Tag: Temple Meads

Bristol, not at all what I’d expected – first published 7 August 2014

The morning after Commando Senior’s funeral I was up at the ungodly hour of five getting ready to catch a train to Bristol. It’s a city I’ve never visited and, from the bit of Googling I’d done, it seemed there would be lots to interest a history freak like me. After all it was founded at some time before the end of the first millennium and left Gloucestershire to become a county in its own right as long ago as 1373. There was a Norman Castle, one of the strongest in Southern England and parts of this, along with the medieval walls, and churches remain today. Continue reading Bristol, not at all what I’d expected – first published 7 August 2014

Bristol, churches a castle and laughing on the train

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We knew we’d been riding our luck weather wise but there was still a little more of Bristol we wanted to see before we returned to Temple Meads. None of it was graffiti related but it was, broadly, on the way to the station. When I’d been looking at Google Maps plotting out our route I’d noticed a place called Castle Park and, what looked to be the remains of a castle. Who knew Bristol even had a castle? As it was close to the city centre it seemed too good to miss even if it did add a little bit to our walk back to the station. Continue reading Bristol, churches a castle and laughing on the train

From Temple Meads to Spike Island

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2 September 2015

When I first heard about Banksy’s rather bizarre pop up ‘bemusement’ park, Dismaland I knew CJ would want to see it. Let’s face it I wanted to see it myself. The pictures I’d seen made me smile and I immediately got the tongue in cheek concept of an alternative theme park with miserable mouse eared staff and grotesque exhibits, another ironic Banksy comment on our society of greed and sensationalism. Research told me it would be easy enough to get to, although the journey would be long. Unfortunately, so would the queues. Some said the four hour wait was all part of Banksy’s master plan, an echo of the normal theme park experience. Even CJ agreed a three hour journey, followed by a four hour queue then another three hour journey didn’t sound like much fun, so I decided to come up with an alternative. Continue reading From Temple Meads to Spike Island