As soon as we returned from our last trip on Daisy, we were inspired to try a longer trip and a lucky cancellation gave us the opportunity.
So here we are, preparing to set off afloat once more, from the same place and in the same direction but further! We are looking forward to actually reaching Cosgrove and seeing the viaduct and aquaduct in Ouse Valley Park, and based on our progress last time, we hope to get to Weeden Bec before we turn round.
There will be a bit more housekeeping involved in a longer trip, things we didn’t have to consider before like fuel, water, rubbish and groceries and the forecast is mixed, but I have a nice new waterproof jacket, and we are really looking forward to a bit of an adventure.
We took a turn round Waterhall Park before we set off. The park seems to mark the end of Milton Keynes and the beginning of the countryside.
Just the other side of the towpath is an avenue of Lombardy Poplar trees which have been planted either side of a footpath which run from here, all the way through Milton Keynes.
It gives access to an almost uninterrupted stretch of parks which I wish we had explored more fully and we kept catching glimpses of the these tall trees all along the canal.
Once we set off, I had another go steering, but still couldn’t get the hang of it and even managed to collide with a parked boat … albeit very gently!
As we approached Stoke Hammond lock, we looked out for the unusual double arched bridge which we’d missed on the way up.
At one point, duplicate narrow locks were built to take smaller boats saving water and time. They have since been filled in but the second arch shows where it was.
We caught up with the boat we had started out with, also making their way back and worked the lock together.
We stopped for lunch then refreshed, continued to Soulbury and the Three Locks. As we arrived another boat had just come through, so they were in our favour, and if they could come through just a single boat, then so could we. It was hard work though, working all three locks on our own, with Chris on the boat steering and me working all the paddles and gates. I did manage to get Chris to close one set though … just so he could have a go! At the end we were quite pleased with ourselves!
A bit later we moored up and went for a short walk past St Mary’s Church in Old Linslade and along the towpath.
We moved a short way further and moored for the night beside the site of Bridge 112, carefully chosen as far from the railway as possible and leaving just a short run back to Wyvern Shipping in the morning, setting a daily record of 6 miles, 31⁄4 furlongs! We polished off the last of the cake and a well deserved cuppa!
We came away, prepared to self cater throughout and brought enough with us so we didn’t need to shop, after all we are only on Daisy for four days and keeping our distance seems sensible at the moment.
We had thought if we passed an appealing pub at lunchtime we might stop for a bag of chips but it didn’t happen, and by choosing secluded moorings we were too far from a pub for dinner. We’ve had homemade soup, sandwiches and beans on toast for lunches and the dinner menu has comprised sausages with roasted sprouts and potatoes, Higgedy Pies and veg, homemade chilli and on our last night we have pesto pasta. This has worked out really well and meant we could both enjoy the whole experience and spend our time watching the world go by rather than slaving in the galley.
And from galley to gallery, just in case I’ve not included enough photos already, here are a few more, including some of the quirky views from the canal …
Next morning we were out on the water at 8.15 to ensure we were back on time. Just Leighton Lock to go through …
… and 31⁄2 furlongs to travel and we were back at the boat yard, handing Daisy back.
We caught up with others who had been out for a midweek trip like us, some making Cosgrove and the tunnel at Stoke Bruerne beyond, a lady who had dished up a full roast dinner one night and a chap who had backed into the winding hole by mistake, but a good time was had by all.
We’ve really enjoyed our first trip afloat and it was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary, especially this year with options being limited. We may only have travelled a total of 22 miles, 1⁄2 furlongs and 12 locks with a revised destination of Campbell Park but we were obviously a little too ambitious thinking we could get further! Daisy is just lovely and we’ve already told her we hope to see her again soon … maybe we can get to Cosgrove next time and see the aquaduct!
We woke on our anniversary to a lovely morning and exchanged cards and thought how lovely our mooring was, especially so close to Milton Keynes.
