Top 5 places to visit near Bristol
Guidebook author, Jackie Strachan, chooses her top 5 places to visit from Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset.
Severn collier, Purton Hulks ship graveyard
PURTON HULKS SHIP GRAVEYARD
I’d already heard of this place, but even so, nothing had quite prepared me for the strange sight of rusty old pipes, weathered rudders and sun-bleached timbers seemingly erupting directly out of the earth. These are the remains of vessels of all kinds, deliberately beached, and now filled with silt, to shore up the bank of the Severn which is perilously close to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal here.
Mells Village Shop, Post Office & Café
MELLS
I love this delightful village near Frome for its pretty main street, great gastro pub the Talbot and beautiful seasonal Walled Garden with plant nursery and café. But it's the church with its many surprising artistic connections that was a total revelation, with works by Lutyens, Eric Gill, Burne-Jones among others, not to mention the presence of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon in the churchyard.
Somerset Rural Life Museum
SOMERSET RURAL LIFE MUSEUM
In the shadow of Glastonbury Tor, this excellent museum depicts rural life from the 1800s onwards, with exhibits both inside and out on rural trades and working the land. The well-laid out galleries are full of tools and equipment, with exhibits on farm and village life. I enjoyed it all but particularly the wonderfully evocative photos from when the past definitely was a different country.
Sheep Hurdle Stack
PRIDDY
I like this village deep in the Mendips first and foremost for its sheep hurdle stack on the village green that could have come straight out of a Thomas Hardy novel. The Queen Victoria pub is all flagstone floors and low beams, just perfect, while places to explore nearby include Priddy Pools (SSSI), the weird ‘gruffy’ ground of the Mineries, the legacy of lead mining, Stockhill Wood and ancient Neolithic sites.
Chepstow Bridge
CHEPSTOW BRIDGE
Built in 1816, this graceful iron bridge straddling the Wye looks beautiful shining in the sun on a summer evening. The river bank here is a great place for a short walk, perhaps stopping off in one of the pubs with a view across to England and the Gloucester Hole. One year I saw the weird Mari Lwyd wassail procession which meets the English contingent on the bridge. Great fun.
Discover more places to visit in Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset.
This guidebook is packed with ideas for great days out within an hour or so’s drive, with suggestions to suit your mood, schedule and starting point. From the Mendip Hills and Somerset Levels, to South Wales, the southern Cotswolds, the Coast and its resorts. This guide will help you explore what is on the doorstep or to venture further afield along paths less travelled.
