Wednesday 13^th August         BRISTOL  -  SEVERN ESTUARY  -  FILTON  -  STOKE GIFFORD

This morning dawned fine but very overcast and hazy in the city; thankfully a much lower maximum temperature of only 26 degrees was the forecast for today, after 33 yesterday. Our flat had stayed nice and cool overnight, though, thanks to the gale force fan in the lounge room blowing enough air around!

For our last full day in Bristol, Lex wanted to start early by going down to the waterside of the Severn Estuary to see the scenery. We navigated through the winding streets of the city centre, and along the Avon Riverside under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. From there, there was the usual nightmare of complicated roundabout after complicated roundabout, so several wrong turns along the way. We also discovered that it’s very hard to find a vantage point along the Severn. Scotland gives tourists lots of viewing points to pull up and park in, but England just doesn’t seem to. Anyway, near Portishead, I found a pub, the Windmill Inn, with a parking area behind it, so we were able to pull up there and look across the Severn at Wales – what we could see. It was still very hazy and cloudy. We could just make out the Severn River bridge in the distance.                                            

                          We drove through some very picturesque villages with scary roads.

             Near Portishead: I swear that is the coast of Wales and the Severn Bridge there!

After this, we set a course for our main excursion of the day – Aerospace, the museum of aero engineering manufacturing in Bristol, on the old airfields at Filton. As it was now well after ten, we had morning tea in the cafe first before getting our tickets and heading in. They were 22 pounds each, so not cheap. Our first port of call was the purpose-built hanger where they store their star attraction – the last Concorde to fly. These supersonic planes were the fastest passenger planes ever, and flew just below space. They flew from 1969 until 2003, but passengers declined dramatically after the crash in France in 2000 which killed everyone on board. (Not surprisingly, really.) It actually seemed strange to me that there was no mention anywhere in the museum of that crash – maybe because it was a French Concorde? The British ones were built in Filton, so this one was brought home to stay, and they are very proud of it. We got to go into the cabin and look into the cockpit – it all looks very simple compared to today’s planes, but of course it was the height of luxury then. It was certainly something to see. It’s also really not a big plane, compared to the monsters which fly us on the major routes today – the Concorde only held 100 pampered passengers. It definitely catered to the luxury market.

                                   We found Space Grommit - the Beagle has landed! 

                                                Lex with the last Concorde.

         Several of the volunteers here worked on Concorde, and are still quite misty-eyed about her.

                                                 Seen from the upper viewing deck.

Next we went back to the main museum, which is located in a heritage listed hangar from WWI. Bristol was pretty much the hot spot for aero inventions during that war, which caused a massive acceleration in aero technology and plane development. They had real and reproduction aircraft and models, and traced the development of flying right through last century, two world wars, the cold war and the space race. It took several hours to look at it all.

               Bristol Scout in the foreground; Bristol F2B Fighter in the background.                                                               Both are replicas built by RAF and Rolls Royce apprentices.

                                        Harrier Jump Jet

                            Twin-rotor helicopter

                                             Hubble Space Telescope

After this, we looked for a pub for lunch, and settled on The Beaufort Arms in the nearby suburb of Stoke Gifford. It was only a few miles away, but due to traffic works, it took us at least 20 minutes to get there. It was worth it, anyway – it was a nice, friendly pub looking out onto what would once have been a village green. We both had macaroni cheese, and Lex had the soup as well.

                                                  The Beaufort Arms

                                        Still very grey and hazy heading back into the city.

Then we headed home for a rest and to pack – tomorrow we are off to Plymouth, and Glen is coming to join us for the weekend. After that, we’ll have two days in Salisbury, a bit over a week in London, then home (via Dubai). Much sorting and repacking is needed. It does look as though the warmer weather is here for a while, but I’m not quite ready to take all my expendable winter clothes off to the op shop just yet!

                                Clifton Suspension Bridge seen from the roadway below.

Lex went for two walks before tea; once to go to the Tesco's Express and get a few groceries, and then he had a drink at one of the local pubs. Tea was a chicken and vege stir fry that was actually very tasty.  Here are some of the lovely Bristol buildings he passed on his way.

                                    Note the unicorn on the building on the right!