Distance: 5km or about 3 miles
Start at the Bristol Cathedral which has been a place of worship since 1140. Up to 1900, there were roughly 1,000 people were buried or memorialised in the Cathedral and its grounds. Around 200 of them (20%) had a close connection to the slavery-based economy. If you have the time pop in and head first to the Chapter House were you can see the first uses of pointed arches in England. As Cathedrals go, this building has constantly changed with the two towers being built as late at the 1880’s. Once you have completed your tour of the Cathedral head across College Green to the main road. As you cross the green on your left you will see the impressive Bristol Council Offices and construction started in 1935 but got delayed by the Second World War and was completed in 1952, Guided tours are available.
You can download the walk here – https://www.bar-trek.com/crawl/714
At the road turn left and walk a little way to the bridge just past the bus stop. Cross over at the crossing point just past the Pizza shop on a wall you will see a famous piece of graffiti painted in 2006. Despite featuring nudity, it is the first legal piece of street art in the UK following a survey by Bristol City Council, resulting in retrospective permission and protection being granted. In order to get to the appropriate height and maintain the mural’s secrecy during its creation, scaffolding was erected against the wall, covered by tarpaulin. After three days, the council removed the scaffolding, discovering the artwork.
Now, head back to the bus stop and catch a bus (5 or 8) to Clifton Village. From the bus stop, turn left and walk back to Princess Victoria Street. Here you can grab a bit to eat before reaching our first pub. Walk down this busy street to the end, turn right up Sion Hill to the Lookout Lectern and a fantastic view of Clifton Suspension Bridge. Opened in 1864, the bridge is built to a design by William Henry Barlow and John Hawkshaw, based on an earlier design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Walk back down Sion Hill and on your left there is Caledonia Place, a late 18th-century terrace of 31 Georgian houses. Numbers 43 and 44 were converted into one in 1922 to form a bank.
In February 2015, following the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone by Bristol City Council, English Heritage advised the council that it should have sought listed building consent for the erection of parking restriction signs on railings outside listed buildings in the street.
Now lets head to first pub. Continue down Sion Hill into Wellington Terrace and the pub will appear on your left.
1. The Portcullis
3 Wellington Terrace, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4LE
This has been a pub since 1821 and apart from serving up to 4 cask ales, the Belgium Beer list is extensive. It is always popular with locals and tourists, I got there just after opening on a Friday and it was standing room only. I found out that it was because the food they serve is always good and people get here for lunch.
Exit and turn left down Wellington Terrace and at the end turn right onto York Gardens. Continue down this road as it changes into Granby Hill, like Rome, Bristol is built on seven hills. Then turn left into Hope Chapel Hill and about halfway down on your left is Hope Chapel. The chapel was founded by Lady Henrietta Hope and Lady Glenorchy after visiting the Georgian natural hot spa resort in 1784. The area we are in is named Hotwells from the hot springs which bubble up through the rocks of the Avon Gorge underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Lady Hope gave £2,500 towards the cost and Lady Glenorchy agreed to have it done. Lady Hope was ill and her friend decided to name it in her honour. However they both died in 1786 so it was Glenorchy’s executor that completed their wishes. It is said that they decided to build it after finding that the only place of worship was up a steep hill in Clifton.
Now, at the end cross over Hotwell Road and continue straight ahead to our next pub.
2. The Merchants Arms
5 Merchants Rd, Hotwells, Bristol BS8 4PZ
It is an unassuming pub from the outside but don’t let that put you off. This is a traditional free of tie community pub close to the Cumberland Basin waterfront selling mainly south-west cask conditioned ales plus a dark ale is usually available. It was the 2024 runner-up in the local CAMRA branch’s pub of the year for the second year running. They were pipped to the winning post by the quite brilliant Horseshoe but as that’s in Chipping Sodbury, it means the Merchants Arms is the best in the city itself. If you want decent beer and a pub that is not full of tourists then this is the one.
