The Boat and the Bridge: A Riverside Tour of Brunel's Bristol

Bristol's industrial heritage comes alive through the achievements of one extraordinary man: Isambard Kingdom Brunel. On this riverside walking tour, you'll discover how this visionary engineer shaped not just a city, but transformed transportation worldwide. Following the peaceful harbourside path, you'll explore the stories behind two iconic Brunel creations that bookend his remarkable career – the revolutionary SS Great Britain steamship and the dramatic Clifton Suspension Bridge.

You'll begin at Millennium Square in Bristol's city center docks, once the bustling heart of a maritime empire. As you stroll along the Avon, you'll learn how Bristol evolved from the medieval Brigstowe into a thriving port through the controversial triangle trade. The path takes you past the restored SS Great Britain – a pioneering vessel that was the world's first iron-hulled, propeller-driven transatlantic steamship – where you'll discover the ambitious vision and numerous setbacks that marked her extraordinary 126-year journey.

Your walk continues along the Cumberland Basin and up through Hotwells to reach a spectacular viewpoint of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. You'll learn how this engineering marvel, spanning the country's deepest gorge at 250 feet, faced decades of delays and was only completed five years after Brunel's death. The tour ends with breathtaking views of this enduring symbol of Victorian ambition that still serves millions of travelers each year.

On this 75-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Discover how a teenaged Brunel nearly lost his life in London's Thames Tunnel before making Bristol his adopted home
• Learn about the billiard table railway that revolutionized passenger travel between London and Bristol
• Hear the dramatic story of how the SS Great Britain was salvaged from the Falkland Islands after being abandoned for 33 years
• Walk past the Brunel Swivel Bridge, the only abandoned Brunel construction in Bristol
• Find out about Brunel's daring stunt shimmying across a 1000-foot iron bar suspended above the gorge
• Explore the historic lock system that tamed Bristol's massive tidal range
• Marvel at how Brunel designed enormous tunnels and viaducts that still stand today
• Discover why Brunel was voted the second greatest Briton of all time in a BBC poll

Follow in the footsteps of this remarkable Victorian engineer whose ambitious vision continues to benefit millions more than 150 years after his death.