Location: Bath, England, UK
It's been a little over a month since I returned from a beautiful trip to central England, so the first spot I want to share is our first stop, Bath. A city with an ancient history and Georgian charm, this was a great first place to settle in and recover from any jet lag.
We flew into Heathrow, took the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station, and then took a National Rail train right to Bath. That may seem like a lot for arrival, but with clear signage and lots of places to stop for snacks in Paddington, it was a pretty easy journey.
Upon arrival we walked through town to check into our first hotel, the YMCA Bath hostel. We decided to try out a variety of hotel styles on this trip, so a hostel definitely had to be on the list. As two friends traveling together, we didn't want to be in a large dorm-style room, so we booked a twin room. This is definitely a no-frills experience, but the room was clean, the staff helpful, and a simple continental breakfast was included. All in all I would recommend this place to younger travelers that want to save a bit on accommodation, with the bonus perk of being a great venue to meet other adventurous travelers.
After checking in on our first afternoon, we got really ambitious and took the quick 15 minute local train to Bristol to watch a football (soccer) match between Bristol City FC & Aston Villa, and then spent the afternoon exploring. I'll share that mini adventure in a later post, but staying up that first day and being active let us crash at a good time and get up the next morning refreshed and ready to go. If you can handle a packed first day, I recommend it.
On our first morning waking up in England we had breakfast at the hostel and then set out to explore Bath on our own a little before going on a walking tour. We met up with the Mayor of Bath's Corps of Honorary Guides outside of the entrance to the Roman Baths, and were paired up with Joy. These tours are free (no tips expected or accepted) and offer a really good history lesson combined with fun insights from local residents, of which Joy was a fantastic example. We highly recommend her and the tours overall!
We found a quaint little street with a different #10 than the one you can find in London...
We visited the Assembly Rooms and felt like we were about to attend a dance in the Jane Austen era.
Then we made our way through The Circus and continued on to The Royal Crescent to enjoy one of the most famous views of Bath.
After the walking tour we stopped for lunch at Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen. We ordered a large selection of their small plates and enjoyed finding a centrally located veggie option.
After lunch we wanted to go back to the Crescent to visit the museum there, but first we cut through Queen Square and were lucky enough to find a local craft fair. The plant covered architecture wasn't a bad find either.
The first house in the Royal Crescent is actually a museum, cleverly named No. 1 Royal Crescent. The house has been preserved so that when you step through the front door, you are transported back into 18th century upper-class life. From a perfectly set dinner table to a cabinet of curiosities in the study, this museum is worth a look if the era of Jane Austen and fine balls intrigues you.
After No. 1 we made a quick stop into the Jane Austen Center gift shop. We got there a little too late to visit the museum, but they do have a very nice gift shop for the Austen enthusiast... needless to say an "I <3 Mr. Darcy" tote bag or two were purchased for friends and family.
A day exploring Bath isn't complete without a visit to the very reason for the name, the Roman Baths, but we saved the best for last and I will share our visit there in another post.
I hope you had fun spending the day with me in Bath, stay tuned for more adventures in Bath and in nearby Bristol before moving on to the next stop on our England Tour.
~V
Date & Locations: Saturday, 27 August & Sunday, 28 August 2016 - Bath, England
Photos taken with: Nikon D5300, Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Lens (Rented from BorrowLenses.com), Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f1.8 Lens