Overnight in Bath
On our way back from Cornwall, we decided to have an overnight stay in Bath. Little did we know that Bath would become one of our favorite cities in the UK!
Onto Bath
From Cornwall, it was a very long three hour or so car ride. Essentially, we rode from the most western tip of the UK to Bath in one afternoon.
Thankfully, we decided to have a private room in a cute Georgian flat, via AirBnB, in the upper part of Bath. We parked our car right in front of our building and then walked into town centre within 5 minutes!
Read about our logistics in this post!
Meatbusters
From our flat, Meatbusters was located in the “newer” section of Bath about a 15 minute walk from us. Because Mary Frances kindly reserved us a table for 7pm, we walked through town and soaked in the beautiful Georigan architecture in Bath. It felt like we were walking through history!
As the name suggests, Meatbusters specializes in burgers and meat. Mostly burgers though! Although we weren’t that hungry, we had massive burgers and fries! Strangely, we had the entire downstairs to ourselves so we enjoyed the peace and quiet as we rested from our long road trip and enjoyed our burger feast! All very tasty and I would definitely eat here again!
Taking Bath at Night
Whilst a huge tourist attraction, Bath is also home to a few universities and also known for a party atmosphere. There are plenty of fun wine bars, pubs, and other resturants. As we explored Bath at night, the city was booming and full of energy! We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the beautiful Georgian streets and soaking in the atmosphere!
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Bath at night
One Day in Bath
As I mentioned above, had I realized we would love Bath, we would have definitely stayed more than one day in Bath! There is plenty to do in this gorgeous little city!
Boston Tea Party
Well known throughout the uni crowd, Boston Tea Party is a boutique cafe that serves tasty breakfasts and teas! Despite the fact that we are Americans, we actually went for the food instead of the memory! I ordered a yummy eggs benedict while MF had the basic granola yogurt bowl. Both were very enjoyable - I wish we had this for brunch near us!
Roman Baths
In Bath, the grand tourist highlight is the Roman baths. Initially, I thought they were overrated as tickets run at 18 per person so I thought it was very pricey. However, afterwards, I would have paid that again!
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Roman Baths
Pro Tip: Buy tickets online at least a day to save a pound or two!
Ancient Temple and Hot Springs
Once you walk through the entrance, we were brought to the ancient temple and hot springs located outside the main buildings. The temple dates back over 2,000 years ago and we still have fantastic views of the Bath Cathedral. Each of the statues represents a different Roman ruler or general.
Once in the hot springs, we learned people traveled throughout the Roman empire to sit at the baths. They have found many coins and scripts around the baths that relate to people near Turkey to Belgium. It is just stunning.
Perhaps the best part of the museum is the discovery of the original foundations that lay beneath the city surface. I can now say I’ve touched 2,000 years of history!! Somehow, the Roman Baths weren’t discovered until the 1800s - well after the city was called Bath! History is cool.
Tip: Go and visit the museum! Ensure you have plenty of time as it is well worth the visit!
Bath Walking Tour
One of Bath’s hidden gems is the free walking tour presented by the Bath Mayor. Initially, we were thinking it was going to be dry or very boring, but it was definitely one of the best history centric walking tours we have done!
History
Back in 53 AD, the Romans came and stayed. While the date does slightly vary, they have found evidence dating back to these ancient times. Because England was just as boring back in the day, they primarily stayed in this area for the minerals and then later the baths, and finally a very popular temple. In the empire’s heyday, the Romans built a proper city and linked the famous Fosse Way road from London to Bath.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end once the Roman empire collapsed. The land surrounding Bath returned to being a swamp and it was not pleasant. Then, the Saxons invaded and England formed three kingdoms. Long story short, the first English king was crowned in Bath Abbey, using the same ceremony that we see today. Our guide told us a fun fact that they discovered the original 10th century floor as they were restoring the church!
Bath Abbey
Despite its historical significance to the English crown and the city itself, the famed and beautiful church is “only” an abbey. It use to be a cathedral until the bishop moved to Wales. Other than that, there are beautiful descriptions on the outside of the history of Bath. It is well worth the few minutes to soak in the history!
