Explore England: Two Weeks In Bath

The City of Bath in Somerset, England, is one of the most beautiful cities we’ve seen as we travel England.  There’s much to discover with such a rich long history and its awe-inspiring architecture.

Facts and trivia may bore some people, but I can’t help myself! I must share it all mixed in with our own story. It’s just too good not to, so we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

The natural thermal springs in Bath were first discovered by Prince Bladud around 863BC, who was exiled for leprosy and cured of the disease after bathing in the waters when he saw the pigs he tended to, roll in it. Since then, it was used by the Romans, Celts, Saxons, and Georgians for its healing powers.  The source of the spa water remains a mystery, but the water today contains 42 different minerals.

There’s much more to Bath than the already spectacular Roman Baths and Abbey it’s so well known for.

 

Where We Stayed In Bath

Slap-bang in the city centre! In a 1st floor apartment in Broad Street just a few doors from The Saracens Head pub, the oldest pub in Bath, reputedly visited by Charles Dickens,  one of the greatest novelists of all time.

The Saracens Head was established in 1713.  Our apartment was thankfully established many many years after that and overlooks the courtyard of the YHA Hostel.  Not only did we see groups of youngsters coming and going at the Bath YHA Hostel but families and many couples stayed there too. According to hundreds of raving reviews on Tripadvisor, it’s great budget accommodation and we can vouch for its ideal location in the heart of Bath.

 

Our two bed Airbnb apartment was small, but comfy and came with a price tag of £1080 for two weeks in May.

Parking is hard to find and can be expensive, but we were lucky to have an alternative arrangement via Brendan’s client and saved on this expense. Parking is cheaper after 8 pm with some carparks charging £8 for overnight parking, but during the day costs can quickly add up to £16 per day from 8 am to 8 pm.

What We Ate In Bath

When we stay at one address for a week or more, I do a bigger grocery shop or order online delivery to our door, which is great if you prefer to avoid shopping with children like I do.

Two weeks in Bath meant I could use my 5-in-1 membership to plan a menu, get an instant customised shopping list and order correct quantities online while saving money on unnecessary shopping and impulse buys.

Read here to learn more about my latest great online discovery called 5-in-1 dinners.

Read our post about 10 THINGS TO DO IN BATH WITH KIDS

 

Nick and Leah often take turns to cook with me when we stay in one place for longer and I just love it. We rarely had time for this before our trip, because while I prepared dinner they’d do homework after a full day of school and sport, have dinner, have a bath and get to bed.  Our new being together “routine” while travelling is exactly what we needed to bond on a completely different level.  It really is special and I don’t want it to end!

 

While in Bath, we mostly cooked, but we went to Sally Lunn’s historical house for dinner, a highlight for me, ordered stone baked pizza from ASK Italian from across the street, had the best posh kebabs ever from Taka Taka just a few doors down from ours and grabbed a quick lunch in town a couple of times while out exploring.

Read our post about Grocery Shopping, Cooking and Dining In The UK While Travelling Full Time for full disclosure about our spending and shopping costs over the first three months on the road and how we do it. 

 

Facts About Bath We Know You’re Dying To Know…

#Is that Bath sits in the mouth of a long-dormant volcano and although dormant for many millennia, the thermal heat is still warm enough to keep the countries only hot springs warm.

#Bath features on the big screen in movies such as Inspector Morse (1997), Les Miserables (2003) and The Duchess (2007).

#The world’s first stamped letter was posted from Bath, known as the Penny Black.

#The word SPA is associated with the Latin phrase ‘Salus Per Aquam’ or ‘health through water’.

#The Batheaston to Bathampton Toll Bridge was built almost 150 years ago in 1872 by two farming brothers who decided to join their land to half the cost of their annual tax bill.  They’ve charged a toll fee ever since which currently gives them a not too shabby income of more than a million pounds per year.

The bridge is apparently still in the family as it’s owned by descendants of the brothers.  The Batheaston toll bridge is Grade II-listed and is the most expensive toll bridge in Europe based on the short distance it covers.

…LAST ONE…

#No-one can build on the hills surrounding Bath.  All the limestone mined from the hills to build the city with its warm honey-coloured stone caused the hills to be unsafe for building on it.  Great news for locals who enjoyed childhoods running wild around those hills and who love the open space and views of the city from its tippy tops.

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Read our post about 10 THINGS TO DO IN BATH WITH KIDS

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We paid for everything ourselves while visiting Bath.  These are all our own opinions and thoughts and it’s not endorsed by any of the places referred to in this post. Information was sourced from public sites and are correct at the time of this post, but please visit the relevant websites for up to date information.

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