BoB - Bristol's other
Bristol

How to get to BoB


Where?

The convention is being held at...

Bristol University Students Union
Queens Road
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 1LN
UK


Maps and directions

A map of the university area including the Student's Union (#80 on the left edge) is available but unfortunately, it doesn't cover the whole of the city centre. A map of the city centre but without the Student's Union marked is provided by the university.

Pick your directions depending upon how you're getting to Bristol.


By Train

Bristol has 2 train stations. The one to use is Temple Meads, in the city centre.

The simplest way to get to the Student's Union is by Taxi, but it isn't the most economical way.

The 8/9/508/509 bus service leaves from Station Approach Road, immediately outside Temple Meads. See below for more details.

The Student's Union is about 30-40 minutes walk away depending upon how fit you are. If you are carrying a large amount of equipment, then be warned, there is a steep hill to climb, too. Come out of Temple Meads and walk down the approach. Turn right and walk 100 yards to the roundabout. You need to cross directly over this to Victoria Street. Walk down Victoria Street and across Bristol Bridge from where you will be able to see Castle Green on your right. At the 1st junction on the far side of the bridge, turn left down Baldwin Street. At the end you will come to a large square. A map of the route from here is available. Cross the square diagonally to your left, past the Hippodrome, to a road called College Green, with the Swallow Hotel, the Cathedral and the Council House at the bottom. Follow College Green, including its steep continuation, Park Street. At the top, by the Wills Memorial Building you will come to The Triangle. You can go either way round the triangle, but the right hand side is slightly shorter. From here you should be able to see the Victoria Rooms, the building with the large columns outside. Walk to the left of the Victoria Rooms, on Queen's Road. Cross straight over the double mini roundabout and the Student's Union is the big building on your left.


By Bus

National Express coaches, and several other local buses arrive at Marlborough Street Bus Station.

The simplest way to get to the Student's Union is by Taxi, but it isn't the most economical way.

The 8/9/508/509 bus service leaves from the bus stop across a road called Haymarket, outside the department store. To get there, as you step off the bus and are facing the ticket/information offices, leave the bus station from the exit on your left. Walk through the little car park, across Cannon Street (the small road) and down the steps to the Subway. Follow the signs to Broadmead Shopping Centre through one subway, an open area, and then another subway. As you surface from the subway the bus stop is in front of you. See below for more details of the bus service.

The Student' Union is about 20 minutes walk away. A map of the route is available. Leave the bus station and walk up-hill along Marlborough Street, away from the main shopping centre and towards the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Follow Marlborough Street past the B.R.I. round a bend to where it joins Queen's Road infront of the Wills Memorial Building. Follow Queen's Road, past The Triangle, to the Victoria Rooms, the building with the large columns outside. Walk to the left of the Victoria Rooms, staying on Queen's Road. Cross straight over the double mini roundabout and the Student's Union is the big building on your left.


By Bike

Bristol is full of cycle routes. Unfortunately, I've not been able to locate a web based map of cycle paths in the city, but usually, if you can walk it in Bristol, you can cycle it, so pick any route through the city centre and just go for it. Be warned that there is a hill to climb. I suggest the Marlborough Street route rather than the Park Street or Jacob's Wells Road route as it's longer and has a shallower gradient.

Cyclists should be able to navigate easily using any of the maps accessible from this page. Sustrans, the Bristol based cycling organisation, do provide a map of cycle paths in Bristol but it costs £4.95.


By Car

A map of the approaches to Bristol is available. When you get to Bristol, follow the specific directions depending upon which route you are coming by.

Once you're there, you'll need to Park.


From the North (M32)

Follow the M32 to the city centre, past the end of motorway signs and on until it reaches a large traffic light controled T-junction, where you should turn right onto Bond Street. At the next large roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Marlborough Street. Then follow the directions below.


From the North (A38)

Follow the A38 all the way to the town centre where you will pass under a large office block that straddles the road and come to a large roundabout. Take the 3rd exit on the roundabout onto Marlborough Street. Then follow the directions below.


From the East (A4 & A37)

Follow either the A4 or the A37 towards Bristol to the point where they merge, just outside the city centre. Continue over the iron railway bridge, and then go straight over an elongated roundabout with traffic lights on it (which is also a bridge over the River Avon). Temple Meads Railway Station will be on your right. The one-way system will take you round to the left, but stay in the right hand lane and curve right when the road allows, through some traffic lights, and up to a traffic light controlled roundabout. Go straight over the roundabout, through another set of lights and pass under the underpass, staying in the left hand lane while doing so. As soon as you are out of the underpass, move left a lane to avoid joining the M32 (northbound). Go throught the traffic lights and on to the big roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Marlborough Street. Then follow the directions below.


