Boating Holidays in the Bristol area

Pictures from the area - Bristol

Located in Southwestern England is the scenic seaport of Bristol. The city is definitely worth a visit when going on a boating holiday in this area. Here the river Avon cuts its way through the limestone cliffs making you wonder if you’re actually sailing on a river in Southern Europe. One of the grand monuments to see here is the Clifton suspension bridge spanning between to cliffsides above the river Avon. The view of Bristol from here is simply magnificent. Upon your return to the city you should make sure to take some time to explore the narrow streets and alleyways that is so characteristic for this old seaport. It was from here that Italian explorer known as John Cabot in English sailed out to cross the Atlantic. He was one of the first Europeans to explore mainland North America since the Vikings.  

The Romans tried for many years to establish their rule over Britannia as they called the UK. Eventually they succeeded in ruling most of modern England but being so far from Rome the countryside isn’t left with as many ruins from Roman times as elsewhere in Europe. Except for one delightful place, Bath in Southern England. As the name implies the city was home to one of the popular Roman baths which exploited the thermic springs in the area. Because of this Bath has been popular spa city attracting many people ever since. Today you can explore the remains of the Roman baths in the morning before taking the afternoon off to relax in the modern thermal baths. If you prefer to explore the city, then Bath is also a great place to study Georgian architecture such as the Royal Crescent or The Circus. You can also take walk across Pulteney Bridge built in 1774. The bridge was inspired by the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence.  

The Caen (pronounced cane) Hill Lock Flight is the only of the 7 wonders of the British waterways that you’ll see south of the area stretching from Northern Wales to Leeds in Northern England. But this wonder definitely deserves its spot on the list. It was built as the final part of the scenic Kennet & Avon Canal in 1810. It consists of 29 locks spread over a 3 km stretch. During this stretch the boats are raised or lowered a stunning 72 meters. It is a very special experience sail through, especially the 16 locks that comes one after the other with small ponds next to them. If you want to travel through all 29 locks on your boat, you need to set aside quite some time. It can take up to 6 hours to pass them all. If you’d rather admire the wonder from the banks, you can moor your boat nearby and hike on the tracks running right along the locks.   

At the end of the engineering masterpiece of Caen Hill Lock Flight you’ll reach the historic market town of Devizes. The town has a colourful medieval past and the architectural legacy in the city is quite big with more than 500 buildings listed as protected buildings. As a market town the market square has always played a huge role in the city. In the beginning of the 18th century Devizes became the home of the largest corn market in Western England. This caused breweries to be established here and today you can enjoy nice tour of the Wadworth brewery established in 1875. If you feel like taking a small trip outside the town there is less than 30 minutes of driving to reach the famous stone circle of Stonehenge. Otherwise we can recommend taking some time to just stroll through Devizes while enjoying the atmosphere.