By trainee solicitor Alex Gillespie
Before starting my training contract, I hadn’t spent any time in Bristol besides a day looking around the university. The impression I had was that it was a nice place to live with good access to the South West. Now, after nearly two years of living in the city, here are my top five favourite things about living in Bristol.
1. My commute
To anyone who hasn’t had to commute to work, this may sound strange. But commuters will understand, I'm sure. My previous job in London involved a 2-3 hour round commute every day on crowded trains. Now it’s just a half hour walk from door-to-door. I can leave work at 6pm and be home by 6.30pm without worrying about the trains running. Nearly two years into my training contract and the 'novelty' of having my evenings free just never gets old!
2. Food
If you’ve ever visited, you'll know that Bristol is a great place for anyone who likes their food. In my case, I really enjoy a good brunch and since moving have tried to visit as many places serving brunch as possible. There are a huge number of different restaurants to choose from and there are new places opening up all the time. My favourites include Mockingbird, TradeWinds, Bakers & Co and Hart's Bakery. So far, I have enjoyed Jewish, Persian, Italian and American breakfasts, to name a few, but this is still a work in progress…
3. Pubs
Bristol is obviously famous for its cider, but it's fantastic for beer lovers as well (such as myself). There are just loads of good pubs all across the city. We’re quite spoilt at Burges Salmon, as we have a lot of different options on our door step. The trainees tend to prefer visiting the wine bar underneath our offices, but there are also several fantastic pubs and breweries within a 10 -15 minute radius, which is ideal for Friday drinks. My favourites include Moor Brewery, Wild Beer Co and the Grain Barge.
4. The South West
In my free time, I enjoy walking in the countryside and this was originally something which attracted me to Bristol. A short drive out of the city and you find yourself in some amazing places to walk, like the Mendip Hills or the Cotswolds. On weekends, I like to explore the South West as much as possible by taking day trips into the countryside. This is something which I think many of the other trainees enjoy and, just the other weekend, a group of us got together for a New Year’s pub walk around Bath and Bradford-on-Avon.
5. Bristol itself
There’s always something going on in Bristol and, whenever I have friends to visit, it’s a great place to just walk the streets and explore the city. There are some iconic sites in the centre, such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain, and whenever there is a big event on, like the Balloon Fiesta, there’s a fantastic atmosphere here. Working at Burges Salmon gives you the opportunity to make the most of it, whether it's participating in the Bristol Dragon Boat Race or just discounted tickets to the theatre and exhibitions.