Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : Bristol - October 2009

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Getting around

Bristol International Airport

Bus: The Bristol International Flyer connects the airport to Temple Meads Rail Station and Bristol Bus Station, with drop-off points around the city centre including Clifton. Services run every 15-20 minutes between 5am and 12.10am from Temple Meads. A return ticket costs €10/£7.
Taxi: A single journey from the airport to the city centre costs around €23/£16 and takes about 30 minutes.
Tourist information: The central tourist information is at Wildwalk-At-Bristol, Harbourside (tel. , visitbristol.co.uk).

CLIFTON

With Bristol’s sizeable student population back in town, Clifton is bustling again, especially mid-week.

Must eat – Fishers (35 Princess Victoria Street, tel. ) is a Clifton stalwart, serving up fresh fish, simply done. Go for the whole baked bream served with shallots, ginger and soy.

Must drink – Grab a garden seat at The Boston Tea Party (75 Park Street) and order a white hot chocolate – it’s like a hug in a cup.

Shop til you drop – Start at the village and work your way down to Park Street. The Clifton Arcade (Boyce’s Avenue) is good for vintage clothing and jewellery, antiques and offbeat art. Park Street is lined with independent boutiques. A lot of them cater for the (very) young – no surprise, given the closely looming campus – but try Cara (26 Park Street) for a capsule collection of well-made clothes and good shoes. It’s also home to grown-up chains such as Jigsaw (80 Park Street) and Noa Noa (77 Park Street). Finish at Bojo Brownz (10 Park Row) to get yourself a fluttery set of LVL lashes (lvl-lashes.co.uk).

HARBOURSIDE

Skip the bars and clubs near the fountains at weekends – when hen parties, stag dos and hordes of outof- towners descend – and spend a civilised Sunday here instead.

Sleep soundly – The new Radisson Blu Hotel Bristol (Broad Quay, tel. , radissonblu.co.uk, rooms from €86/£75) soars like a glacier over the harbourside. Rooms come in a striking modern palette, with candy striped linen and stunning city views as standard. If money’s no object, choose the Harbour Suite.

Culture vultures – Arnolfini (16 Narrow Quay) puts on a mixed bag of cultural events – dance, film, art and music. This month see Maja Delak’s Slovenian dance ensemble in Expensive Darlings (3 October) and Michael Pinchbeck’s latest work, The Post Show Party Show (30 October).

Must eat – The impeccable green credentials at Bordeaux Quay (VShed, Canons Way, tel. ) – organic, sustainable, local food, table water rendered from filtered rain – have won it plenty of plaudits since it opened three years ago. Bristol International Airport is located 16.5km from the city centre. Taxi A single journey from the airport to the city centre costs around €18/£15.50 and takes about 30 minutes. Bus The Bristol International Flyer connects the airport to Temple Meads Rail Station and Bristol Bus Station, with dropoff points around the city centre including Clifton. Services run every 15-20 minutes between 5am and 12.10am from Temple Meads. A return ticket costs €7,90/£6.80. Tourist office The main office is at Explore-at-Bristol, Harbourside (tel. , visitbristol.co.uk). The menu highlights the best of south-west England, with dishes such as Wye Valley asparagus with ham and pecorino, and a cheeseboard that can trace its provenance back to Dorset, Devon and Somerset.

A LITTLE FURTHER OUT… CASTLE COMBE

Just 20 miles outside Bristol, Castle Combe has been called “the prettiest village in England” – and with good reason. The sort of honeyed Cotswold gem rarely seen outside a Jilly Cooper novel, its chocolate-box looks have won it starring roles in movies such as Stardust and The Wolfman.

Sleep soundly – The Manor House Hotel (Castle Combe, tel. , manorhouse.co.uk, rooms from €143/£125) offers proof – if proof were needed – that the devil really is in the details. Seven sorts of pillow, handmade mattresses and homebaked lavender biscuits with hot milk at bedtime put this place in a class of its own. If you can, bag the Ludlow Suite, a self-contained cottage with a big open fireplace – perfect for curling up in front of on a long autumn evening.

Must eat – Regional produce is centre stage at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Bybrook Restaurant (tel. ). Try something unmuckedabout and English, such as slowcooked belly of pork with black pudding and shallot mashed potato, followed by caramelised apple terrine with prunes.

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley