Back in the spring, we went away to the beautiful City of Bath for a few days. I have visited Bath a few times before; once was a day trip when I was a child and if I’m honest I can’t remember very much about it. My second visit was 5 years ago when a company I was buying from when I ran my toy shop invited us down as a family for a guided tour of Bath, a lovely meal and overnight stay followed by a tour of their factory the next day. The guided tour lasted about 2 hours and was lovely to hear and see the history behind the city and its architecture. This was followed by afternoon tea at the Roman Baths.
This visit to Bath was all about good food, good times and rest and relaxation. We had a fabulous time and the break away from the usual day to day mundane was just what was needed. We went down to Bristol from Birmingham using National Express. The coach journey was great and the time just flew by. It didn’t seem like a long journey and we found it really was much cheaper than using the train. The next part of our journey to Bath was by train. With hindsight, I would have just caught a bus to Bath as the National Express Coach drops you off at Bristol bus station. The train station was a taxi ride away and by the time we’d got to the station there was little difference in travel time compared to catching the bus to Bath which is what we did on our return journey.
Once in Bath, we jumped in a taxi to our guest house. I have always found this much easier when visiting somewhere new than trying to navigate your own way there via public transport or walking. We stayed at a lovely guest house just 10 minutes walk out of the City Centre. There were communal seating areas all tastefully decorated to match the features of the property and cosy relaxing bedrooms.
The room we stayed in was situated on the third floor and was cosy but still with plenty of room and a a bright and airy en suite.
How stunning is this view? Pulteney Bridge was completed in 1774 and crosses the River Avon which runs through Bath. The bridge was built to connect the city of Bath with land owned by the Pulteney family in order for them to develop the land. The historic three arch bridge is stunning when viewed from the Parade Gardens downstream of the bridge and is unique in that it has shops built across the full span of the bridge on both sides.
One of the stunning places in Bath is the flower shop on Putney Bridge which I wrote about in my post about instagramable places in Bath. It really is a stunning building and the flower displays outside are so pretty,
Next door to the flower shop is a quaint little tea shop serving a selection of teas and coffees plus soft drinks. They also serve some amazingly tasty homemade cakes.
The view from the windows at the rear of the shop look down on to the river and it’s weir,
Bath Abbey is an Anglican parish church situated close to the river and alongside the Roman Spa Baths. The Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery which was founded in the 7th century.
The Abbey was then rebuilt during the 12th and 16th centuries. During the 1860s major renovations being carried out in the 1860s to which is how the Abbey has remained until the present day.
For lunch, we popped into Brown’s which is right by the Abbey. We didn’t really want much to eat and picked the Devon Crab from the menu to share between us. The Devon Crab was brown crab mixed with seasoned mayonnaise on toasted sourdough and it was amazing! Served with a Porn Star Martini cocktail it was the perfect lunch we were looking for.
Everywhere you look are quaint little cobbled street with Georgian architecture. The sandstone bricks are such a stunning colour and the whole city centre has been developed along the same Georgian style.
The classic architecture is stunning and the lack of modern developments makes Bath an ideal place for taking time away from modern life and relaxing.
What can I say about Sally Lunn’s? Well, let me start by saying they make the most amazing breakfasts. Sally Lunns is one of the oldest houses in Bath and is much more than the world-famous tea and eating house. Sally Lunn created the first Bath Bunn which are still made today and form part of every item on their extensive menu. Whether topped with sweet or savoury topping, the Bath bun is delicious! Next time I’m in Bath I will certainly be trying their afternoon tea.
My review of the breakfast at Sally Lunn’s can be found here.
I have eaten at the British restaurant chain The Ivy a number of times and the food has always been fantastic but I have never tried their Afternoon Tea before. On our first afternoon we arranged to try out their afternoon tea. It was lovely and up to The Ivy’s usual standard.
I will be writing a full review of the afternoon tea at The Ivy over the coming weeks.
No visit to Bath is complete without a visit to the Royal Crescent. Probably the most famous street in the South of England. The Georgian architecture is stunning and many a period drama and even modern-day tv and films and documentaries have used this stunning street; From the Count of Monte Cristo, Vanity Fair, Northanger Abbey to Inspector Morse and Our Girl. Channel 4s Timeteam have even dug up the grass in front of the Crescent to see what history lies below.
At number 16 The Royal Crescent is the stunning Crescent Hotel and Spa. To the rear of the main building through gorgeous manicured gardens lies the Dower House, which when the property was built would have traditionally been the residence on the home owner’s widowed Mother. The Dower House has been tastefully converted into a stunning restaurant where we had afternoon tea. At this point of our trip, I was all sweetened out and actually picked the Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea which had a course of savouries instead of the traditional cake and sweet pastries course. The Afternoon Tea at the Dower House Royal Crescent was amazing and I would love to return to try the traditional sweet afternoon tea.
I will be writing a full review of the afternoon tea at The Dower House over the coming weeks.
It was a fabulous 2 night stay in Bath and I would love to visit again. When looking where to eat there were so many choices for all tastes and budgets and if I’m honest I would have eaten so many afternoon teas as there were so many venues to pick from. I’d love to go back to see the inside of the cathedral and also hve afternoon tea in the pump rooms again as when I visited a few years back it was a lovely tea.
There are also many other historical places in the area within easy reach such as picturesque villages and the ancient Stonehenge.
Have you ever visited Bath and the surrounding area?
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