Already we are about halfway through our trip so we looked at the map to decide how much further we could get and where we could turn. Needless to say with a 48 foot boat and a canal that’s 30-40 foot wide, you can’t turn round just anywhere! We needed a winding hole (pronounced win-ding) which is a ‘notch’ or specially widened area made for turning. We saw the best one would be 2 miles ahead, just short of Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, otherwise we would need to travel another 45 minutes (and back) so it was important we didn’t overshoot it!
Chris did a grand job, waiting till other boats had passed, heading the bow into the notch and swinging the stern round.
We then moored up across from the noisiest stretch of canal so far …
… and walked to Campbell Park, a huge rectangular green space in the centre of the city, edged by the canal on one side and containing a cricket arena and full of autumn colour.
The Belvedere rises in the centre and offers views across Bedfordshire and there is a wild flower meadow in the middle which is apparently grazed by sheep in the summer! The original vision was that the park would also be the cultural centre of the city and there are a number of works of art and sculptures throughout, the most prominent being the Light Pyramid which replaced the original basket beacon which was destroyed by lightening. It is made of steel and painted white and was first lit for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4th June 2012 and is still lit to commemorate special local and national events.
The Milton Keynes Rose is a commemorative public space featuring a calendar of days important to the people of Milton Keynes. Pillars are arranged like a flower, many already inscribed and others left for future dedications.
Other pieces include Head …
… Gnomon or Shadow Castor made of Ffestiniog blue grey slate and bronze which casts its shadow just like the arm of a sundial it is named for … but Chris keenly pointed out it is by the cricket pitch and represents wickets and a ball … surely I had realised that … but I hadn’t!
… Onwards and Upwards, carved from a single piece of eight-metre-high sweet chestnut and representing the growth and development of the park and the city …
… Cave, supposedly offering shelter in the park, but not much as it doesn’t really have a roof …
… Chain Reaction, a 3D model of figures balanced like acrobats, in an endless chain which changes as it is viewed from different angles …
… and Armillary Sphere in the centre of the Labyrinth to celebrate the 10th anniversary of MK Housing Association.
Chris was intrigued by this plaque, confused by the seemingly incorrect distances …
… until I pointed out this post!
We returned to the boat for lunch …
… before beginning our return trip. We barely had to stop at Fenny Stratford Lock with its Swing Bridge as it was in our favour and open. We went through with another boat, and another boat was waiting so we didn’t even need to close it, quite a contrast to the day before! Before we knew it, we were back at Waterhall Park, where we had stopped for lunch the day before and moored up after covering exactly 6 miles for the day.
The sun came out when I made the tea, so we sat on the bow, admiring the canal.
Later we celebrated our anniversary with a bottle of fizz and a very delicious White Chilli made from a Simon Rimmer recipe which I’d brought with us frozen, served with greens, grated cheddar and tortilla chips!
We played several hands of Uno and Chris was pleased to reign once more as Uno Champ!
We slept pretty well, despite the snug bed, but both of us woke in the night and were kept awake for a while by unfamiliar nocturnal noises. The sky started turning pink during our first cuppa, so we dressed quickly and walked down the tow path to the bridge and took a few pics …
Over breakfast we were feeling quite pleased with ourselves that we were already further along than we had expected, in fact 3 locks and 1 mile further … but we shouldn’t have been congratulating ourselves so soon …
I found a really interesting website with details about this stretch of the Grand Union Canal and read about Soulbury as I drank my tea. Stating the pretty obvious, when you think about it, when a boat passes down a lock it takes a whole lock of water too, so unless this is replaced, the canal would eventually dry out. When the canal opened in 1800, reservoirs were built to collect water and keep the levels high enough for boats to stay afloat. However this might not be enough with heavy traffic or a drought, so a series of nine pumphouses called the ‘Northern Engines’ were built, including the ones at Soulbury and Stoke Hammond. Each housed a steam powered pump that drew water up from below the lock and pumped it through a tunnel and back above the lock. The buildings had chimneys, few of which survive, and were often decorated with fan lights and ornamental glazing bars which can be seen at Soulbury and Stoke Hammond. At Soulbury, water is still recycled using a pump to keep the canal open and the pumphouse is currently undergoing restoration, which explains all the metal fencing and here’s a closer picture …
Every lock on the canal, like every bridge, has its own number, starting with No1 at Braunston where the Grand Union Canal joins the Oxford Canal. The flight of three locks at Soulbury, No 24, 25 and 26, take the canal 6m further uphill from its lowest stretch across the Ouse Valley in Milton Keynes up to Tring summit at 121m above sea level.
