From Cheddar Gorge it was time to head to Bath. Again, somewhere I’ve never been before. Our first accommodation was an airbnb room in central Bath. On the way there we had a call from airbnb saying the host had cancelled the booking! This was followed by a call later to say that it was all ok, so we tracked the room down. It was very disappointing though, not particularly clean, and the most uncomfortable bed I think I have ever slept in. So we booked somewhere else for night 2, and sent an email to airbnb about the room. They gave us a full refund, so we can’t complain…
The next place was brilliant. About 5 minutes walk from the city, but sooooo much better.
We did a free guided walking tour around Bath. It took about 2 hours, and was very informative. Jeremy, our guide, had a great knowledge of the history of Bath, its architecture, and almost anything else anyone thought to ask him about the city.
The Georgian buildings and the stone used across the city make a real sense of uniformity and quality. One interesting thing is that whilst the front of the homes typically had to match standard designs, the backs were where the builders got to express their individuality, so from behind an even row of listed / protected buildings that all look identical are a bunch of higgledy-piggledy arrangements of floors, windows, stone, etc.
After the walking tour we visited the Roman baths. 2,000 years in the making! The remains they have uncovered are partially on display, along with the more recent buildings above them. One thing we have both commented on is the inclusive nature of these places – whilst they have ancient artifacts on display, they then have copies with signs, often also in braille, saying “Please touch me”.
A trip home via Marks & Spencer food Hall and a quiet night in recovering from all the walking, and the next morning we headed off to Swindon.
I’ve added some pics from Bath, they start with the pictures of the canal in the following gallery:
