A day in Bristol

 Tuesday 

16 July 

Day 16

80 to go

So our time in Devon has come to an end, with us ready to move on to Bristol. We did manage a sleep in, not waking until 7.30am, then it was all stations go…shower, pack and then breakfast. We sat chatting to everyone before Dad’s cousin, Louise popped in to say hi. We spoke to her for a while, before continuing to organise our selves and by 9.30am, we were saying goodbye to everyone and beginning our journey. 

We had been convinced to take the scenic coastal road, so after getting petrol, just short of Barnstable, we set the GPS for Lynton. This is a town, I have visited a few times and also brought Paul on a previous occasion. While we followed the A39 road, it was still a challenge. The roads are narrow, too many people park on the sides, whether they are supposed to or not, and the tall hedges make it feel like the road is closing in on you. At times, the trees also fold in over the top creating cave like conditions. The way was definitely picturesque, when you saw it.

When we reached Lynton, we followed the very steep road down to Lynmouth. We needed a toilet stop, so parked up along the front, stretched our legs and enjoyed the view. Following this, it was back on the road, this time heading towards Minehead. 

The road out was steep and at times followed the cliff line. We had gone from tall hedges to a significant drop off, if you made a wrong move. The view from the cliff, over the coastal cliffs was stunning and the left saw the rolling patchwork of green farms. We zoomed passed plenty of sheep just milling by the sides of the road. We were glad they knew to stay on their  grass land. 

We didn’t go into Minehead, but did see the outskirts of it. Shortly after we stopped in at Bridgwater, where we found a large shopping area. We were able to find supplies and lunch at the Sainsbury and return to the car to continue the drive on to Bristol an hour further up the road. 

We followed the GPS, but as usual, navigating larger towns is not always easy and we missed a few turns, before finally arriving at Wells Street and locating our accommodation. 

We returned to a shopping centre to park up and the walked up to the unit on the main road. Once we were oriented, we drove the car into Bristol, found a park and went for a walk, finding plenty of interesting eateries along the waterfront areas. We even located where Merida had worked when she lived here 10 years ago. 

After our walk, we drove back to our unit, parked on the street across the road, and then found our way inside number 117. We brought the bags across and then decompressed with a drink and  some TV. 

By 5pm, we were ready to head back into Bristol. We found a place to park and then enjoyed a wonderful walk along the wharf area. There were plenty out doing the same. We found a Banksy artwork “Girl with the Pearl Earring” It was hidden behind a gated lane way. 

We took in view of the boats and buildings that lined the water. Eventually we found another bridge and crossed to the other bank, continuing our walk in the sun. 

At 630pm we stopped for a small bite to eat at Broken Dock and then continued to walk and take in the sights. I was surprised by how many people were out. This late sunset is still hard to get use to. 

We walked some familiar streets from earlier, eventually stopping at the Beer Emporium for a drink When we were done, we made our way back to the car and returned to our apartment ready to unwind for the day.