Now cross over Merchants Road turning right and follow the large stone wall under the road sign to the SS Great Britain. As you reach the end, notice the disused water fountain set in the wall. Now turn left into the Pumphouse Car Park and now we follow the quayside path to our next pub. The large basin is named the Floating Harbour because it has locks at either end to enable shipping to unload and load goods and not be reliant on the tide.
The harbour covers an area of 70 acres (28 hectares). It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out permanently. A tidal by-pass was dug for 2 miles through the fields of Bedminster for the river, known as the “River Avon New Cut”, “New Cut”, or simply “The Cut”. It is often called the Floating Harbour as the water level remains constant and it is not affected by the state of the tide on the river in the Avon Gorge, The New Cut or the natural river southeast of Temple Meads to its source.
3. The Grain Barge
Hotwell Rd, Bristol BS8 4RU
This moored barge was built in 1936 and started life as an engineless transport barge that carried barley and wheat from Bristol to Cardiff across the Severn Estuary. It is now moored opposite its original berth and was converted into a floating pub by the Bristol Beer Factory and they generally have the brewery’s full range. There are views of the SS Great Britain, the floating harbour and passing boats.
On leaving the Grain Barge, turn right and continue to follow the quayside. As the main road turns slightly left, we need to keep to the right and walk down Porto Quay to the bust of Samuel Plimsoll. Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship’s hull indicating the maximum safe draught, and therefore the minimum freeboard for the vessel in various operating conditions). In the 1920s, Plimsoll shoes were named for their similarity in appearance to the Plimsoll line on boats.
Head back to where you came and where the flats end, turn right doing a complete 180 degree turn and now walk along Hotwell Road to the roundabout. We need to be on the opposite side, so it’s best to be on the left side pavement and you should see our next pub.
4. Bag of Nails
141 St George’s Rd, Hotwells, Bristol BS1 5UW
This is Bristol’s famous ‘cat pub’ is a small and quirky free house in a Victorian terrace, featuring not only its many feline residents roaming free, but also glowing portholes in the wooden floor and an eclectic music mix played on a record player. Six changing cask ales are served, both from local breweries and elsewhere, usually including a dark beer. Great if you like cats, but there is sometimes a lingering smell of cat urine and cat food. However, there is a turntable playing a good selection of vinyl LP’s for background music. Not sure I would want to eat in there with the cats having the run of the place but it doesn’t stop the hoards of tourists enjoying themselves.
Exit and turn left and walk up St George’s Road passing the Three Tuns pub. Just past the pub the road veers slightly to the left, following this fork down the hill to our next pub. Pass a former pub called The Pineapple which is now flats.
5. The Lime Kiln
17 St George’s Rd, Bristol BS1 5UU
This is named after nearby Lime Kiln Dock, covered over in 1903, this unpretentious free house dispenses a constantly-changing range of six beers in a variety of styles, more during the frequent beer festivals. Beers are often unusual for the area but local breweries also feature. Next door is a grade II listed cottage also called Lime Kiln but the interior has been modified over the years into various types of restaurants. This pub was previously called the Horse and Groom. It is a back-to-basics pub, no frills boozer, which is great as it keeps most people away. The range and quality of the beer on offer is quite staggering.
Exiting left follow St. George’s Road to the roundabout. On your left is Brunel House which was originally the Royal Western Hotel. After the hotel closed the amphitheater became the ‘Horse Bazaar’. The only part that remains of the original hotel is the facade and amphitheater with the rest being converted in accommodation for Bristol University. If the buildings main entrance is open then there is a chance to see the bazaar which is located at the rear of the building.
Now head across the mini roundabout and down Frog Lane passing under the main road. On your right just past the bridge there is a parking space with some wheelie bins. Look up and you will see the Bansky we saw at the start of our walk. Keep to the right and we walk past The Hatchet Inn and it is the oldest still operating pub in Bristol, though while it was still operating the Llandoger Trow was of a similar age. By all means pop in but it is not on my itinerary for this walk. So, keep walking straight ahead up Frogmore Street. If you can continue into Trenchard Street. If it is shut due to roadworks then you need to take a right down Pipe Lane and follow it round into Colston Street. Both roads will get us to the next destination.
