visit bristol – the wandering darlings

Where in the world Wednesday- St Nicks Market, Bristol UK

Where in the world is this little alleyway?

Those familiar with Bristol in the South West of England will be well aware of St Nicholas Markets and also would only refer to it as St Nicks. It’s one of Bristol’s historic hot spots for food and shopping with over 60 independent traders.

One of the oldest and most adored markets in Bristol it has been a huge part of Bristol’s past and is still located in the heart of the old city. Established in 1743 it now brings the old Georgian style architecture together with the new fashions, handicrafts and world food cuisines. It’s the perfect mix with just the right ambience that makes it the perfect place to meander around whilst visiting the city.

St Nicks is home to the Indoor Market and on certain days is also home to the Bristol Farmers and Producers Market, Street Food Market (Tuesday and Friday) and The Nails Market out on the adjoining pedestrian streets- Corn Street and Wine Street.

You will notice outside the Exchange Hall several big brass pillars. These are referred to as ‘Nails’ and are where traders would settle their deals in the past and is where the phrase ‘Paying on the Nail’ came from. There are inscriptions on the nails that date right back to the sixteen hundreds and are a great reminder of the historic past of St Nicks and market trading in Bristol.

I can 100% recommended the Street Food Market which is every Tuesday and Friday. Most workers within the city centre have had their lunch from this diverse market. They honestly have the best range of cuisines from the Old Smokey Belgium Donut Chimneys, to Indonesian Nasi Goreng, to Italian sausage you can get whatever you desire and it all tastes amazing.

Within the Indoor Market areas, there are three areas- Exchange Hall, Glass Arcade and Covered Market. The Exchange Hall is an open planned trading area and it’s MASSIVE. The mix of items to buy is so eclectic you’ll find something you never even realised you needed. The Glass Arcade is home to the eateries and you will be in awe of how many unique options are available. Some stands even have seating so you can sit and take in the buzzing atmosphere. The Covered Market consists of small alleyways and independent retailers to further fill your bags and empty your purses at. It’s a great place for finding a really original gift.

The markets are open Monday- Saturday 9.30-5pm. Do check for bank holiday opening times and also for the speciality outdoor markets. You can find St Nicks here Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1JQ. It’s very centrally located and easily accessible from central hotels, the bus and train station.

For more information please do check out this link

Bristol is a great place to explore and whilst visiting you should also visit The Lido and visit during the Bristol Balloon Fiesta

To see Where in the World we were last week check it out here.

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Being Brunel- A new must visit museum in Bristol

Visiting Bristol and need something to do? Then you must visit the new Being Brunel Museum at the SS Great Britiain

Do you know this man?

A few hints

– He is the reckless engineer

– He was quite partial to a top hat and cigar

– He built bridges, railways, ship and tunnels

– He is a big name in British history

– He was a change maker

– He’s got a pretty awesome name

Guessed it yet?

It’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel and this is a 3D statue of him at the new museum Being Brunel In Bristol. It has only just opened at the site of one his spectacular ships the SS Great Britain. It’s a must-see attraction if you find yourself in Bristol or the South West.

The museum opened in March 2018 and houses a fantastic range of artefacts from Brunel’s life. It’s taken a few years to build and once you get there you’ll understand why. There are 6 galleries which include a moving replica of a train carriage, a huge display of letters, sketched and photos, a massive mural of his life, a video show with smells and sounds to put you firmly in the past. You can see his office in London and Bristol as well as his Shakespeare dining room and the dockyard. Everything is so detailed and you can tell that it’s been built with passion and respect for the forwarding thinking legend.

The crowning glory is the gigantic statue of Brunel’s Head in the middle of the main gallery. You can see he commanded attention when he was alive and this statue is no different. It’s also very clever as you can literally walk inside his mind and experience a 6 min film of his personal thoughts (from letters and diary entries) of key points within his life and career. Most of the scenes were filmed on site and once you have seen the video you can then walk around and put yourself in the picture.

History has to be engaging these days to capture people and to teach them that we are where we are now due in the past. Both from the failures and the successes. We have access to all the news and all the information, so I really enjoy it when I see a museum or historic attraction use such interactive ways to draw in both children and adults. All of the galleries at Being Brunel allowed you to open draws, test out an old-fashioned train carriage, look at drawings, interactive video games, see how they used to make 3d pictures and even put a top hat on. In this day and age, you wouldn’t have an engineer celebrated like Burnel was and is. It’s great that children can have access to people in our past like this and not just the celebrity culture dominating the news headlines.

To see the drawings, letters and even newspaper articles of the past was amazing to get an insight into how some of the bridges and railways that are in my day to day life were first conjured up and then went from an idea to a reality.

As a photography lover, I enjoyed discovering a new contraction. They also had these great viewfinders which when a picture has been inserted it would show as a 3D image. They were really cool and I just loved the vintage photos.

My other half has long held Brunel in the highest regard so it was a must for us to visit but I can guarantee even if you have no idea about who Brunel was before you entered you would be sure glad you learnt who he was. This new museum is a wonderful celebration of Brunel and his life’s work and also a great insight into the man behind the top hat and cigar.

As Being Brunel is housed within the SS Great Britain you can also explore the majestic ship and the dry dock it’s housed in. I’ve not yet posted this yet (I promise it will be live soon!) so you can learn more about it here

Where – Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6TY

Prices (as per their website in April 2018) – All tickets are for a year and you can go back and explore as many times as you like within that period.

Adult £16.50
Students and Seniors £14.50
Under 4 Free
5-16-year-olds £9.50
Companion or assistant (alongside a disabled paying visitor) FREE
Family £45

Check out their website here for more details and to book tickets http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/

Ballooning In Bristol- Why you need to visit Bristol

I’ve long loved a hot air balloon. Floating through the sky, slowly gliding and following the wind as it blows. Pretty damn magical.

When I saw the film UP it showed that sense of adventure teamed with a few thousand balloons. I didn’t exactly run out and buy a few hundred canisters of helium and loosened the footings on my house but I did always have a romantic notion that you could get to travel to far off lands in a wicker basket and some hot air.

So with that in mind, one of the best thing about moving to the West Country was that in Bristol every year in August they hold the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. 4 days of ballooning fun and the city becomes like a picture perfect postcard. Bristol is synonymous with balloons just like it is with Banksy, Ribena, Aardman Animations and Isambard Brunel. Creativity and Engineering greats!

Bristol is located in the South West of England and is a beautiful and colourful city. It has its own culture which I’ve not like I’ve ever seen anywhere it else. Bristol loves everything and everyone and has a small town feel but in big city scope. It’s only an hour and a half away from London by train and once you get off at Temple Meads everything you could need is literally a walk away. The harbour, the history, the street art, the parks, the bars and the shopping it makes it an ideal destination for all.

I’ve heard recently that Bristol produces more hot air balloons than anywhere else in the world so it seems only fitting that it is also home to one of the largest hot air balloon events in Europe. I mean Cameron Balloons has been based in Bristol since 1971 and the main man behind Cameron’s Balloon, Don Cameroon developed the first hot air balloon and aptly called it the Bristol Belle. Cameron Balloons are said to be the largest maker of hot balloons within the world and have been pushing boundaries ever since by focusing on creating new and creative ways to travel through the sky be it with funny shapes to more technical features of aerodynamics.

The Wandering Darlings- Bristol Balloon Fiesta — Cameron Balloons

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta was first started in 1979 and is always located at the Ashton Court Estate. The timings have changed over the years and it is now always in August and runs over 4 days. As with anything in England you can never rely on the weather, however, August is generally a more favourable month with less rain and wind. The best part of the fiesta is that is a free event. Yes, you heard right FREE. Sure you have to pay for parking and for any food and drinks but you can attend completely for free. Trust me Bristol does love a free festival (you should come in July for the Harbour Festival- yep you guessed it also FREE)

Every day during the fiesta there is a mass ascent in the morning and again in the evening. These mass ascents can include over 130 balloons all taking flight at the same time. Depending on the wind sometimes this can take the balloons right over the city centre. Night glows are on the Thursday and Saturday nights when the balloons are tethered and lit up dancing to the music also. There is also usually a firework display after the night glow on saturday. There is also festival feel at Long Ashton with fairground rides, food stalls and a whole lotta balloons.

Over the years there has been all sorted of balloons. All the colours of the rainbow and also lots of creative shapes from a Sky Whale, a minion, a kiwi bird, the house from Up to a Bertie Bassett.

This year was the first time, in the 11 years that I got my butt out of bed at the crack of dawn (5 am!) to go and watch to the morning ascent. My gosh was it a good decision.

We opted to watch from the Observatory in Clifton. This way we had balloons, Bristol and the Clifton Suspension Bridge all in our eye line. A few 100 people had the same idea. Some in their PJs, some hadn’t made it home from their Saturday night yet, breakfast picnics, balloon inspired sweaters and mugs of tea. All there to just watch some balloons. And when I say a ‘some’ balloons I mean like at least 100 balloons.

Calming, simple fight but with such beauty

It was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday morning. We’ve previously watched the night ascent from another vantage point in the city. On Bedminster Downs, you have the perfect view of the festival and can see the balloons being inflated and ready to launch. There are lots of grassy areas where you can sit and have a picnic and in recent years food trucks have also been showing up there so you don’t even need to bring your own.

No matter whether you watch the fiesta from the higher vantage points of the city to low on the ground at the fiesta it is well worth treating yourself to a trip to Bristol in August just to witness this truly spectacular display.

Bristol is a great city to visit and even outside of this festival. Surprisingly I’ve not blogged too much about my home away from home (which I will rectify) however in the meantime if you want to read some more reasons to visit Bristol check out the blogs and websites below.

https://apostcardhomeblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/9-bristol-festivals-you-need-to-attend/

https://wandereroftheworld.co.uk/25-ways-to-have-the-best-summer-in-bristol/

http://visitbristol.co.uk/

http://www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/

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