Cabot Tower is a tower in Bristol, England, situated in a public park on Brandon Hill, between the…read morecity centre, Clifton and Hotwells. It is a grade II listed building. The tower was built in the 1890s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to land which later became Canada. It makes for a pleasant walk through the park, although a steep climb if you go to the top.. Lovely views of Bristol once you are there.

When I asked where we were going, I was told to see the Folly. Who doesn't love a good folly? Turns…read moreout my friend was talking about Cabot Tower. The park surrounding the tower is lovely, even a dreary November day. The tower allows great views of the city. The only problem is getting up and down on a busy Sunday. The steps are narrow and I may have slipped and thought I was going to die. Definitely worth a tour around and hopefully you won't have to pass folks on the stairs as you go up and down.

Gloucester Road is my favourite street in Bristol, particularly because I include Stokes Croft and…read moreCheltenham Road in with it as well - one road leads into the next, so I figure what the hell. Reputed to be the home of the longest stretch of independent shops in Europe, this two mile plus road offers an awful lot to so very many. It's cosmopolitan and it's cool, riddled with graffiti and just a little bit decadent. It harbours the vast majority of Bristol's most creatively active individuals and groups. It's not as grand as some of the more famous shopping streets in Bristol, but what it lacks in notoriety it makes up for in liveliness and heart. This is where the passionate people and free-thinkers like to hang out. There's plenty of cafes to visit during the day and some great pubs and music venues to frequent at night. The quality of what is on offer is usually pretty high. I'd trade ten Whiteladies Roads for one Gloucester Road, and if they attempt to gentrify Stokes Croft, I might just have to leave town.

This very long, wiggly, busy street in North Bristol is one of the most interesting and most useful…read moreshopping districts in the city. If you're visiting Bristol and wondering where the best shops are, it's worth setting aside a day or afternoon to tackle this whole street, because it's a seemingly endless stretch of great clothes shops, cafes, charity shops, bars, organic foodshops, and everything else in between. Of course, if you're lucky enough to be a local, you'll gradually use each and every shop along Gloucester Road just by virtue of having it on your doorstep. That's what I mean by it being a useful shopping district: it's not just market-style shopping that you can do here; it's also "ordinary" high street shopping, because there's a Post Office, a Boots, a Somerfield, a Tesco, and several pound shops. It's not stuck up, Gloucester Road, and manages to accommodate the more arty, vintage and organic shops as well as providing the basics. Shop highlights for me from Gloucester Road are The Breadstore (and you can probably guess what they sell there), the large second hand bookshop Books For Amnesty, Shanti Fabrics, which sells all sorts of lovely ethnic throws and cushion covers, and Scoopaway, where you can happily lose an hour just deciding which of the lovely dried fruits, seeds and nuts you want to scoop up and take home. As for somewhere to relax, drink or eat, you have umpteen options on this road. My recommendations are, for Spanish roadside bar-style refreshments, Cafe Delight, and for upmarket stylish gastro-pub fare, Robin Hood's Retreat. Good for drinking: the Price of Wales pub. One niggle about Gloucester Road: trying to get across it is infuriating, and quite dangerous, as there just aren't enough pedestrian crossings and the road is wiggly so cars tend to fly around corners just as you start crossing. Best avoid crossing altogether by going all the way up one side of the road seeing all the shops there, then going all the way back down the other!

Bristol University's music department is a prominent feature at the top of the triangle on Queens…read moreStreet. The grandeur of the building is put to use for other purposes - concerts, open-days, graduation ceremonies, and ball venues. The epitome of Bristol's wealth and propriety, this changes when student celebrations are in full-swing. A common sight is of students jumping into the fountains at the front of the steps, splashing around in the water and even being so rebellious as to pour washing-up liquid into the water. There are lots of rooms of various sizes and this makes it a perfect venue for almost any occasion. The building is mainly host to concerts and recitals, but I had my end of first year prom here. A large but cosy dining room for dinner, a room fit for dancing and a two smaller, connecting-rooms to hold a casino night.

