On the Trail of Cabot (Bristol, U.K.)

On The Trail of Cabot, (Bristol, U.K.)

Having been on the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, we were naturally drawn to the place from where John Cabot sailed on his way to the New World, back in 1497.

Bristol is a beautiful city through which the River Avon flows. (This is popularly known as the Bristol Avon to distinguish it from the other 8 rivers in the U.K. which bear the same name - and is different from the Warwickshire Avon, better known for its course through Shakespearean country). It was good to see so many barges moored to the quayside as we crossed one of the many bridges that span the river system.

This morning, we made our way to Brandon Hill, as the Cabot Tower is to be found at the summit. The tower was opened in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage from Bristol to Newfoundland in 1497.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the tower affords some magnificent views of the city, with the surrounding hills as a stunning background.

The spiral stairs, very narrow in some places, provided us with our exercise for the day as we were determined to climb to the top. Luckily, we had the tower to ourselves and were not met by anyone either on the way up, or on the way down!

We were pleased to see that Canada got a mention and we looked in the direction of our homeland with a little bit of pride in our hearts!

On the way down, we espied a lovely four-legged friend who let us pet her. Lilly was very friendly, and reminded us of another Lilly, back home in Elliot Lake!

After spending time at the tower, we walked down to the Avon and strolled along the quayside, stopping to admire the replica of 'The Matthew' - the sailing ship used by John Cabot to cross the Atlantic.

It was interesting to see a few shops that had been built into the quay walls, including restaurants and hair salons.

Although this is a flying visit to Bristol, we're hoping to get to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge tomorrow, along with the S.S. Great Britain - both built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In his time, "he built dockyards, the Great Western Railway" (along part of which we had traveled from Dorchester to Bristol the day before), "a series of steamships (including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels)." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel)

Bristol is well worth a visit for anyone traveling in the south-western part of the U.K.