Bristol

Bristol is both a city and a ceremonial county in South West England. It is also a unitary authority. It is the sixth largest city in England and the eight largest city in the UK by population. It is bounded by the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset and is neighbours with the historic city of Bath. It was built around the River Avon and has coastline onto the Severn Estuary, leading into the Bristol Channel.

Bristol was a successful city for hundreds of years between the 13th and 19th centuries, mainly due to its ship building industry, but after the second world war it suffered from some poor city planning which left it a tired shell of an industrial city.

However in recent years it has turned this around completely to become one of the creative hubs of the UK, leading the way in arts, fashion and music.

From Massive Attack to Portishead, to local boy turned art superstar Banksy, Bristol is an exciting place to live and visit these days. From fantastic restaurants to a vibrant nightlife and from excellent art galleries to some world-class museums there is almost too much to do in Bristol. From the moment you arrive at the outskirts of the city and cross over the awesome Clifton Suspension Bridge (designed by Isambad Kingdom Brunel and spanning the beautiful Avon Gorge), innovation is the keyword.

Once in Bristol itself there is a fine balance between its industrial heritage and the modern creative city it has become, from the spectacular British Empire and Commonwealth Museum narrating five hundred years of British exploration and imperialism to the City Museum and the City Art Gallery; and from the waterways of the south area of the city to the impressive Bristol Cathedral, the past is ever-present in Bristol.

Should you want to get out and about you can use Bristol as a base to explore the nearby Georgian townscape (and World Heritage Site) of Bath, or the green Avon Valley, or even head over to the awesome Cheddar Gorge.