I know the feeling, you’ve just got off the plane at the airport and the first thing you want to do is find out a bit about the place you will be staying for the duration of your holiday. So, what do you do? In many cases, the only option is to have a ride on one of the open top sightseeing tours that will guide you through the city and give you an understanding of the main features. However, there are some problems with this. First and foremost, the weather. Now, no matter how much you play it up with talks of Global Warming, the British weather is temperamental at best and I wouldn’t fancy being on the open topped bus when the heavens decide to open. Secondly, the inconvenience. Many times on these tours you see something that you like the look of and want to find out more, but before you can get your things together to jump off the bus you’ve already travelled a mile away. Finally, the cost. It cannot be denied that the open top sightseeing trips are expensive, often costing upwards of £10 per person. That is a lot to pay for a trip that merely points out a few places you may want to see in more detail.

But do not despair; there is a solution to this problem. By hiring a car we do not have these issues – we have a roof above our heads if it rains, we can stop whenever we like and we only have to pay for the cost of the hire. For the price of a map, you can sample the delights of Bristol without needing a tour bus. It makes sense.