Bristol University's music department is housed in this stunning Victorian building at the top of…read morepark street, where the route splits between Clifton and Whiteladies Road. With the fountains and sculptures adorning its front facade, it is an imposing building to add to a list of impressive architecture in Bristol. Inside, there are two large recital rooms that serve as the concert hall for both the students who study here and a range of independent music performances, from classical superstars to the local Bristol Schools Orchestra. There's also a wide variety of teaching rooms. The university only turned this into the music department in 1996, but the building was purpose built in 1842 for the use of music. There are tours available through the University, or alternatively just buy a ticket to one of the concerts, but the Victoria Rooms is a Bristol asset that is definitely worth appreciating.

Worth a visit if you are in the area. The suspension bridge is quite majestic especially if you see…read moreit from the woods there. You can also travel across it by car for one pound, aswell as walk across it. The area around is located In Clifton which has beautiful houses and parks and walks around. There is an observation tower which also offers great views aswell as a cafe..

It's a must visit if you're in Bristol ,the area is so beautiful,the views is gorgeousread more

This is Bristol's uber landmark - along with the suspension bridge and cabot tower, you could pop…read morethem all on a postcard and have a pretty good tourist notion of Brizzle. I'm quite a fan of this tower. It was begun in 1915, and finally completed in 1925, to commemorate Henry Overton Wills, the first chancellor of Bristol University and whose family were the owners of Bristol Tobacco, and as such were very wealthy. The architect, Sir George Oatley, was told to 'build to last', which he certainly has done. In a neo gothic style, the building dominates the Bristol skyline in a majestic way. On Open Doors day every summer there's a an opportunity to go inside the the tower for free. It is, without doubt, the highest point in Bristol and the view is just phenomenal from the top. It's not just a view though, as you can get up close to the massive bell that chimes each hour, and stand in the bell room as it does so (don't worry, they give you ear plugs, which you'll definitely need!). If you miss out on the open doors day, there's a guide who does a tour on the first tuesday of every month, I believe, though this won't be free but well worth the visit.

Now that it's free of all that scaffolding, Wills Memorial Building is once again standing bright…read moreand proud at the top of Park Street, hosting Bristol University graduations (including mine a few years ago!), exams (again, including mine!), and other grand university ceremonies. It's also got some teaching space here, particularly for the Law students, which is why you'll see many students hanging about here during the day. The patch of green in front of the building is a great place for a picnic, though not particularly quiet or peaceful, given that it's near the busy Triangle and that you'll be surrounded by gossipy undergrads. I came to sit here on my first visit to Bristol when I was looking around the university. I spilt a whole cup of boiling tea on my foot and it swelled up monstrously. I considered myself well and truly physically branded by my Bristol experience, and therefore decided to take up the offer to study here! The Memorial Building is truly beautiful inside; a big cathedral with vast stained glass windows. Walking up the big flight of steps inside really does provide that lovely feeling of hushed awe.

This full-size replica of a Tudor merchant ship is based in Bristol, although it's very much a…read more'working' vessel that disappears off on harbour tours for tourists, and offshore sailing cruises from March to September. It's an exact copy of the ship that John Cabot and his crew set sail on for Asia more than 500 years ago, planning to trade goods there - although they actually ended up in North America! You can go on board the Matthew when it's moored in Bristol harbour next to the SS Great Britain, or you can join one of the trips - from one hour harbour tours to the regular fish & chip supper sails! They even do specials such as father's day breakfast cruises, so it's worth checking their website for up to date details. On board, you're given a bit of the ship's history, and in such an intimate space you can begin to imagine how cramped life would have been below board.

Regular readers will have already heard me lecture on John Cabot. Basically, he was a Portuguese…read moreman that sailed from Bristol and discovered the new world, landing at Newfoundland. A sources of local pride, he's had various things (shopping centres, schools, towers) named after him and also this replica of the ship he sailed in built. It's an eye opener to have a look round this boat - there's a big effort to make sure you pick up a bit of history when you visit. Also, it's just pretty amazing that he managed to get across the Atlantic at all in something like this, let alone for the first time. Enough of the history. They do offshore sailing (e.g. proper country to country voyages), which means the boats not always moored up in Bristol harbour. When they are in town they have have various different events going on, with education and corporate stuff featuring heavily. For the general tourist they have 'Fish and Ships' cruises. Here you get to go on a cruise around Bristol's docks, drink a bit of wine and have some chips. All very nice and a lovely way to see the sights of Bristol. At sixteen quid it isn't the cheapest of evenings. A good treat for someone that's interested in the history or just would like to get chauffeured round Bristol's docks.

This is art! This is one of my favourite Banksys!…read more It looks really real and I think, that people, who dontt know, that it is a grafitty, can think in the darkness, that is real...

Great street piece by Banksy, located on Upper Maudlin Street (opposite a Childrens Hospital) in…read moreBristol & worthy of seeking out when living or visiting Bristol if you have an interest in either of Banksy's work or street art generally. Someone has since painted in something different in the boy's hand & I think wire has been added by the owners to protect it a bit, but otherwise it's still looking pretty decent, probably because it's in a more awkward spot to get to, located above a rooftoop.

If you're in town and you want somewhere pleasant to get away from Broadmead, this is the spot for…read moreyou. Indeed, the thing I most associate this place with is grabbing a lunch time bite with some colleagues when I worked nearby. Due to its location it's not exactly a communal spot, and the layout, with lots of hills, flowerbeds and trees, means that unlike College Green, frisbee and footie games are unlikely to break out. It's a pleasant place though and big enough for you to grab a spot of your own, possibly with a view of the river.

Castle Park, a great place to escape from the hustle and bussle of broadmead. I found this delight…read moreafter getting bogged down in the christmas shopping mayhem, I was after a slice of tranquility then... bam! ... I arrived in castle park, the snow had settled and all was peaceful. Soon my eye was caught by a monuement standing out on the carpet of green and white (from the snow!), there stood this beautiful old derilict church, around the back of the church my eye was caught with a row of trees side by side, leading me down to a fountain at the end. I was sold, took a couple of snaps (see 'Snow hit' photo I uploaded) and Voilá!, my grandparents christmas present had been solved with a few clicks of my camera! Perfect in summer or winter, with the river so close on one side and shops on the other, it's like a link between relaxation and retail therapy.

St Vincent's Cave / Giant's Cave nr Clifton Observatory…read more Not something for those who are claustrophobic or fear heights - but that is of course also its charm - this is a great exploration to add on to your Clifton Down walk one day. William West (artist 1800s) built a tunnel (2000 feet long) from the Observatory to St Vincent's cave (historians claim it was both a chapel dating back to around 350 AD and place of refuge). Steeped in history, you will find your decent a sharp one as you hunch over to get through the rugged limestone passageway. The reward comes as the path opens to a 'balcony' carved out of the cliff with views of the Avon Gorge 250 feet below (and if you twist your neck the cliff top 90 feet above). It feels rustic, pure and of a bygone era and then you are transported back to reality as you climb back to the surface.

Beneath the Clifton Observatory, near the Suspension Bridge, a tunnel snakes down through the…read morelimestone to St Vincent's Cave, in the side of the Avon Gorge. From here, there are stunning views towards Leigh Woods and the Bridge, and 240 feet down to the River Avon and the road that runs alongside it. A platform with a chest-high modern railing allows you to walk out above thin air and see the floor of the Gorge through a grid beneath your feet. The gnarled cave opening was used as a chapel by the Romans in the 4th Century, and since that time has served both as a shrine and a place of refuge. Limited information is available in the Observatory. Entrance is 1 pound, and it is open every weekend during the day. Some tight turns and steep steps mean that the climb is not suitable for everyone.