The Three Locks was purpose built as a canalside pub to provide services to travellers on the canal and was originally known as The New Inn. Census records from 1881 list the innkeeper as Mary Faulkner who ran the pub with her two servants, Charles Barron and Mary Curtis. On the night of the census the inn had one guest, Joseph Staige, a retired optician from Birmingham who was perhaps stopping off overnight on his way home from London on a flyboat. Here’s an archive photo from maybe the 1950’s … not much has changed except the colour and the boats in the lock.
Anyway, time to shake a leg and get on with the day!
We set off after breakfast at 10.00 and we soon came to Stoke Hammond Lock. A real Waterman was bringing a pair of boats through the lock towards us which meant the lock was ready for us to take the other way …
… and here’s the pumphouse with its fanlight.
Only one boat had passed us this morning, so we were surprised to see another come up behind us to share the lock. She and I got chatting as we worked the lock … they had renovated their boat and had it for 8 years. I think he shared some tips with Chris, who managed to moor and pick me up perfectly!
Incidently, if you wondered what a pipe bridge is … as we did … here is a prime example, taking a pipe over the canal!
Some time later we passed a marina …
… then decided to stop for a coffee. Easier said than done though as mooring proved quite tricky … we managed to get the bow in … but the stern stuck out … so we tried again … twice … before we had success! I think the lesson learnt is not to leave it too long to stop for a break, as concentration is already waning when it’s most needed. We started with coffee … then I went for a short walk round Waterhall Park, where I saw the River Ouse …
… then we had lunch!
Setting off again was easier said than done as we seemed to have got stuck in the mud. Chris got the pole and despatched me to the other end of the boat in the hope we could push free!
Finally we were free and a mile or so further on we reached Fenny Stratford where Bridge 96 takes the canal beneath the old Roman road of Watling Street and the oldest known gold coin in Britain dating from 200BC-100BC was found here in 1849.
Here are a couple more then and now images of the bridge …
… and houses on the site of a brick kiln and a wharf which was used to load goods from barges.
The towpath was carried over the entrance to the wharf by a swingbridge, since replaced by a liftbridge. There would have been wharves like this all along the canal, providing a transport network. The canal was also useful for other communication and large telegraph poles lined the route. A GPO repeater station amplified signals so they could travel north, or during WWII to the code-breakers at nearby Bletchley Park.
Just past the town is Fenny Stratford Lock, the first lock that raises the level of the canal after it has crossed the long flat plain of the Ouse Valley. We managed to moor up quite easily this time and went to check it out.
The lock had been left full, so we just needed to open the gates, but as I was taking a few pictures, I noticed an added complication, a swing bridge in the middle of the lock!
The sky darkened and the rain started, so we decided to wait and see if it would blow over.
We didn’t have to wait long, just a passing shower. No other boats had come, so we started to work the lock ourselves. I tried to move the swing bridge, but struggled and Chris came to help … finally he had a chance at some manual labour!
I opened the lock gates, Chris moved the boat into the lock. I closed the gates, opened the paddle on the other gates so the water equalised, then opened the gates. Chris took the boat out and moored while I closed the gates, but he had to help again with the swing bridge. I remembered that so far I had taken a few pics of Chris, but there were none of me, so I handed over the camera to even the score.