6. The Gryphon
41 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5AP
This is a shrine to dark beer and rock/heavy metal music in which posters, bespoke artwork and many pump clips adorn the walls. Triangular in shape due to its corner plot and just a few yards up the hill from the Bristol Beacon (former Colston Hall), it has handpumps dispensing up to four rapidly changing and generally never to be seen again brews, many dark and often strong. The pub’s legacy runs even deeper, with a history stretching back 150 years, from 1873 to 2023. In 2019, it earned the well-deserved title of “Best Pub,” a testament to its unwavering dedication to delivering the finest real ales.
This commitment to quality has been consistently recognized, with The Gryphon featured in the prestigious Good Beer Guide from 2013 to 2024. The heavy metal spirit permeates every corner, from the decor to the soundtrack, creating an atmosphere that’s electric and unapologetically loud. But don’t let that put you off, getting in early afternoon often means its less busy and the music is generally turned down. But come late evening its standing room only and the music turned up.
When leaving head straight up Colston Street. You will see on your right, Foster’s Almshouses. The almshouses, known today as the Three Kings Court, were founded by the wealthy merchant John Foster in 1483 to house and care for the elderly poor. They underwent several rebuilds over a 400 year period until being taken over by the Bristol Municipal Charities organisation in 1835. They commissioned renowned Bristol architects, Foster & Wood, who rebuilt the almshouses in the exuberant Burgundian Gothic Revival style. The rebuild of the almshouses and reface of the Chapel of the Three Kings took place in phases over 20 years, from 1861 to 1883.
Just past this wonderful building and on your right is a small passage called Christmas Steps, take this to our next pub which lies at the bottom of the steps. The steps is an historic street in Bristol and name seems to come from the medieval Knifesmith Street. In Middle English the ‘K’ in ‘knife’ and ‘knight’ was sounded. It seems likely “Knifesmith Street” became corrupted over time to “Christmas Street”.
7. The Christmas Steps
2 Christmas Steps, Bristol BS1 5BS
This cosy split-level pub, hidden just off the city centre, has welcomed drinkers since the 17th century and is one of Bristol’s heritage treasures. At least four real ales in a variety of styles are dispensed in the lower bar although service may be from the upper level. House ‘Crack’ ales are brewed for the pub by Twisted Oak. The pub was previously the Three Sugar Loaves from c.1755 when it occupied a site that used to be one of Bristol’s 20 or so sugar refineries. Around 1878, it changed its name to the Gaiety where it served Anglo-Bavarian Ales and Stouts. Opposite the pub is Ahh Toots patisserie but it used to be a fish and chip shop that was among the oldest in England, having traded for more than 120 years.
Continue down the steps to Rupert Street turning right. Cross over the road to the central pedestrianised footpath and you should see the war memorial on your right. Walk past this and the plinth at the end which now doesn’t have a statue was the famous Colston. This was toppled and dragged then ceremoniously dumped into the water. At this point turn left and up Colston Avenue crossing over Baldwin Street into Broad Quay. At the next junction continue into a cobbled street called King Street and our final pub.
8. Small Bar
31 King St, Bristol BS1 4DZ
This is a popular bar has become another King Street staple, due to its large and interesting range of cask, tank-conditioned and keg/key keg beer, although the cask offering has reduced in recent years to 1 or 2 lines due to demand. Beers are served in ¹/₃, ½ and ⅔ pint measures. They have around 31 taps but with a real focus on the best breweries from the South West first and foremost. Owned and operated by Left Handed Giant, one of Bristol’s own breweries which have a tap room at the brewery itself. King Street can be really busy in the summer months as it is a popular hangout for the Uni crowd as well as the tourists.
