Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
filmed here in 1966, and the 15th-century
Dower House,
used as Rex Harrison's
residence in the movie, is one of Castle Combe's most attractive buildings. In 2009
the village provided the creepy backdrop for Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins
in
Wolfman,
while Steven Spielberg shot most of
War Horse
here in 2010.
Located 12 miles northeast of Bath, Castle Combe is reached by taking the A46
north 6 miles to the A420, then heading east to Ford and following the signs north to
Castle Combe. From Lacock, take the A350 north to Chippenham; then get on the
A420 west and follow the signs.
BRISTOL
120 miles W of London; 13 miles NW of Bath
Bristol, the West Country's largest city (pop. 433,000), is a medieval port that has
reinvented itself as a dynamic cultural center in the last few decades, home not just
to a reinvigorated downtown but a host of pop icons, from 1990s “trip-hop” bands
such as Tricky, Massive Attack, and Portishead, to irreverent graffiti artist Banksy and
the risqué teenage UK TV series
Skins.
Linked to the sea by 7 miles of the navigable River Avon, Bristol has long been rich
in seafaring traditions. In 1497, Venetian John Cabot sailed from Bristol and was the
first European to “discover” North America (at Newfoundland) since the Vikings. The
city's most celebrated sights were built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the Victorian
era: the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS
Great Britain.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Bristol Airport
(
&
0871/334-4444;
www.bristolairport.
co.uk) is conveniently situated beside the A38, a little more than 7 miles from the
city center. The
Bristol Airport Flyer
bus (flyer.bristolairport.co.uk; £7 adults,
£6 children) runs to the city bus station and the Temple Meads station (30 min.)
every 10 minutes.
Frequent train services from London's Paddington Station run to Temple Meads,
in the center of Bristol, and to Parkway, on the city's northern outskirts. The trip takes
1
3
⁄
4
hours and costs £13 to £28.
If you're driving, head west from London on the M4. The Park and Ride scheme
is the hassle-free way to visit for the day; parking is free (follow the signs from the
motorway) and buses into the center cost £2.50 to £3.50 round-trip.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Bristol's
Tourist Information Centre
is at E Shed,
1 Canon's Rd. (
&
0906/711-2191;
www.visitbristol.co.uk). It's next to the Water-
shed Media Centre on Harbourside. Hours are daily from 10am to 5pm (10am-6pm
Apr-Sept).
ORGANIZED TOURS
Guided 2-hour
walking tours
are conducted on Satur-
days at 11am from April to September. They cost £3.50 per person and depart from
the Beetle sculpture at Anchor Square. Consult the Tourist Information Centre (see
above) for more information. Or you can don an eye patch and join a 2-hour walking
tour led by
Pirate Pete
(
&
07950/566483;
www.piratewalks.co.uk; £6 adults,
£3.50 children), Saturday and Sunday at 2pm starting at the Beetle sculpture; Pete
will tell you all about notorious Bristol residents like Blackbeard.
City Sightseeing
(
&
0906/711-2191;
www.citysightseeingbristol.co.uk) runs open-top bus tours of
the city mid-March to October (£10 adults plus one free child).
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