We checked we had left the lock as we should, then set off again. I really enjoyed working this lock as we remembered how to do it and managed all on our own … a real sense of achievement!
The sky was getting grey again and if it rains, the skipper gets wet, so we started to keep an eye out for a place to moor up … it’s not as easy as it sounds as you have to be a reasonable distance from hazards like bridges and bends not too close another boat and preferably not right by a noisy road. Coming into Milton Keynes, our options were reduced and we chose to stop just before Tinkers Bridge 90B, which we managed without event.
Sitting over a cuppa, we both felt the day had been quite hard work – the concentration needed to steer, as just a brief lapse has the boat heading for the bank – as well as the physical effort at the locks. We are resigned that as beginners, this is definitely slow travel as we have only travelled 5 miles, 3⁄4 furlongs today, and our idea of getting to Cosgrove is no longer realistic. Instead we will enjoy our tea and cake and take some time out. Chris is busy editing photos of swans …
… while I’m happy to put my feet up and read some more of my carefully chosen getaway reading … Canal Pushers by Andy Griffee, a murder mystery set on a narrowboat called Jumping Jack Flash on the Grand Union Canal no less!
Another tasty supper … this time sausages with roasted sprouts and potatoes with pomegranate molasses and a nice drop of Merlot!
We enjoyed our 90 minute drive to Leighton Buzzard, noticing how some of the leaves are turning already. We stopped briefly at Tiddenfoot Waterside Park to stretch our legs and eat our sandwiches …
… and caught the first glimpse of the Grand Union Canal.
We were at Wyvern Shipping at 1.30 on the dot to collect Daisy, and were quite surprised to see lots of other boats were going out as well.
While Chris brought the car over to load our things, I quickly took some snaps of Daisy.
Simon gave us a full tour inside and out, together with operating details and safety. It seemed a lot to remember. Then we set off with Simon showing Chris how to manoeuvre the boat and me how to work the first lock, Leighton Lock. The locks here are big enough to take two boats, and another of the Wyvern boats had come down the canal behind us so we went through together. Chris might have the most technical task but I seem to have the most active, having to use the windlass to raise and lower paddles and my back to push the gate open and closed. Simon suggested we proceed to the three locks at Soulbury and go those together with the other boat and with all the instructions fresh in our mind, it seemed a good idea. We had thought we might moor short of the locks for the night and do them fresh in the morning, but it is best not to do this set of 3 locks on your own, and we could end up waiting a while for another boat the next day.
Our induction complete, Simon returned to the boatyard and I put the kettle on for a cuppa. The canal meandered through the Ouzel Valley past farmland & woodland and under several bridges …
After around 3 miles, we approached Soulbury and moored up to survey the scene, with the flight of three locks ahead, a road bridge, a historic cottage and pub on the left and the old pumping station on the right.
Even this was easier said than done as drawing the boat in to the bank at the right angle to end up alongside in one go looks like it will take a little practice! I went with the chap from the other boat to look at the lock and figure out what we needed to do and we quickly established we weren’t too confident at all! A couple of other boats had moored up behind us and Jim came forward to rescue the situation. He had also hired his boat from Wyvern, but had done this before and got us organised as to who should do what when and I even managed to take a few pictures along the way …
Relieved that we had survived the three lock ordeal, we looked for a safe spot to moor for the night as it had started to spit with rain and ended up stopping quite soon,just short of Bridge 106 and a total of 4 miles, 11⁄4 furlongs from Wyvern. After a little backwards and forwards, the hefty hammering in of stakes and tightening of ropes, we were securely moored and we scuttled in to the dry.
We did a bit of unpacking, made more tea and put the oven on for dinner then tucked in to pies and veg and a bottle of red wine in our cosy cabin. Any worries we had that it would be chilly were unfounded as the heating is very efficient. After all the excitement, we had an early night and could hearing the rain falling on the roof of the boat as we fell asleep.