From the South West (M5), the scenic route

Come off the M5 at Junction 18. Follow the A4 towards Bristol, through the Avon Gorge and under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. When you hit the one way system, stay in the left hand lane sign posted for the City Centre and go through a couple of sets of traffic lights. The road will open out with the docks on the right hand side. You will come to a roundabout (from where you can see the SS. Great Britain - the old ship with the masts on it). A map of the route from here is available. Take the 1st exit up Jacob's Wells Road and continue to the top of the hill where, under a concrete bridge, you will come to a junction with a one-way street. Join the flow and stay in the left hand lane. You will turn a corner to face the Victoria Rooms, a building with large Pillars at the front. Stay in the left hand lane and you will go to the left of it on Queen's Road (nearly there!) Go straight ahead over the 2 mini roundabouts and the Student's Union is the large modern building immediately on your left.


Directions From Marlborough Street

A map of the route from here is available.

Follow the road up and round, past Marlborough Street Bus Station on your left, and then the Bristol Royal Infirmary on your right. Continue straight on through 2 or 3 sets of lights. After the road takes a sweeping bend to the right, you will come to another junction with traffic lights, by the Wills Memorial Building, where you can only go stright ahead. After the junction you want to be in one of the right hand lanes to be able to go round The Triangle (the block of buildings on your right). Follow the road behind The Triangle and stay in the left hand lane (so that you don't do the 3rd side of the triangle, too). In front you you are the Victoria Rooms, a building with large Pillars at the front. Stay in the left hand lane and you will go to the left of it on Queen's Road (nearly there!) Go straight ahead over the 2 mini roundabouts and the Student's Union is the large, modern building packed full of jugglers immediately on your left.


Parking

Free parking is available on the streets around the Student's Union building, but it can be quite difficult to find a space at times.

If you can't find a space on the street, you can park in one of the 2 Bristol City Council car parks for £1 a day (Saturday and Sunday). They are marked on the map you have been following through the city as striped blocks (see the key). The closest is West End car park on Berkeley Place at the top of Jacob's Wells Road, the other is Trenchard Car Park between Park Row and Trenchard Street.

To get to West End car park, drive back down Queen's Road from the Union to the Victoria Rooms, then follow the one-way system down and round the triangle. Stay in the right hand lane to return up the far side of the Triangle then move over into the left hand lane as if you were going to go down Berkeley Place. There will be a small, signposted left turning that will allow you to go into the car park over the concrete bridge (it's shown on your map). Alternatively, if you are coming up Jacob's Wells Road (as when coming from the South West) you can just turn into the car park from the road, immediately before the concrete bridge. You'll have to walk to the Student's Union but it should only take 5 minutes. You can follow the route that you drove, but you can cut the corner slightly by taking Pro-Cathedral Lane (on The Triangle side of the car park - not marked on map), Frederick Place and Richmond Hill.

To get to Trenchard Car Park from the Union, drive back down Queen's Road to the Victoria Rooms, then follow the one-way system back down to The Triangle. Stay in the left hand lane so you go onto Park Row. The entrance to the car park is at the end of the terraced row of shops on your right. To walk back to the Union, just re-trace your route, it should take about 10 minutes.


Using the number 8/9 local bus.

The 8/9 bus service (renumbered to 508/509 early morning and late evening) runs every 15 minutes or so. The route starts at Temple Meads railway station, passes Marlborough Street bus station and continues to the University area (Clifton/Redland) where it does a circuit before returning to the bus and railway stations.

The routes are identical through town, climbing Park Street, going round the Triangle and up to the Victoria Rooms; then the 2 buses do a circuit of the University area in opposite directions. The number 8 bus goes in the right direction to get to the Student's Union first. The number 9 goes in the opposite direction, so ask to be dropped by the Victoria Rooms (the Union is only 2 minutes walk away) rather than just sitting on all the way round which may take a while. Conversely, the number 9 is the better bus to get back. The last bus back is at 23:15, getting to Marlborough Street bus station at 23:24 and Temple Meads railway station at 23:28.


Page originally written by Richard Loxley
Last updated on 1st October 2006
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