Bath, an English Treasure with hot running water.
Written: Dec 02 '02 (Updated Jan 02 '04)
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Pros: A lovely valley city with very interesting architecture and historic sites.
Cons: Rush hour traffic on the few narrow roads that go to the city.
The Bottom Line: To see a very different side of England and also another distant culture Bath is the place to be.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Bath |
A SIDE TRIP
As a side trip from London my wife and I decided to travel through the English countryside of the Cotswolds and do a couple of days in the City of Bath. It was a wonderful combination.
We rented a car from London and took the M4 west to junction 18. We then followed signs to Bath. We actually stayed just outside of the city. This proved to be both positive and negative for us. We did all our traveling from that little B&B. Our day trips through the Cotswolds were perfect from here. Bath is at the southern end of the Cotswolds.
TROUBLE WITH AUTOS
Our trouble was really just getting in and out of Bath. There are few roads that go into the valley where Bath is. They are very heavily traveled with trucks, tour buses, and all other autos etc. The streets are very winding and because the city is so old and not newly designed there are many places where traffic just seemed to stop.
Parking was also a sort of problem. There isn't much of it. We did find a multi-level public garage that was reasonably priced. These were metered but in a different way of most US garages. You park your car and then find the machine where you deposit your money and then take the "receipt" and put it in your windshield.
OK, that's all the bad news. The city is a must to see. It is one of the very few cities that is considered a World Heritage Site. It is so for good reason.
WHAT'S A CIRCUS WITHOUT A FEW LAUGHS?
In driving around to find sites we frequently ask for directions. That gets us there faster and sometimes we pick up pieces of information from the locals that can be very helpful.
We were looking for the Circus. As I'm driving we come to an open area and I see a woman walking by. My wife gets out of the car, walks across the street, goes over to the woman, and asks if she could tell us where the Circus is. The next thing I see is the woman and my wife laughing and then the woman giving my wife a huge embrace as she points around. It seemed we were right in the middle of it!! Hey, this guy didn't even know what he was looking for. So there I was with my video camera in hand taping my wife still talking to the woman and I shot the Circus with it's huge circle of apartments with small doors going around a green area. It is interesting.
THE ROYAL CRESCENT
Just a few hundred yards away or so is the Royal Crescent. It is a beautifully set building with a gorgeous green area in front of it. DON'T SIT THERE !!
It seems the residence of the apartment do not want tourists on their green. I will say it does make for better photos of the area without a clutter of people. You can take a tour of #1 Royal Crescent that is maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust. They keep it in "tip top" shape. Tours are about six dollars. They have different hours depending on the season.
We were there in late November. Things were relatively quiet from what some of the locals told us. Apparently it gets much more crowded in high season. The city itself is not that large and most of the sites can be walked to. If you are walking around the town to see everything I suggest getting a cab to the Royal Crescent and Circus. This area is higher than most of the other city sites. Start there and then walk downhill for the rest of the day.
GET YOUR POP-OUT MAP
Get out your maps and check it out. I purchased one of those "pop out" maps of Bath. I still have it. Pop-Outs are infomative, easy to read, and easy to carry in your pocket. I found it quite useful. In it you will find paths for a self guided walking tour. Again start high and walk down, that is unless you follow the complete tour, which we did not do. That circles completely going both up and down. The Costume Museum is nearby here too. We did not have the time to visit it.
OUR HIGHLIGHTS
The most interesting places to me in all the city are all together. This includes The Roman Baths, The Pump room, and Bath Abby. Some of it is built on top of each other. The baths were just "rediscovered" about a hundred years ago and have been refurbished and there is still work being done down below the streets of the city.
THE ROMAN BATHS
We took the self guided tour of the baths with a recorded tape. It's one of those telephone style type piece of apparatus. The tour is extremely informative. It cost about eight dollars to do it. Much of it is underground. It is very interesting and fascinating looking at the ingenuous and skilled work of people of two thousand years ago. I was amazed at the intricate and detailed designing of the baths. The tapes explained as to who used the baths and how and when. We are told that the men and woman had their own areas but somehow they did seem to get together.
What I really enjoyed about the tour is that you do it all at your own pace. No rush at all. There was plenty to digest and the lighting was perfect under there giving you a real feel of what it must have been like. This area now underground was above ground when being used two thousand years ago.The hot springs still travel underground there.
There is no bathing in these springs these days. I read somewhere that plans are being discussed to opening an area somewhere where you can do just that. They do have a place where you can drink the water. I understand it has been purified. we didn't try it.
DINNER AT THE PUMP ROOM
My wife and I booked a dinner at night in the Pump Room. They set us outside on a balcony overlooking the baths that are under torch lighting. It was very beautiful and "ROMANtic" sitting there with soft live music playing, while talking with each other over a nice glass of wine. I don't recall the prices or even the food but whatever it is I felt it's worth the price. It was the mood and atmosphere that made it a place to be. Make reservations.
THE BATH ABBY
Right next door and I mean right there is the Bath Abby. It is a beautiful work of art. We were fortunate in that we happened upon a service. We quietly took our seats and found we were right next to the choir. The choir along with the acoustics of the church were a perfect blend of heavenly sounds.
I'm not quite sure when the abbey was built but I did read that Queen Elizabeth I in 1574 set up a fund to restore it then. The abbey is full of windows and is known as the "Lantern of the West". It really is magnificent! Don't forget to take the tour under the abbey.
SHOPPING AND EATING
As I said all three of these places are together. There is a large "square" between adjacent to them. People wander about and take pictures from here. There are also a multitude of shops around. We found a wonderful little ice cream shop for some dessert. There are many street musicians in this area. I always try to have some cash to give them.
Earlier in the day we had some soup breads and tea at Sally Lunn's Bakery. This is just a couple of blocks away from the bath and abby area. It's a very small little place with a lot of charm. Try to find it and give it a try.
This is near the Jean Austin Center. For those familiar with her books you know that some of the stories were set in Bath and some of the sights look the same as when the stories were written. Things don't change much in Bath and that makes for great tour of the places Jean Austin writes about that are set in the city. These tours can be arranged at the center.
Like I said, this area around the abby and baths is full of shops. I purchased a small piece of artwork that my wife admired in one of the shops. I surprised her with it on Christmas of that year. She was very happy with it.
My wife had done some shopping of her own and found a beautiful wool sweater. Hey, how can you come home from the English country side without a wool sweater.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
If you plan ahead I would suggest trying to get tickets to anything playing at your time of visit at the Theatre Royal. We didn't, and I regret not going there.
There is so much more to see and do in Bath. Our visit of a day and a half was much too short.
Getting back into our car we were able to do a bit more exploring. Ha, some of it was while we were lost trying to get around. There are advantages of having the car but I would suggest staying in the city if you plan to stay a couple of days.
OUTSIDE THE CITY
With the car we did travel the Cotswolds and also went to Avebury and Stonehenge.
You can take a train directly from London. It's about an hour and a half to two hour ride from what I read and prices differ depending on time of day.
However you get there enjoy!
This was one of destinations listed in the book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. To read about the book and see some of the other listings go to
1,000 Places to See Before You Die
other reviews in England
Stonehenge and cousin Avebury
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London
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Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, London
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The Cotswolds
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Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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