We drove up from Cornwall to Bristol to see a gig and thought, whist we were in the area, that visiting Bath was a great idea. I have always, always wanted to go to Bath, as I have heard only good things about this city, so many people told me it was charming and beautiful, so I had to see for myself. We booked a cheap & cheerful Premier Inn, right in the centre of Bath, I wouldn’t stay again (terrible night’s sleep) but it was very conveniently located. We parked out of Bath at the park & ride, we left our car there for 2 days, and it worked out to be such an affordable option, the bus only took 10 minutes and they run frequently. It was easier than trying to navigate Bath and find parking, the park and ride was less stressful, easy and cheap.
We arrived in Bath after a short drive from Bristol and wanted to waste no time, so we used early check in to drop off our bags and got straight out to explore. We landed lucky with the weather and had glorious sunshine, blue skies and temperatures of 20+ degrees in May, which made taking our time and meandering up and the streets so enjoyable. First, we explored the streets around the hotel, which were full of cafés and independent shops and restaurants, a little early for lunch, but we did stop in Colonna coffee, which is on Chapel Row in quite a quiet part of the city. If you like your coffee this is the spot for you, it is a speciality coffee shop, they roast their own beans and have won numerous awards. The staff are really friendly, and they were helpful in recommending which coffee to go for based on what you enjoy, the cakes were delicious too. We ended visiting here twice, it was that good.
After a coffee to set us up for lots of walking, we slowly made our way up the hill (I had no idea that Bath was so hilly), we just pottered about going up all the small side streets, soaking in all the history and architecture, we love to explore a new place with no agenda, just going where the day takes us. At the top of the hill, we found The Circus, which is a circle of incredible Grade I listed Georgian town houses around a central small park with 5 trees dating back to 1820. The Circus is one of the most charming streets I have ever seen, the houses are perfectly identical & you feel like you have stepped back in time.
I also loved Saville Row, which is a mews like street with independent shops and restaurants with pretty facades. This street is so well-kept and reminded me of a mini Diagon alley, In fact the whole of Bath was like a movie set and I hear that a lot of Bridgerton was filmed in this city.
There is so much history in this city and so much to appreciate, every building and street had something interesting, pretty or of historical interest. It is like a living museum, and I took so many photos, it was so visually interesting, everything from the coloured front doors, classic cars and perfectly preserved Georgian buildings and even a few cats that wanted to say hello.
We had a quick to go lunch from The Whole Bagel on Upper Borough Walls, delicious food (rude staff) but great for a quick pit stop. We did also try a cookie from Bakervee cookies, OMG these were incredible and the perfect afternoon sweet treat. They have a huge selection of Vegan and gluten-free options.
We did manage to see the famous Royal Crescent as the sun was setting we walked along the entire street on our way to dinner, and it was stunning, so majestic and all the photos I have seen over the years just do not do it justice, The scale of the street, the curve and the houses all in a row is just something you need to see in person. The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 town houses built in the 1760s, and they are said to be among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture in the UK. We also walked along this street on both days, as it is just too pretty to only see once.
Bath has so many independent shops, restaurants and galleries that have kept their old school charm and look, I photographed so many of them. I loved how colourful and unique they looked, they felt like a snapshot of a bygone time. Also, all the small side streets had an abundance of character, higgledy-piggledy cottages, vast town houses and shops that had long since gone and been turned into residence. We didn’t get a Sally Lunn Bun, but we did have a quick look in, and it smelt so good, and this area is quaint and a very historical part of the city, the streets are narrow and full of places to recharge & to have a drink and a sweet treat.
I love to photograph cars, especially colourful and unusual spec cars, Bath was full of nice cars and I have a camera roll full of Lamborghini’s, Ferrari’s, Porsche’s and so many cute bright Fiat 500s. What do you like to take pictures of? My favourite is always cars, but I am also partial to a colourful front door.
It seems that there is no shortage of great places to eat in Bath, we settled on a local Italian called Colosseo, and have to say it was incredible. The atmosphere was lively and friendly, and the food was authentic and delicious. After walking almost 25,000 steps I had earned a pudding and a few glasses of wine, 10/10, highly recommend booking here if you like Italian food.
We walked a little after dinner and ended up in a great little pub called The Raven, serving cask ales and its own beer. It was busy even on a Sunday night, we stayed for a couple of drinks and headed back to the hotel. Make sure to check back for day 2 exploring Bath where we head over to the Cathedral and the famous Pulteney Bridge.
I do pop up to Manchester to see family, It’s nice to have an excuse to leave the county and enjoy one of my favourite cities. We always try to visit a couple of times a year, we always squeeze in a trip in August, as we got married in Manchester 17 years ago (and lived there for many years). We love visiting all our favourite places and seeing how the city has changed in the last 20+ years.