Pump Room
If we were extremely posh and rich in the 1800s, we likely would have dined and stayed in the famed Pump Rooms. Connected to the hot springs, the pump room has a pump to bring the fresh water to the room. Our guide described the height of the spoils was in the 18th century as the Georgian age was in full bloom between 1702-1830. Nowadays, you can still visit the Pump Rooms, enjoy an afternoon tea, and then drink the (smelly and yucky) water!
The Famous Bath Spa
For our next stop, we visited the famous Bath spas! Whilst I am still unsure how one goes about it in a cheaper way, there are now just a few hot springs compared to the disgusting situation over a hundred years ago. Not only did you have to be naked in front of most of the town, no one bathed until they reached the spa. Baths or showers were considered a luxury so you had plenty of disgusting people hanging out in the bath.
To make matters worse, the hot springs relied on the natural turnover to clean the spa - meaning it would often take 24 hours for you to receive “clean” water. According to our guide, the best time to visit was 4am, rather than the afternoon! Eventually, the baths were so disgusting they had to close them in 1900. For over 100 years, they remained closed until two very fancy spas reopened in 2000.
Pro Tip: Stay at the Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel to be connected directly to the spa! However, beware - it is a 5 star hotel!
World War Two Impacts
Sadly, in World War II, Bath experienced the blitz and had devastating impacts to the city. According to the facts, the British bombed two historical German cities. In retalian, the Germans bombed 5 English cities and a decent amount of the Georgian architecture was destroyed. Perhaps more devastating is the rebuilding efforts is called the Sack of Bath as the city decided to branch into ugly modern architecture rather than the beautiful Georgian architecture!
Thankfully, shortly after the Sack of Bath, UNESCO visited and listed the entire city as a history city. In the UK, it is one of the few entire cities listed! Not only did they list it for the Georgian houses, but also the ancient Roman hot springs, and medieval foundations.
Again, I highly recommend this walking tour. I purposefully left out key details such as the absolutely gorgeous Georgian architecture. Whilst I am not the biggest fan of architecture, this city is the definition of old time England. So, come learn about it on the walking tour!
The Proper Pub Lunch
Based on the guide’s recommendations, we went for the most proper pub lunch at the Raven. As our guide said, this pub is for the beer and the comforts of home. When we walked through the doors, we knew we chose wisely!
Similar to most pubs we see on TV, the pub is old and full of wood. This pub definitely hasn’t been modernized but it has that classic charm! More importantly, there are very few things on the menu - pies and ales. We obviously got two of each! I ordered a wonderful chicken gravy pie and MF had the classic beef pie. Both were absolutely worth it and we destroyed them! I highly recommend the Raven!!
Wander Around Bath
Because the day was absolutely gorgeous, we wandered through Bath and now enjoyed our new fun facts even more! We only had two things left on our agenda - ice cream and Cornish tea.
From the car, I noticed a wonderful little ice cream shop called La Cremeria. It promised freshly made ice cream straight from the cows! I obviously ordered a delicious chocolate ice cream cone to enjoy in the middle of Bath!
Whilst we could (or should!) have tried a Cornish afternoon tea in Cornwall, we settled for Bath. We visited the popular tearoom of The Bath Bun. Inside the room, it is beautifully decorated and we felt like we were back in the golden ages of Bath. Because I just wanted coffee and full from lunch, MF enjoyed the spoils and definitely enjoyed her scones and tea!
The UnChartered Summary
- Go to the Raven if you want an authentic pub meal!
- In case my lovely blog didn’t convince you, the Bath Mayor's Guides tour is one of the best history tours. Free and locally run by experts, they provide many great tips and tricks!
- Whilst we had perfect weather, there are so many activities to do during typical AND sunny English weather. If it is raining, go inside to the spas or go to the many museums.
- I would highly recommend an overnight stay in Bath as a quick day trip is not enough!
While Bath is well known on the general tourist itinerary, the city still feels like a hidden gem when the tour buses leave and you have the entire city at your finger tips! There are many great bars and restaurants mixed with ancient bath houses and Georgian architecture. I cannot wait to return!