Clifton Suspension Bridge

Whats not to like? It is a beacon of phenominal engineering by one of the most influential architects of our recent history. John Cabot JUST KIDDING! Brunel did great work here and originally it was suppossed to be more of an Egyptian theme with great big sphinx statues on either turret. But, aside from the classic suspension design and the look and feel of the bridge it is a Bristol Icon. I am from Bristol and have always taken my excited foreign friends there to show it off. You can use it to get from Clifton to the woods the other side and its great for biking. Also rock climbers use the cliff faces either side and there is a flower that grows on the cliff which is found no-​where else on Earth. Pretty cool huh. I may sound bias but I just love Bristol and I am proud to be from here. Such a rich and varied place well worth visiting.

Oh yeah, epic. Love love love

Un endroit très agréable pour se balader. Pas très loin de la ville donc facilement faisable à pieds. Le pont est joli, il y a une très belle vue sur la campagne de Bristol. Ce pont est le monument le plus connu de Bristol.

Following on from my dismal review of the White Lion, I thought I’d take a moment and share my love for Brunels beautiful bridge and Bristols best landmark.
It is easy to see why the Bridge is reviewed and rated so highly on Unilocal.It is not only a triumph in engineering, but one of the most beautiful things to see in the day or night. I don’t think I’ve ever driven passed it and shouted ‘there’s the bridge’ as soon as it comes into sight. It’s like being the first person to see the sea when you’re on holiday (you all do it, I know

I love this setting a great view just beautiful and the tower up the hill.
If you are going to Bristol please check this part of the city out.

How good is the suspension bridge, the views are fantastic usually us Bristolians take this for granted as you have to pay to cross in a car and it’s on out doorsteps.
I really enjoy a cycle over the bridge, picks you up when you are hanging out. A great view in a fantastic location.
This is defiantly worth a visit for people new and old to the city, when the Sun is shinning, Grab an Ice cream and take a stroll.
On a Sunday it’s usually busy but it’s always great to see so many people enjoying the city that is BRISTOL !

I have wanted to come and see this bridge for a while, mainly because the guy that built and designed the famous landmark is my favourite historian (for people that don’t know it’s Isambard kingdom Brunel)
It was a fair old walk from the coach drop off point and the walk was mainly up hill (good exercise lol) but once you get there all that walking is def worth it!
To think this bridge is 150 years old! And Brunel only entered the competition to design the bridge because he was in Bristol having a bit of relaxation time away from London after his tunnel accident.
The views you get when your on the bridge are breathe taking! The whole design of the bridge just makes your mind boggle especially when you think most of it was built by hand!
If you ever go down to Bristol it’s a place you have to stop off at even if it’s for a short stop.
At the one end of the bridge there is a little visitors centre with a polite older gentleman that let me have my picture taken with a actual size Brunel cut out and even let me wear the replica Brunel hat! I didn’t pull it off as well as the great man did but fun all the same :).The visitor centre has loads of pictures of the bridge being built and a interesting timeline of the whole thing, totally worth a little look around to educate yourself about the bridge a little more.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a beautiful landmark! And the view from up here is amazing! We went to Bristol for a spontaneous getaway, and didn’t know much about the city — but we quickly found out about the bridge, and of course had to see it. And we were actually quite impressed about it — even though it looked smaller (walking on the bridge) than we thought! But it’s kind of cozy!
It opened in 1864 — designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is 75 meters above high water level! So walking over it and being afraid of heights is mental win!

Absolutely stunning dramatic piece of Victorian Engineering

I love this bridge too. I have walked across it several times to admire the amazing views from up there and I have flown low over it in a plane too on the way back from Ireland to Bristol Airport; that was a breathtaking and unforgettable experience. I discovered the Visitor Centre quite by chance on one occasion and can thoroughly recommend it. The displays and models are superb and they tell the story so well from the 1830s, when the bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, to its completion in 1864, and beyond to the maintenance of the present day.

Fabulous landmark in Bristol perched high up in the sky :-)) love it

This is a must-​do in Bristol. There is no thing like seeing how high you are. I am not too fond of heights but this feels safe.
While you are here, most definitely go to the camera obscura nearby!