Covid 19 has stopped us all in our tracks this year and we’ve stayed at home, cancelling or postponing all the travels we had planned. In August we thought a modest little trip might be possible and an article in the newspaper gave us the idea to book a narrowboat for our wedding anniversary. It ticked all the boxes, one of the most important being to celebrate our wedding anniversary on a boat as we have every year, while still keeping our distance and having a bit of an adventure.
Daisy is moored on the Grand Union Canal near Leighton Buzzard and we hope to travel north as far as the Ouse Valley Park in Cosgrove, so we can admire the viaduct and aqueduct, before returning … just 37 miles and 1⁄4 furlongs with 12 locks in total … not a very demanding route as we are new to this lark and goodness knows what the weather will be like.
We’ve not wanted to plan, look at a map or make a list to early, just in case this trip also had to be delayed … but so far so good and fingers crossed!
So this is the plan, but anything could happen along the way … join us and find out!
On our last morning we checked out, leaving our bag to collect later, stopped for breakfast at Wapping Wharf then walked up through the city to BBC Bristol for a tour.
We looked round reception and could see the kind of programmes made here like Antiques Roadshow, Gardeners World and Countryfile. Their pride and joy is the Natural History Unit which have made all the best known wildlife programmes from Life on Earth to Seven Worlds, One Planet that will be shown this autumn. The technical developments during this time have been immense, enabling the camera to get closer and closer to the action, nowadays often using drones to disturb the animals as little as possible. BBC Bristol also make the local news programme Points West and our tour showed us the BBC Wildlife Garden where the weather is filmed and the main news studio – both behind the scenes, and in front of the camera!
Afterwards, we had a go recording our own radio play with special sound effects including rubber gloves for bats, a bicycle pump for a champagne cork …
… and then filming a news and sport bulletin with a weather slot which certainly helped us see there is a lot more to this tv lark than meets the eye!
Walking back, we popped into the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, really just to see Banksy’s Paint-Pot Angel, but it was out on loan … so we’ll have to see that next time. Once inside though, we took a turn round their Pre-Raphaelites and really liked this one …
… saw this view of the bridge …
… and this replica of the first plane built in Bristol – the Bristol Boxkite.
The tower of the Wills Memorial Building dominates the city and is considered one of the last great Gothic buildings to be built in England. It is part of the University of Bristol and we just looked inside the entrance hall …
… then headed passed the Cathedral and we were done.
We had watched the quiches and salads being prepared while we ate our breakfast this morning and returned to Mokoko to try them out!
Chatting over lunch, we thought we would probably be back sometime, after all there’s definitely more to see, it would be nice to see the city with a little more sunshine and there are lots more restaurants to try!
On that happy note, the ferry took us back to Temple Meads and our train home.
Today is our wedding anniversary, and we picked Bristol so we could celebrate with a boat trip. There are a pair of ferries who have a figure of eight route round the harbour and we really fancied having Grommit at the helm but he was going the wrong way … maybe later!
We passed wharf buildings converted into apartments …
… under Bristol Bridge …
… and an interesting new pedestrian bridge …
… until we could see Cheese Lane Shot Tower. William Watts invented the tower process for making lead shot whereby molten lead was dropped into cold water below. The original tower was built in 1782 and used until demolished for road widening in 1968. It was rebuilt the following year in this modern design and continued to be used to make lead shot till 1980. It can now be hired as a penthouse boardroom!
We got off at Castle Park which contains St Peter’s church, bombed in the Blitz and left as a monument …
… then followed a route through the city, picking off the main attractions starting with St Nicolas Market …
We exited the market in Corn Street where the C18th Corn Exchange was built to house the merchants who were blocking the streets. They settled their debts on the four flat-topped brass pillars called Nails – hence the expression to ‘pay on the nail’.
The clock above the entrance has two minute hands, the red hand shows Bristol Time and just over ten minutes ahead is the black hand showing Railway Time (or GMT) used before time was standardised across the UK to accomodate railway schedules in 1852.
Everards Printing Works has a colourful Art Noveau facade with Carrara-ware tiles and murals of Johannesburg Gutenberg and William Morris, the fathers of modern printing, separated by the Spirit of Literature and presided over by a woman holding a lamp and mirror representing light and truth … it just needs a little tlc so I hope somebody restores it.
We then headed down Nelson Street to see remaining street art from the See No Evil festival in 2011-12. There is a huge amount of information online about who painted what, but here are just some images.
New Room was built by John Wesley in 1743, initially as meeting room but also used as a soup kitchen, a school, a dispensary and the first Methodist chapel.
Next stop is the neighbourhood of Stokes Croft, where the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft promote art in the community.
It seems quite a rundown area and the aroma of pot and drying spray paint was definitely in the air as we checked out some of the of street art …
… including a couple of Banksy’s – The Mild Mild West and The Rose Trap …
… and Well Hung Lover nearer the city centre.
The city have several free museums including Red Lodge which was once a C16th merchants house and later England’s first girls reform school with a splendid Tudor Oak Room …
… and The Georgian House, former home of local sugar merchant John Pitney with faithfully restored rooms and the story of the family’s dealings in the West Indies. Their slave Pero was commemorated by the Pero bridge in 1999.
Back at the harbour, Grommit was ready to take us round the other side of the harbour.
We passed the reconstruction of the Matthew, the ship in which the Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto or John Cabot, sailed west from Bristol in 1497 in search of Asia. Instead he found North America, landing on the banks of what he named Newfoundland, which he claimed for England.
We continued to Nova Scotia Point …
… before returning to the SS Great Britain and got off.
We went in search of Banksy’s take on Vermeer. It’s a good job Google Maps has a note of these or we would never have found it tucked between a couple of dock buildings … Girl with the Pierced Eardrum …
… and finally, a rather squashed Mickey reminding us of Rose Trap earlier
With such a multi-cultural heritage in Bristol, we’ve managed to revisit all our favourite cuisines in one short break, and tonight was no different with Souk Kitchen decorated with bold colours and flickering candles and offering a fusion of Middle Eastern flavours. Yum!
With rain forecast later, we made an early start so we could walk to Clifton along the bank of the River Avon. We would have started along the Chocolate Path, named for the appearance of its paving slabs laid in 1906, but it is slowly crumbling into the canal and has been closed awaiting repairs.
On such a grey morning even the graffiti and brightly painted houses did little to lift the mood …
… but The Clifton Suspension Bridge came into view and still looked impressive.
Looking across the river, we could see the area called Hotwells, named for the hot springs which bubble up through the rocks of the Avon Gorge. In the C18th, the spring was enclosed and its water pumped up into a new Hotwell House, which combined a pump room with lodgings in an attempt to compete with Bath. Elegant Georgian terraces were built as well as assembly rooms, hotels and lodging houses and Hotwells became crowded with nobility and gentry. Development up the green slopes of Clifton continued with much speculative property development, which was hit hard by the uncertainty of the war with France in 1793. By the time peace came, spas were giving way to seaside resorts as fashionable retreats, but Clifton developed into a perfect suburb for the rich merchants of the city and could even be reached by the Clifton Rocks Railway, a funicular railway built in a tunnel through the cliffs.
It started drizzling as we took the footpath up through Leigh Woods to the visitor centre by the bridge.
Having read about its construction, it’s surprising that this symbol of Bristol got completed at all. The idea of building a bridge across the Avon Gorge originated in 1753 but it was difficult to find a design which would fit the budget and even once Brunel’s design was chosen, there were delays, cost cuts and changes which meant the planned Egyptian style towers and sphinxes were omitted. It wasn’t completed till after Brunel’s death and was finally opened in 1864. It has always been a toll bridge, with a charge of £1 per car and was also the location of the first ever bungee jump by members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club 1979.
