nonconformist2

Last year’s planned trip to Cornwall was derailed when the hotel was forced to close at short notice due to staff members getting Covid. This year the intention was to have a second attempt, during the middle two weeks of September, but a couple of weeks beforehand my parents were unable to go for health reasons. The journey would not have been practical on my own, as I don’t drive, and at such short notice I didn’t want to go too far, so I decided on an impulse week in Bath. Then the Queen died…

I had been to Bath before, with my mum, and seen the obvious attractions such as the wonderful Roman Baths, but felt there would be enough new things to do to keep me busy with a couple of day trips further afield I particularly wanted to do. I planned on going Wednesday-Wednesday, in the middle of the original fortnight, spending the days before and after at my parents’. I was particularly looking forward to going to some of the Heritage Open Day events which were planned for the first few days.

Then the Queen died, and the Bath HOD organisers decided to cancel virtually all their events in the official mourning period. Worse, the funeral was announced for midway through my stay, and everything in sight was going to be shut. If I hadn't booked a non-refundable hotel (at such short notice it had seemed to be a sensible economy) I would have rethought the whole thing...

nonconformist2

So after a few days at my parents (during which I had a fun day out at the local Agricultural Society show, featuring dancing sheep), I set out by train as planned on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 September from my parents’ Hampshire town. It was a lovely afternoon. Less than an hour and a half later I was in Bath. I was surprised the station at Bath was so small, but was rather charmed to see a disused phone box filled with flowers. It was rather a long wait for a taxi, during which I observed a number of individuals dressed in Regency era clothing; there was a Jane Austen festival going on. My taxi driver asked if I was here for it, perhaps because I was (re)reading Persuasion, which I had thought suitable topical reading. I love JA as much as anyone, but the dressing up is not quite my thing.

I had booked at the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, the main attraction being the swimming pool. It occupies a historic mansion close to the Holburne Museum and Sydney Gardens, and I was generally happy with my stay. My room was up on the fifth floor, and was perfectly adequate, with a nice bathroom with a big bath and shower. The only down side was that it was a bit out of the way, quite a steep walk up from the centre of the city, and there weren’t really any restaurants in easy walking distance. I didn’t fancy the hotel’s own restaurant, but was satisfied with a sandwich in the bar most nights. Service was almost uniformly excellent.

I very much enjoyed the pool. There is a reasonable sized indoor pool in the basement (plus a gym and spa), and a warm plunge-jacuzzi pool outdoors, which was fun to relax in. The main pool was divided into two sections, one half for adult-only lane swimming, and one for children (at certain hours) and general swimming. It was reasonably busy, and many of the children did not observe the rules. After my first afternoon swim, when I got a bit carried away and did 50 laps, I had a walk in the hotel garden, which was quite pleasant. There is a curious grotto in the garden which I later discovered had originally come from the nearby Sydney Gardens, and beehives near the entrance.

Unfortunately I had overindulged in the swimming that afternoon. I hadn’t been to a pool for a year, and had neglected to warm up with a shorter session first. I probably swam 10 lengths more than I should have done. My arms were burning agony that night and I barely slept despite a comfortable bed. It didn’t ease off until about 4 am.

nonconformist2

The dancing sheep

nonconformist2

Sassafrass

Enjoying. . . .

nonconformist2

Covid mitigation meant that it was necessary to book a breakfast slot in advance. The first day I had to go at 8.15; after my night I would have liked a later start. My arms were still sore but bearable. Breakfast was a little disappointing; the cooked offering was fine, but a limited selection of pastries and yoghurts, and the only water on offer was heavily lemon flavoured. (I don't drink tea or coffee, weird, I know).

After breakfast I walked down into the city. It was a very steep hill! I picked up a lovely looking slice of takeaway cake from the café on the Pulteney Bridge, then went down the steps at the end of the bridge to the riverside walk. I was just in time for the 10 a.m. boat trip on the Pulteney cruiser, the Sir William Pulteney, which left from the weir. It was a lovely relaxing start to the holiday, a one-hour round trip to Bathampton along the River Avon, at a cost of £11. We saw three herons and three kingfishers (or possibly the same one of each three times).

After the boat trip I had an unfortunate lapse of attention and tripped on a cobblestone just off the bridge, falling almost flat on my face. After recovering myself, and a little wander around by the Abbey and Pump Room, where vast hordes were queuing for the Roman Baths, I stopped for a restorative lunch at the Pulteney Bridge café.

Then I ventured up hill to the Circus and then the Royal Crescent. I had visited 1 Royal Crescent before, but wanted to go again as I understood they had expanded to the house next door. There was a Jane Austen focus with temporary boards this time, as a tie-in with the Austen festival. I was a little disappointed that they had taken away the details about the dog spit in the kitchen. However, I did purchase what turned out to be an excellent read in the shop, No Swinging On Sundays, a history of Bath’s public pleasure gardens. An exemplary work of local history which I thoroughly recommend.