One of my fondest childhood memories is walking along Clifton Suspension Bridge and learning about good old Isambard Kingdom Brunel at school. As a Bristolian living up north I must say that I’ve not found a landmark so far that’s comparable to the engineering and beauty of this awesome structure. Granted, I must be a little bit biased, but the bridge and surrounding area are truly things of beauty and invoke such a sensation nostalgia in me! Yes, there’s the Angel of The North, there’s Ilkley Moor, there’s the Yorkshire Dales and so on, (all of which are amazing) but this feat of outstanding engineering and natural beauty truly remind me that there’s no place like home!
The area surrounding the bridge has lots to offer tourists as well, and the sights are simply wonderful. All in all I couldn’t rate it higher on the check list of must-​see places in the South West!

The best way to take a long look at Bristol and it’s surroundings? Oh yes. One of the best romantic strolls in Bristol? Oh yes. The place to be for an amazing view? Yes, yes, yes.
If you think about it, this bridge is just a bridge. But its location and height and structure make it something so stunning to look at, and be on. I’m sure half the car drivers that pay for the toll only do it because it’s so nice to drive over and have that few seconds having that view from your car window. It is a main attraction for many tourists that come to Bristol, but also something lovely for the residents to proudly have on their doorstep.
Every time I’m there, even when on-​route to some place else, I always find myself having to stand and admire the views for at least half an hour. Maybe I’m too much of a ponderer, but ponderer or not, I think many others will agree with me in saying that this bridge and the views it allows us to see is truly mesmerising.

I think it’s fair to say the Suspension Bridge is the best Bristol has to offer. Whether you’re from Bristol or not it acts a pretty decent reminder of what an incredibly beautiful & brilliant city Bristol is. So thank you Brunel.
Now obviously if you are new to the city, get yourself on the bus (8 or 9) from the centre or a train to Clifton Down and come and check it out. It is the first point of call for anyone showing somebody the sights of Bristol. But I want to mention the green areas that surround the Clifton Suspension Bridge, where we had BBQ this weekend.
Wow, looking down into the gorge and out across the country side was really amazing, a little breezy perhaps when the sun went down because you have no tall building to protect you, but it is only May and it will get warmer. Some of our Spanish friends were wearing a few jackets and blankets in a desperate attempt to stay warm.
We are really lucky in this country to be able to use such public spaces to socialise, eat and drink (as our American friends pointed out) and as long as people pick up after themselves, long may it continue. This is a public space to be enjoyed by everyone, so the next time the sun is shining, grab a blanket to sit on, a BBQ or a picnic, a Frisbee or a football and go and spend the under Brunel’s bridge.

This is the first thing on my list of things to show family and friends who come visit me in Bristol. You could spend hours stood there marvelling at the engineering feat that is Clifton Suspension Bridge, but that’s not all there is to do in the area. You can take a slide down the shiny steep rock overlooking the bridge. I first tried this when I visited Bristol on a Scout trip back in the mid 1990s and now I goad my friends into it laughing my head off as they coyly revert to their childhood and wwwhhheeeee down the shiny rock. Go on, give it a go. You know you want to. There’s always an ice cream van over the other side to reward your efforts.
While pedestrians can walk the bridge for free, motorists must have 50 pence in coins to hand — however, the bridge bosses are looking into the possibility of accepting cards in the not too distant future.

