wanted anyway).
Bath - Neat town that I bet I could spend a full day in, at least. Just got a very small taste this time.
Southern Wales - We did so little here, I feel silly including it. Liked what we saw, would come back for more.
Things I'd do again:
The Cotswolds - I'd definitely like to see more of this area, and I'd probably stay somewhere in the middle or towards the north end, for a couple of days to drive it; longer if we want to do some hikes.
Stonehenge - I want to go back and do the morning or evening tour where you get to walk amongst the stones. This, you need to book months ahead from what I understand. I'd probably stay in Bath for a couple of days to spend a day there and then come back here.
Bath - As mentioned, I'd like to spend a good day here at least. Maybe two.
Southern Wales - This needs a couple days from me in the future, at least.
Things I know we missed:
Brunel's SS Great Britain - I wouldn't come back just for this, but it's one thing in Bristol I thought would be cool to see that I never got a chance to do. And I'm sure there's more stuff in Bristol to do, but I didn't spend a lot of time researching as we already had lots on our plate.
South/Southwest UK - Lots of places down here that I originally considered travelling to from Bristol, but they really needed more time, and staying in closer proximity.
Getting around:
Can't offer a lot of insight into local travel as I rented a car. I know there is a bus system, and it seems to cover the city pretty well.
Our accommodations:
Worked fine for what we needed. We were on the west side of town, which wouldn't be a great location if you were just looking to explore Bristol, but with a car, it was good for us.
The food:
A number of pubs in our area; not much in the way of groceries, but since we were driving, we were able to go to larger grocery stores.
Big hits or misses:
Parking was mildly challenging, but manageable. Same goes for driving, although at times it was a little more than mildly challenging - I'll have a post dedicated to driving some time later. Our day trips worked pretty well, although it may have been a bit too much, too soon, which is what I was worried about. All in all, though, a good leg.
Bristol is a unique stop for us on this trip, as it's the only one where the city we stayed in wasn't our prime focus - it was more of a "jumping off" point for us. We probably could've explored the city a little more than we did.
Things we did:
Clifton Suspension Bridge & Observatory - I enjoyed both of these, and they were cheap. The only cost was 4 GBP per person to go to both the top of the observatory and into the caves. Not a "must-do", but good.
Cotswolds - Beautiful area. One could easily spend days exploring the area both by car and on foot. I like that we got a small taste; if you really like this kind of thing, you'd probably want to stay in one of the little towns and commit more time to it, as we may one day.
Stonehenge - Now, this is a must-see as far as I'm concerned. It is still just a bunch of rocks, and maybe it doesn't do something for everyone, but I was a little surprised how cool I found it to be. I was able to book my tickers for this the night before, but I could only get afternoon times (which is what I wanted anyway).
Bath - Neat town that I bet I could spend a full day in, at least. Just got a very small taste this time.
Southern Wales - We did so little here, I feel silly including it. Liked what we saw, would come back for more.
Things I'd do again:
The Cotswolds - I'd definitely like to see more of this area, and I'd probably stay somewhere in the middle or towards the north end, for a couple of days to drive it; longer if we want to do some hikes.
Stonehenge - I want to go back and do the morning or evening tour where you get to walk amongst the stones. This, you need to book months ahead from what I understand. I'd probably stay in Bath for a couple of days to spend a day there and then come back here.
Bath - As mentioned, I'd like to spend a good day here at least. Maybe two.
Southern Wales - This needs a couple days from me in the future, at least.
Things I know we missed:
Brunel's SS Great Britain - I wouldn't come back just for this, but it's one thing in Bristol I thought would be cool to see that I never got a chance to do. And I'm sure there's more stuff in Bristol to do, but I didn't spend a lot of time researching as we already had lots on our plate.
South/Southwest UK - Lots of places down here that I originally considered travelling to from Bristol, but they really needed more time, and staying in closer proximity.
Getting around:
Can't offer a lot of insight into local travel as I rented a car. I know there is a bus system, and it seems to cover the city pretty well.
Our accommodations:
Worked fine for what we needed. We were on the west side of town, which wouldn't be a great location if you were just looking to explore Bristol, but with a car, it was good for us.
The food:
A number of pubs in our area; not much in the way of groceries, but since we were driving, we were able to go to larger grocery stores.
Big hits or misses:
Parking was mildly challenging, but manageable. Same goes for driving, although at times it was a little more than mildly challenging - I'll have a post dedicated to driving some time later.
Our day trips worked pretty well, although it may have been a bit too much, too soon, which is what I was worried about. All in all, though, a good leg.