I then popped in to the Museum of East Asian Art as I was passing; it was much smaller than I had expected. Next was a revisit of the Fashion Museum; on my last visit they had been in between exhibitions or having a refurb and not much was on display. I was a little underwhelmed again, as they are about to move out of their current home in the Assembly Rooms and there didn’t seem to be much more on display than last time. Some nice antique dresses, but the more modern fashion is of less interest. Disappointingly, the café had already closed permanently. I was absolutely desperate for something to eat and drink by now, but found it hard to find anywhere.

Instead I made a swift visit to the Museum of Bath at Work. This is open for very restricted hours, 2-4 pm, but I found it very interesting, full of exhibits relating to the history of various businesses. I walked back down to Pulteney Bridge and the abbey, and feeling exhausted grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. After a rest I had another light meal in the bar, then repaired to my room to eat the cake from this morning in my room. It was delicious and wort the wait.

nonconformist2

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nonconformist2

I woke on Friday with my knee complaining after the previous days walking up and down hill. At breakfast the staff kindly got me some non-lemony water to drink, which was much appreciated.

I left the grounds by the side exit, and walked down (literally, it was very steep) Beckford Road to Sydney Gardens and then the usual route through the centre of town. I picked up another slice of cake for later on Pulteney Bridge. Today’s plan was a day trip to Wells, actually one of the inspirations behind the whole trip.

Bath bus station is very well organised, with a row of stops and good signalling, and I caught the 9.55 to Wells. I bought the ticket on board. It was quite a long journey, but through pretty countryside. We got to Wells about a quarter past eleven, and I alighted at Sadler Street where I could see the cathedral. There was a delightful little square filled with cafes, and I enjoyed some scones in the Market Place Café.

The cathedral was really beautiful, and a highlight of my holiday. After this I went to the Wells and Mendip Museum, a small local museum nearby. Then at 2 pm I joined the guided tour of the Bishop’s Palace. It was quite brisk but very informative and both house and garden are lovely and well worth a visit. One topical item was a peer's chair from the late Queen’s coronation – they were all sold off afterwards. Will they do that again in May, I wonder?

I then hit a bit of a snag; there was a one way system and no obvious place to catch my bus back to Bath. I made some enquiries, and a helpful person in the town hall directed me to the bus station for my return journey. My knees were a bit stiff after this, so I weakly got a taxi back to the hotel again.

I returned to find the cleaners had left the sash window in my room ajar, and I was unable to close it. I had to get reception to send someone up to deal with it. I noticed that the lock was distinctly the worse for wear and looked as if it might collapse at any minute, taking the window with it.

nonconformist2

Having problems uploading photos so will continue without.

Saturday I had decided to go to the American Museum on the outskirts of Bath, having picked this day because it had a Heritage Open Day event, and one which had not been cancelled for national mourning. It turned out to be quite an exhausting morning. Leaving the hotel I went out by the side gate again, and then tried a different route in, along Bathwick Street and through the quiet streets around Henrietta Park. I ended up somehow going round in circles and getting completely lost. I eventually found my way to the city centre, where I had to have a restorative drink.

I got the bus to Bath University, from where it was a 20 minute-ish walk, initially along a side road with cars double-parked (past the local dogs’ home), and then a steep walk down through a wooded area.

The museum itself was delightful and well worth the journey. The HOD event was a bit of a disappointment in the end, it was just a swing/jazz band playing sedately in the garden to a seated audience. I had vaguely expected people to be dancing and a bit more of a festive atmosphere. The other HOD perk was free admission to the gardens, so you only paid for the house and museum. It was not quite what I expected, I had thought it was about the American presence in the UK, but it was actually a lovely museum of American folk arts and crafts and some American history, with rooms brought over from old houses installed in Claverton Manor House. There is an adequate café as well. One of the outbuildings has a dinosaur display, including some actual fossils and some realistic models – a bit random, but surprisingly interesting.

Back to the hotel, and today I tried the outdoor pool. It was amazing, so warm and relaxing, like a very large bath. After that, swimming a cautious 10 lengths in the indoor pool was a bit chilly in comparison.

spiral

Thanks Nonconformist. I have enjoyed your report. A shame that your swim resulted in such discomfort - it is so easy to overdo things after a long break.
Nice to read about so many of the minor museums in Bath. I will have to revisit and see some of these.

nonconformist2

Not finished yet!I came down to breakfast on Sunday to find it laid out buffet style, which meant it was over much quicker. Today I walked down through the garden, and explored the pond and lawn. It was really quite in Bath so early in the morning, and my cake shop on Pulteney Bridge was closed. I got the 9.45 bus to Bradford on Avon, a very pretty little town. Unfortunately I made an almost fatal error in getting off the bus when I saw a church which I foolishly assumed was the parish church. It turned out to be a Victorian church built to serve an expanding community, and the historic centre was downhill. A long long way down a very steep hill.

I staggered tentatively down a series of roads down incredibly steep hills, and seriously thought I wasn’t going to make it at some points, but somehow I did. Obviously I had to recover from my exertions with scones in the old fashioned but cosy Bridge Tea Rooms. I then wandered around the charming little town for a bit before getting the bus back. I had originally intended to get another bus on to a small National Trust property for the afternoon, but hadn’t read the timetables properly and it wasn’t running on Sundays. In theory it was walkable too, but my knee was playing up a bit. Probably the downhill disaster hadn't helped.

So I found a convenient bus stop (ie not back up hill to where i had got off) and returned to Bath. I popped into the Pulteney Bridge Café for a late lunch and cake, but there was no cake left! I wandered through the city centre looking for an acceptable alternative, and found the Georgian Tea Room. This had nice sandwiches, but the toilets turned out to be filthy, so I had to pop into M&S for the loos there.

I thought the Museum of Bath Stone sounded quite interesting, and it was due to be open specially for HOD. So I got the bus out to Combe Down, the former downs area outside the city, now developed for housing and looking like an undistinguished suburb. I had got the vague impression that the museum was actually in one of the tunnels where the stone was quarried. Unfortunately this was a misapprehension, and the tunnels have all been filled in with concrete to stop the houses built on top from falling down. Very inconsiderate… The museum was basically one room with a few interpretative displays and no actual artefacts – a real let down. No wonder its opening hours are limited. To be fair this disappointment was probably due to inadequate research on my part, and I should have gone to Prior Park instead.

I thought I would go to Prior Park Landscape Gardens on my way back as it was on the same bus route, but managed to miss the stop. Returning to the city centre I invested in a selection of snacks for the next day (the Queen's funeral). I decided to walk back today, and thought I would have a snack at the café of the Holburne museum (a lovely art museum I visited on my last trip). Got there at 3.50 and they had just closed, which seemed really excessively early.

Disappointed again, I had a walk in the adjacent Sydney Gardens, an 18th century public pleasure garden. It has been the subject of a major restoration project, and a grand reopening festival had been one of the casualties of the Queen dying the previous week. I was a little dashed to find that while a pleasant place to wander and quite attractive, the restoration was far from compete.

I went for a swim, and confirmed that the pool and spa would be open tomorrow, the day of the Queen’s funeral.

nonconformist2

The day of the funeral was obviously a bit of a washout with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The only other thing in Bath that was due to be open was the Sydney Gardens, and having been through them the day before, I felt no particular desire to return. After breakfast, which was a buffet again, I had a walk around the hotel grounds, then holed up in my room and watched it all on TV. The hotel had set up a TV in the bar for the day but no one else was there and it felt cosier in my room. It did mean I missed out on having the room cleaned that day. Later I went for a swim.

Tuesday, my final day, was another day trip, to Lacock Abbey. This involved two stage bus trip, changing at Melksham. I brilliantly managed to get on the bus going the wrong way at Melksham, and ended up waiting an hour perched on an uncomfortable bus stop seat on some random housing estate for the bus going in the right direction, which was annoying but obviously my own fault. Luckily I had my kindle with me. At least, it should have been an hour, but it turned out the previous bus was running late, so it wasn’t long at all. I did manage to get off at the right place in Lacock (the George Inn).

Lacock Is delightful, an utterly charming little village. The house, Lacock Abbey, is beautiful, too, and I really enjoyed my visit here. Unfortunately the NT café was out of stock of most things and there was nowhere else open in the village, so it was back to Melksham. There the only eating options were an unappealing pub, a Costa and a nice looking café which was shut. So I went back to Bath and ate at Sally Lunn’s, where I had one of their buns with bacon (just OK) and some scones which were lovely.

Back to the hotel for a last swim and to pack, before returning to my parents on Wednesday. The hotel reception ordered me a taxi, which was rather a long time coming. As my train ticket was timed, it was lucky I had left a lot of extra time for this.

stokebailey

Charming report, mishaps and all.

nonconformist2

Thank you!

I did enjoy myself most of the time

lrice

Thank you for this Trip Report. Bath is on my list as a place to "settle in" for a month. Work, live, and immerse in the culture.

Did you find there was much of a cafe or pub culture? We love to sit and people-watch, chat with locals, etc.

nonconformist2

Quite a lot of cafes and tea rooms especially in the lower part of the town, as you'd expect from somewhere that gets a lot of tourists. But I suspect you're more likely to be striking up conversations with other visitors rather than locals. It is a lovely city.

billyread6911

Great read, thank you for posting. I am looking for a Bath itinerary that also includes trips to Bristol, Salisbury and Cheddar Gorge.