We walked across, looked back to the city and continued to the observatory which we had seen from the other side but the camera obscura was not working on such a grey day and we had no great ambition to climb down through the cliff to the Giants cave below. After a couple of snaps, a coffee and a chance encounter, we continued into Clifton.
I’m sure it would have been far more appealing on a dry day, and while we did take a look at a couple of the elegant streets and terraces …
… and also the Clifton Arcade, it was all a bit damp.
I had been reading Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore to immerse myself in Bristol, named for a footpath through a graveyard where one of the gravestones leads the reader into a story of the very speculative property development I mentioned earlier woven together with radical activists … so of course we had to check it out and it was certainly very atmospheric, especially in the rain!
At this point enough was enough, and rather than taking our time admiring more architecture and checking out the coloured houses of Hotwells, we took the most direct route back to the city, followed by a small ferry that takes passengers across the river for £1 and took refuge in the SS Great Britain.
She was designed by Brunel and built in 1843, the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic to New York. Subsequently she was fitted with an extra deck and made voyages to Australia, then was used for freight and did a stint carrying troops during the Crimean war. At the end of her life she was sunk as offshore storage in the Falklands before being rescued in 1970 and returned to the same dry dock she was built in and preserved. She stands giving the impression she is in water …
… but the truth can be seen below in the dry dock which contains warm air to prevent the hull from rusting further.
From the main deck she looks very smart …
… and inside she has been partially refitted to show how she would have looked when first built complete with rats in the galley and rattling lids on the boiling stew!
This was a great way to spend a wet afternoon and there was so much more including letters and diaries from passengers, details of the engineering design and how they have preserved her … good job our ticket enables to return for another visit!
Just when we felt quite ready to call it a day, we set off back into the city to meet our niece Abi. Walking through Brandon Park, I climbed Cabot Tower but only got murky views.
A Sri Lankan restaurant called the Coconut Tree was a great choice for dinner and we caught up on news, chatting about all we had seen and what she was up to over white wine, hoppers and curry.
We arrived, like many visitors since 1840, on a Great Western Train at Temple Meads Station designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
There were a couple of cheery mosaics, even though the day was rather grey.
The terminus soon needed expanding so here is the new Gothic station from 1870 …
… and here is Brunel’s Old Station building across the forecourt.
We are staying a short walk away in Southville, at the cute and cosy Ibrox Hotel where we left our luggage before heading out for lunch.
Bristol has a long maritime history so we thought we would start with the harbour. A short walk brought us to Spike Island which was created in 1809 when the Floating Harbour was constructed. Previously, the high tidal range meant that ships moored in the harbour would be aground at low tide and tip to one side so if everything was not stowed away ‘Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion’ cargo could be spoiled. The Floating Harbour was a lock system which trapped water in the city’s central harbour and allowed ships and boats to stay afloat without being affected by the changing tides.
Gaol Ferry Bridge crosses New Cut to Wapping Wharf which was once home to the Victorian prison, but is now a regenerated area of cafes and shops.
In Little Victories, to Chris’s amazement, we were able to change some money into Bristol Pounds, a community currency that began in 2012 and is used in various shops and cafes in the city. Having spent a few minutes admiring the notes, with their striking designs of Bristol including the suspension bridge, coloured houses, hot air balloons, ships and Concorde we spent a few on a couple of toasties for lunch.
Yesterday in the newspaper, we saw a photo of a sound and light installation in Bristol so went to have a look. It was in the Redcliff Caves, man-made caves, originally dug to provide sand for glass and pottery making extending for over an acre under the city. ‘We are Warriors’ marks 100 years since the first women were allowed to vote and on the way in, we each made a tiny light with a battery and bulb stuck together with tape, then added them to the array of lights inside the caves. It was very atmospheric, especially with the slightly eerie soundtrack. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a photo we could share … you had to be there!
We got several views of the harbour on the way back …
…including four huge electric cranes dating from the 1950’s when there were over 40 in the docks …
… and the striking banana-shaped crane is the Fairbairn Steam crane which could lift loads of 35 tons.
Next stop was M Shed, a really interesting museum all about the life and times of Bristol. It seemed to cover everything from voyages of discovery and trade to the development of technology and the arts. It was the wealth from the trade of tobacco, sugar and slaves which made Bristol prosper and funded the elegant buildings of Bristol such as Temple Meads Station, the Georgian houses in Clifton, the Suspension bridge, as well as many buildings in centre of the city which were lost to bombing in WWII.
Bristol has also long boasted a proud history of civil insurrection. During the C18th there were riots over bread, wage cuts for weavers and, most frequently, toll-booths. In 1831, Queen Square was once the scene of some of the worst rioting in Britain. The Bristol Riots broke out after the House of Lords the rejected the second Reform Bill which would have given greater representation in the House of Commons, shown here in a lithograph from the time as well as how it looks today.
One area where dissent and art come together is the street art for which Bristol has become famous, especially being the home town of Banksy – the anonymous graffiti artist well known for his satirical and anti-establishment street art. There are quite a few pics around the city and the first is here – the Grim Reaper, which was originally painted on the side of the Thekla Social boat moored in Bristol harbour but later removed to protect it from damage. Bristol City Council has a formal street-art policy which seeks to define and support the display of public art and give the public a vote as to whether it should be preserved or scrubbed clean following a hugely popular Banksy’s exhibition in the Bristol Museum in 2009. There is also the Upfest festival which has been running for 10 years and draws artists and visitors from far and wide. We will be seeing a lot more examples as we wander round the city.
Bristol is the home of Aardman Animations, makers of Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run and an exhibition showed the process of film making using using stop-motion clay animation techniques with their last film Early Man as an example. It was fascinating to see what a labour of love it must be and how time consuming just to achieve a short sequence of film. We will certainly be looking out for the Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon which will be in a cinema near us at the end of October.
While we were inside, the sky had cleared and we were able to take a couple of great pics of the harbour in late afternoon sunshine, before heading back for a rest and dinner at Ganesha down the road in Bedminster where we munched dosas and veggie curry.
The Belvedere rises in the centre and offers views across Bedfordshire and there is a wild flower meadow in the middle which is apparently grazed by sheep in the summer! The original vision was that the park would also be the cultural centre of the city and there are a number of works of art and sculptures throughout, the most prominent being the Light Pyramid which replaced the original basket beacon which was destroyed by lightening. It is made of steel and painted white and was first lit for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4th June 2012 and is still lit to commemorate special local and national events.
Even this was easier said than done as drawing the boat in to the bank at the right angle to end up alongside in one go looks like it will take a little practice! I went with the chap from the other boat to look at the lock and figure out what we needed to do and we quickly established we weren’t too confident at all! A couple of other boats had moored up behind us and Jim came forward to rescue the situation. He had also hired his boat from Wyvern, but had done this before and got us organised as to who should do what when and I even managed to take a few pictures along the way …
On our last morning we checked out, leaving our bag to collect later, stopped for breakfast at Wapping Wharf then walked up through the city to BBC Bristol for a tour. 
Today is our wedding anniversary, and we picked Bristol so we could celebrate with a boat trip. There are a pair of ferries who have a figure of eight route round the harbour and we really fancied having Grommit at the helm but he was going the wrong way … maybe later!
We passed wharf buildings converted into apartments …
We passed the reconstruction of the Matthew, the ship in which the Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto or John Cabot, sailed west from Bristol in 1497 in search of Asia. Instead he found North America, landing on the banks of what he named Newfoundland, which he claimed for England. 
Off Travelling Together 