I’ll admit, I was initially drawn in by the dramatic Twitter banter between @CliftonSBridge and @ImLondonBridge.
(It was quite intense actually, as far as bridge drama goes. @CliftonSBridge and @ImLondonBridge were fuming at the revelation that @Chelsea_Bridge was not a tweeting bridge, but actually a human. Gasp! @waterloobrdg stayed out of it.)
@CliftonSBridge:
«Disappointed that @Chelsea_Bridge turned out to be a person. :(Naughty… I’m actually a talking bridge, don’t worry.»
So after this compelling, heroic and noble reaction… by a bridge no less, I bookmarked this fine-​standing specimen of tweeting steel, and finally made my way from London, through Bristol’s city centre and up the hill to Clifton where I was amply rewarded with once of the most beautiful suspended stretches of metal I’ve ever seen.
Just looking at the thing makes your stomach flip over and it’s impossible not to marvel in the brute technology that keeps this big boy up. Those hills must be alive with the sound of some serious bulk modulus! (NOTE: The often forgotten lyrics of the third verse…)
Walking across was breathtaking as well, if not for the gorgeous views than for the 245 foot drop you’re fiercely reminded of each time a car goes bumbling by, or, I don’t know, the wind blows. Or you sneeze. Seriously. Terrifying. If there were ever a place to bungee jump, I reckon this is it!
@YelpLondon gives you a full on 5-​star salute @CliftonSBridge, in all of your sultry steely glory.

Surely, Clifton Suspension Bridge must be one of the wonder’s of England! Pictures do not do it justice. If you can, take a walk to Clifton Downs and head to the furthest point where you will find a viewing spot. Here (on a clear day) you can see Wales to your right and a stunning view over the Avon Gorge and down towards the bridge. There is also aways (regardless of weather) an ice cream van!
Then follow the path round until you find a small clearing in the trees (you will probably need an Ordinance Survey Map for this). You will walk down a small steep path between a gorge which will take you to river level. Now you can walk along the river and under the bridge itself which is a really amazing view.
Once past the bridge there is another small path on the other side of the road named ‘The Zig-​Zag’. Word of warning, not for the unfit, its very steep! Once at the top you will be right at the entrance to the bridge where you can walk across it. Another word of warning, you get a strong sense of vertigo as you peer over so if you are afraid of heights it may not be advised to look down. However the views towards Bristol are incredible and the same can be said about the views over the gorge.
If you are feeling less than energetic, Bristol Packet Boats do a boat trip which goes underneath the bridge which I’ve heard is well worth the money.
Definitely one of the best sights to be seen in Bristol!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel did a lot for this great city, but nothing compares to the awe inspiring genius that is the Clifton Suspension bridge. This is his masterpiece and one he sadly never saw completed in his lifetime.
When I first moved to Bristol a few years a go I had only ever seen it in pictures and on the television, and up until that time I guess I thought «it’s just a bridge, big deal». The first time I actually saw it as I drove into the centre for the very first time, I was taken aback by the majestic beauty of it perched high over the city. It truly is something to behold and a true marvel of Victorian engineering.
Rumour has it Brunel also wanted two giant gold Phoenix’s sat on each end facing one another, but could never raise the money to pay for it. That would have been unbelievably awesome. Instead it’s still just awesome.

Slung gracefully across Avon Gorge, the Clifton Suspension Bridge is an icon of Bristol. After winning a competition by a wine merchant to design a bridge to connect Somerset and Clifton, Isembard Kingdom Brunel came up with his design. Beset by financial and political difficulties, the bridge wasn’t completed until after the engineer’s death. The result, a sparsely adorned suspension bridge differed in detail from Brunel’s original design (he had envisioned egyptian pillars at each end of the bridge) but nonetheless became a symbol of Bristol.
Phew, that reads like a tourist blurb. Do visit, though, the views are breathtaking and it is a beautiful piece of engineering. Going during the day makes for a dizzying experience, with tourists peering down on the muddy River Avon. At night, they have lights outlining the suspension cable and towers, very pretty.

I must say, this is an absolutely cracking bridge. I’m no expert, but it’s solid, goes in a straight line and it stretches all the way to both sides. I mean, if they’d just slung up, off the top of my head, one like the one out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I’m prepared to guess that usage would fall by at least 50 per cent. If you hit this with a sword, even a really big one, all you’d get is a loud clang, none of that falling to your certain death inconvenience.
I would add one caveat, it’s only really that good if you want to get from the Clifton Village area to the Leigh Woods area. If not, you’re probably better off walking/​driving in a completely different direction altogether. It may not have starred in a wide range of award-​winning films including The Big Lebowski and The Fisher King, but this still remains one of my favourite bridges of all time.