Bath is a British Countryside Fantasy
A CITY of georgian architecture, houseboats and country views
My first thought walking through Bath was that it could easily be the setting for a romcom. I immediately began scanning for my Jude Law. (Probably not a spoiler, I didn’t find him.)
Bath takes its name from its main feature as a Roman city - its hot springs turned into a bath (which is still right in the middle of the city, now a museum). Its other most famous features are its medieval Abbey and its Georgian architecture built of of Bath stone (which is honey gold in color).
To be honest, though, for me - none of its tourist hotspots rendered Bath a must go destination for me. It was the overall effect; it was the houseboats and cottages lining the canals; it was the short walk to long beautiful hikes; it was the overall ability of the downtown architecture and businesses to just charm you. It’s a city to go to and just let its magic unfurl naturally.
HEAD DOWNTOWN
A good place to start exploring downtown Bath is Pultney Bridge - one of the city’s most popular sites. Looking onto the honey gold stone bridge, you’ll get a good taste for the kind of treat you’re in for - something deeply quaint and idyllic.
From there you can start wandering the small, pedestrian-friendly streets of downtown. Almost certainly even if you’re not planning it, you’ll soon bump into the Abbey and the Roman baths - the two most famous tourist attractions. (To be honest, I didn’t go into the baths because of the steep price tags. I had read they were really cool but not worth the around $30 cost, which would have broken my budget anyway, so I passed).
The next most famous attractions are a short walk from this section and right next to each other - The Royal Crescent (and the adjoining Victoria Park) and The Circus. These are some of the most famous examples of Georgian architecture - both being circular rows of nearly identical townhouses. To be honest, I found them nice - but I lack the architectural chops to truly appreciate them. I would’ve been fine missing them.
STROLL THE CANAL
What really sold me on Bath was its canal just outside of downtown. The canal itself was lined with houseboats (and if you’re lucky, you can watch a houseboat being moved into or out of the canal at the locks), and the edges are lined with cute cottages. It was along the canal that my heart skipped a beat and I began scanning fruitlessly for epic true love.
The canal itself is built a bit like a park - so it’s an easy, beautiful trail stroll that includes a nice park (Sydney Gardens).
GO FOR A HIKE
Bath is a small city amidst a sprawling countryside so you don’t have to walk far to be in hike territory. My hostel was almost two miles outside of downtown and was hidden in the trees - making it a romantic little getaway for me.
Bath has a a six mile trail up and down its limestone slopes (the Bath Skyline Trail) which is what I did. To be honest, I think you have to be in the mood for a six-mile hike to do it - and the name is a bit deceptive because all the best “skyline views” are nearer to the bottom of the trail. BUT - it’s a really nice hike, does include some beautiful views, and gets you well into the countryside.
If you’re not in the mood for the full six miles, you can just walk to some of the lower skyline views, like near Smallcombe Cemetery and Prior Park Landscape Garden (probably the most famous park in Bath). Both are along the skyline trail - on the lower edges.
