After flying into Bristol's airport I cycle towards downtown Bristol (population 450,000). In the distance I see the world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon river (it's low tide).
Completed in 1864, the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge crosses the Avon Gorge. It has been a toll bridge since its opening. Think about the engineering skills needed to complete this structure over 155 years ago.
Over four million vehicles a year use this bridge with a crossing costing one pound (about $1.25). No charge if you're a pedestrian, cyclist or on a horse. In 1979 Clifton Bridge takes credit for the first modern bungee jump. At night the bridge is lit up and it's beautiful! Unfortunately Clifton Bridge is also known as a suicide bridge with 127 people falling to their deaths between 1974-1993.
Bristol took its dilapidated docks lining the river and reinvented itself.
Now, housing, restaurants and businesses call this thriving riverfront area home.
Another view of Bristol's riverfront. Bristol lies about 100 miles due west of London.
And one last view of Bristol's riverfront.
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol's city hall
I like this old building in Bristol's city center.
Cardiff (population 362,000) is the capital and largest city in Wales. The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is part of the fortified walls encircling Cardiff Castle.
A few miles from Cardiff's city center stands Cardiff bay. Back in the 1980's they took this rundown area and transformed it into a tourist destination.
Still in Cardiff bay, the gold dome building to the left of the ferris wheel is a concert hall and to the right of the ferris wheel stands Wales's parliament building.
I had to visit Salisbury (population 40,000) due to its recently being named the best city in Britain to live in.
It's market day in Salisbury and the place is bustling with shoppers and tourists.
This is Salisbury Cathedral. I learn from a local that any place with a cathedral is designated a city. He mentions this because there's a place (don't remember the name) with only 2,000 inhabitants but, is designated a city due to having a cathedral.
Locals in Salisbury swimming, having a pint or, just hanging out along a bike path.
Visiting Southampton (population 250,000) turned into a problem. My original plan was to spend the night in Salisbury but, after spending four hours cycling around Salisbury's city center and suburbs I decided I had seen everything and it was only 4 PM. One of my favorite things to do in a city is going for a long walk after dinner. Since it doesn't get dark until 10 PM I many times wander the streets for three hours. I couldn't see doing that in Salisbury so I went to the train station and hopped on the next train to Southampton.
Being a major port and also home port to some of the world's largest cruise ships I figured there would be plenty to see in Southampton. I'm loathe to make hotel reservations because I like to have maximum flexibility. Sometimes I get to a city and it's disappointing so I move on---you can't cancel hotel bookings at the last minute anymore. I have a list of all the cities I'm traveling through and two or three hotels I'd be interested in spending the night. Anyway, I arrive in Southampton at 6 PM and guess what, nary a single room is be found in the city. Jeez, I should have thought this through, it's Saturday night in mid-summer (July) in a popular waterfront city with weather in the mid-80's. It's called supply and demand.
At one hotel the clerk checked his computer for rooms in nearby cities and announced the coastal resort Bournemouth was showing three hotel rooms left in the city. I rushed to the train station and hopped on a train. It's an hour train ride and to make a long story short---at 8 PM at night I got the last room in Bournemouth, population 180,000. Bournemouth is a summer hotspot with almost seven miles of sandy beaches.
My original plan was to spend the next week cycling along England's southern coast. But, with the great weather I realized any beachfront town will be packed with beach-goers and booked up. Extensive touring over the years has taught me to be flexible. So, I'll probably return to this area sometime in the future--during the off-season. London here I come.
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