Walking Brunel’s Bristol

Tours start and finish from the flagpole in Brunel Square (outside the main entrance to Brunel’s SS Great Britain).   

Mr. Brunel will guide you on a circular route broadly following Bristol’s floating harbour, discussing the many Bristol projects he was involved with. Talking stops include outside Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Queen Square, Cumberland Basin and Underfall Yard.  

You are welcome to bring food and drink with you to eat as you walk but there are no scheduled stops for picnicking. The Harbourside Kitchen on Brunel Square provides hot and cold drinks and refreshments to take away or eat in.  

While there are some publicly accessible toilets along the route we will not be stopping at these as a matter of course.  

Tours cost £12.50 per person. This does not include admission to Brunel’s SS Great Britain. A special afternoon only entry ticket can be added to your purchase online.

We will try to run tours in most types of Great British weather. However, we may choose to cancel if we consider the weather too challenging to deliver the tour or for the tour to be enjoyed fully (heavy and prolonged rain, gale force winds, heavy snow, extreme heat).  

Yes, bookings must be made in advance of the tour through our website

There are no age restrictions but a certain amount of fitness is required – you need to be able to walk nearly four miles at an average walking pace. For this reason and the content of the tour young children may struggle. We also ask that children are accompanied by an adult.  

Electric scooters and wheelchairs should experience few issues, however people in self-propelled wheelchairs may struggle due to cobbles and a few steep inclines.  

Please inform one of the staff members on the tour. You will then be responsible for making your own way onwards.  

Tours run on selected dates only  and leave from the flagpole in Brunel Square at 10.30am. Tours last approximately 2.5 hours. 

Please arrive ten minutes before the tour is scheduled to depart. Mr. Brunel is a stickler for timekeeping so will leave at 10.30am precisely.  

Please wear weather appropriate clothing (warm if cold, waterproof if wet and cool if hot). Sensible footwear such as strong trainers or boots are advised. We suggest you bring sun protection if it is hot along with a bottle of water. Please do only bring what you can carry as we have no left luggage facilities. Please also bring an electronic or paper copy of your booking confirmation.  

That is fine but please do bear in mind other participants and keep your dog on a lead. The tour is through urban areas with lots of people and traffic. 

Please check your spam box as the ticket confirmation may have been sent there. If they still haven’t been received, please contact us at tickets@ssgreatbritain.org 

Cancellation by us may occur if: 

• Tour numbers make the tour unviable to run.  
• The weather is unsuitable (heavy and prolonged rain, gale force winds, heavy snow, extreme heat) 
• Mr. Brunel is unwell 

In these instances, you will be given the choice of rebooking onto a different tour, donating your tour money to the SS Great Britain Trust or taking a refund. We will endeavour to give you 24 hours’ notice but this may not always be possible.  

Can I change my booking or change my mind?  

Changes can be made to your booking up to 24 hours in advance of the tour starting. Please email admin@ssgreatbritain.org. However, tickets are not refundable.