The ramblers set off at a leisurely pace and were almost immediately introduced to the statue of John Cabot, discoverer of Nova Scotia in 1495 when he set sail from Bristol, and, as they say, the rest is history!
We proceded over the Prince Street swing bridge and Bathurst Basin to the Redcliffe caves where we were informed of their history before arriving at the beautiful St Mary's of Redcliffe church (photo above). Proceeding to Temple Meads railway station brought the inevitable discussion about Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his engineering feats in developing the Great Western railway from Paddinton to the western reaches of Cornwell. A short walk through the 'back door' of the station and we discovered Bristol's Canary Wharf, a prestigious modern business centre housing the regional headquarters of many of the major businesses of the country.
A walk along the harbourside and Castle Park took us back over the swing bridge and to Jay and Anup's beautiful home in the converted old General Hospital where Jan warmly welcomed us with Mulled Wine, a finger buffet and a tasty chicken curry.
Dennis Vittel thanked Jan and Anup for their hospitality - and Jonathan for providing a really interesting walk. No matter how often we visit the harbour there is always something new to see or learn about it.