Sightseeing in Bristol ft. Paper Bag Co *

GIFTED | Living in The Cotswolds I have my fair share of cities to choose from for a shopping trip or a bit of sightseeing. From Bath to Oxford and Bristol to Cardiff, I really am spoilt choice. So when I heard the creators of The Selfie Bag (Cotton Bag Co / Paper Bag Co) had created a local bag range, I jumped at the chance to sample one.

The local bags range showcases towns and cities in the South West area and come in five designs, including two of my favourite cities – the beautiful city of Bath and the bustling harbourside city of Bristol – which are both a stone’s throw away from me.

Admittedly I was torn between the designs but was plesantly surprised when the Bristol bag* arrived in my letterbox; I simply love the design. The bag has an off white background with colourful artwork showcasing some of Bristol’s most famous events and landmarks.

It was designed by Overt Design, a local company, which I think adds to the charm of these bags.

Sightseeing in Bristol

I decided to head to Bristol with my new local city bag to snap some photos of the landmarks featured on it, and to see what people thought of the design. The reactions were great; I certainly didn’t feel like a tourist wearing it and one couple said it was very ‘Bristolian’. Which was lovely to hear. 😊

Bristol city is a short drive from us so we headed down there a couple of weekends ago, but with great rail connections, it is also so easy to travel there by public transport.

We parked up and started off near Bristol aquarium and ‘We are Curious’ (formally AT-Bristol) which is a science centre and home to the Planetarium.

If you’ve ever been to Bristol you may have seen the large silver orb in the square adjacent to the science centre and that is where the Planetarium is. That silver orb is also one of the landmarks featured on the Bristol city bag (middle right).

The bag itself is very sturdy and managed to take the weight of our lunch, bottles of water and the little shopping we did. The only drawback (as with the selfie bag) was the length of the straps due to my small frame, so keep this in mind if you’re also petite. Aaron on the otherhand, had no issues.

We sat near the Planetarium to eat our lunch before heading to the harbourside and, of course played a little Pokemon Go as we walked.

The harbourside is a lovely walk and if you’re able, I’d highly recommend exploring Bristol on foot. It’s a very colourful city, from the sculptures (like the giant boy shown below) to the houses that line the hillside by the harbour.

As we walked around the harbourside we soon found ourselves at two of Bristol’s historic ships – the Matthew of Bristol and Brunel’s HMS Great Britain.

Bristol’s harbourside is surrounded by pubs and even pub boats which are great to stop at for a quick drink or a bite to eat; especially in the Summer months. We also saw a couple of party boats cruising up the River Avon as we walked by, which looked like a lot of fun.

As we walked along the River Avon the weather made a turn for the worse and even worse still as we approached The Clifton Suspension Bridge, so no more blue sky’s, which made such a difference to the photos! Just look at that grey sky. 🙁 But we still had a great day and it was lovely to see a different view of the bridge. I’ve walked along it on a previous trip which I’d highly recommend, for stunning views of the River Avon.

We had planned to stop at Za Za Bazaar for dinner but they were fully booked until 9pm, something to keep in mind if you’re travelling to Bristol at peak times (in this case a Saturday). For those that aren’t aware Za Za Bazaar is an all you can eat buffet restaurant showing a wide range of cuisines.

Since Za Za was out, we headed to Five Guys in Cabot’s Circus instead, which is one of the main shopping areas in Bristol – it’s worth it for their Primark store alone!

On our walk there we passed Bristol Cathedral and walked through St Nicholas Market, another couple of places I’d recommend visiting if you’re ever in Bristol.

Bristol Cathedral boasts some stunning architecture, a lovely cafe and some quaint gardens, while St Nicholas Market showcases a great range of independent retailers which vary depending on the day of the week (Saturday being the flea market).

Aaron had never been to a Five Guy’s burger bar but said the food was delicious and worth the wait. 🙂 With our bellies full we took one last stroll around the harbourside before heading home.

Have you ever been to Bristol? What do you think of the city bag? Let me know in the comments. 😊

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* I was sent this item for review but all opinions are my own.