Location: Bath, England, UK
Happy New Year!
Everyone tends to set New Years resolutions, so this year mine is to make a much more consistent stream of content here on the Adventure Blog. I hope you come along for the ride! Since I still have a multitude of memories and pictures to share from my trip to England last summer, let's return once again to Bath (previously seen here) to take a stroll into the very reason for the name of this fine city, the Roman Baths.
Left: Bath Abbey, Right: Roman Baths Entrance
The Baths are very easy to find, just go to the center square of town, look for the Abbey doors, and take a right. When I was researching the Baths I expected an old roman ruin... but the entrance hall has definitely been built to match the beauty of the ancients. Make a point to look up before you dive into the history!
I got a great two-part tip from Rick Steves that is definitely worth passing on. First, while most museums and attractions in Bath close sometime in the mid afternoon (in the area of 4-6pm), the Roman Baths stay open until 10pm in the summer months (last entry at 9pm). So make a go of the main Bath sights during the day, catch an early dinner, and then pop into the Baths to enjoy an hour or two of having them to yourself without the crowds of tourists that come in just to day-trip.
The second half of the tip happens once you go inside. Your admission includes a great audio guide that will take you through the museum exhibits, but it also includes the guided tours of the ruins themselves that run every hour. A great way to further beat crowds is to skip the museum and go straight for the tour first. Then after that, the museum crowds will have thinned if you go late enough in the day and you can see everything at your own pace.
With the combination of an interesting tour guide and the great information provided by the audioguide, my friend and I were happy to spend almost three hours exploring every inch of the museum and Baths. Definitely leave some time at the end of the day to enjoy this wonderful gem at a relaxed pace.
The most beautiful time at the Baths is after the sun goes down and the gas lamps come on. It creates such a romantic atmosphere, take a moment to grab a stone and just take it in.
At some point we did in fact have to leave the magical ambiance, and when we did we realized we had worked up quite the appetite. We popped into Bill's right around the corner from the Abbey for a late dinner before taking our last stroll around the city.
I hope you enjoyed this peek inside the Roman Baths and that the beauty of nighttime in Bath might make you consider staying the night in this great city.
Thanks for coming along on our last night in Bath. Next up, we braved the other side of the road to take a jaunt into the Cotswolds! Stay tuned next week,
~V
Date & Locations: 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)