I can fairly safely predict that next summer’s top UK destination for the discerning systematist will be the English city of Bristol.

Having never been before, I headed down from the Gardens on the 26th January for a long weekend; it’s a quick direct flight with a budget airline (or a good day’s train travel, if you prefer to burn time and money to fossil fuels). The airport‘s international, and a short bus ride from the city centre. I took my 12 yr old too, so can happily report that there’s loads to do in a relatively small area – an aquarium, a science museum (more suited to early primary school kids, and definitely not designed for adults), harbour ferries, galleries, museums, independent coffee shops, the Clifton suspension bridge, a reproduction of the Matthew (the ship on which Cabot “discovered” North America in 1497), and much much more besides.

Bristol harbour area

The 2019 highlight will, however, be the Systematics Association Biennial Conference, at the University of Bristol. And as a hard-working member of the Systematics Association Council, I can assure you that we have checked out the venue: had a nose through the lecture rooms where we’re going to be astounded by talks about the amazing work people have been doing, taken due consideration of the possible location for a delicious conference dinner, checked that there is adequate space for the wealth of informative posters that will be submitted…

The dates to pencil into your calendar are 17th-19th June 2019; please keep an eye open for announcements and calls for contributions. After all, this IS our professional organisation.

Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol