Bus trip to Bristol and Weston super Mare

Today started out with the plan of going to see an outdoor performance of Twelfth Night in Bath, however, it began to expand once Darren realised that for one extra pound we could buy a bus ticket that allowed us to roam all over the South West of England.

So we started by going in completely the opposite direction to Bristol. We got off at the bus station and quickly arrived at the beautiful waterway.

We wandered along it towards the SS Great Britain and stopped off for a strawberry daiquiri cider - delicious. 

The waterway got busier with loads of barges and boats, and loads of people out enjoying the sunshine. There is also lots of great buildings to appreciate. 

After quite a walk we stopped for a coffee while Darren checked the Shakespeare details for tonight and found out that they had sold out, and we hadn't bought our tickets yet! Obviously the lovely weather had encouraged a late rush. 

Not wanting to waste our bus tickets by just going back home, we realised that a bus to Weston super Mare was just about to leave, so we swapped Shakespeare for a trip to the seaside. 

On the bus we passed the SS Great Britain that we hadn't reached on our walk around Bristol, and then the Clifton Suspension bridge, so that was very handy. 

The bus took just over an hour and was very hot, so it was a relief to arrive at Weston super Mare. 

It is a proper resort with donkey rides on the beach and a lively pier. Unfortunately you had to pay to go on it, so we didn't. The town had an amazing building that we took a photo of, and then worked out that it was actually a toilet. 

The sand was glorious and I excitedly took my shoes and socks off ready for a paddle,

but when we got to the sea we saw it was the colour of washing up water after all of the greasy pans have been cleaned, and with a frothy scum too.  So reluctantly I walked along the lovely sand next to it towards the old oil rig further down the beach. 

Now this really is going to be a tourist attraction, as it is going to be repurposed into a modern art sculpture, something along the lines of the Hanging gardens of Babylon I think. Not finished yet though. 

After walking around it we decided that we had finished with WSM and in less than an hour we were back at the bus station. The train station was right next to it and the train was far quicker and more pleasant than the bus, so we hopped aboard and went to Bath. 

It would then be a short bus ride home, and we had half an hour to spend in Bath first. I don't know why, but all of the streets near the station were full of brightly coloured butterflies. 

What an unexpected day.