Soaking in Bath

Bath was a pleasant surprise. Much of the city was built in the 18th Century using dull yellow stone from the local area. The resulting uniform Georgian architecture gives the city a slightly surreal appearance, even in heavy rain. We know this to be true. Our arrival in town was greeted by the most ungodly downpour.

Bath's most important architect, John Wood (1704-54) created a number of memorable streetscapes including, The Circle, a complete circle of curving, harmonious Georgian houses. Wood died before the street was completed. His son, John, completed the project and then went on to design the nearby Royal Crescent, an elegant semi-circular row of townhouses, framed with full-length half columns. 

This was where we stayed in Bath. The Crescent sits on a hill overlooking the city and the valley in which it sits. The city centre is a short 15-minute downhill walk past flowering parklands. This always made for a lovely way to bookend the start and finish of our daily excursions.

Our hotel on Friday night was located at No.16. The Royal Crescent Hotel was a wonderful place to stay. Our room overlooked the garden courtyard. This green oasis sits behind homes making up the street facade. We later discovered that the building housing our hotel room was once a royal residence. George, Prince of Wales, lived in the same building in 1799.

Garry and I decided to brave the rain and explore the town soon after our arrival on Friday. After briefly exploring the narrow streets we eventually found ourselves ordering lunch at a local pub. A seat by a lead-lined window, overlooking a narrow cobblestone lane, was the ideal spot for a simple meal. The rain soon stopped.

After lunch, we walked to the Roman Baths. Soon after invading Britain, the Romans began bathing here. The mysterious hot springs soon resulted in the site becoming a sacred worship site. The bathing complex that eventually developed was completely out of proportion to the size of the Roman town here. The Sacred Spring lies at the very heart of the ancient site. Water rises here at the rate of over 1.7 million litres a day at a temperature of 46C.

The Baths lie below street level and were hidden for centuries until 1878 when Victorian workers building a sewer accidentally uncovered the site. Over the years an entire temple complex and accompanying bathing facility has been excavated. The Great Bath was wonderful, particularly the one corner where a picture postcard view of the water is framed by Bath Abbey beyond its walls.

From the Baths we walked to Bath Abbey. It was here we discovered that Bath has had many famous residents including Captain Arthur Phillip, the founding Governor of Australia. Jane Austen and Wordsworth also lived in the town at various times. Inside the Abbey, on a far wall, hangs an Australian flag denoting a plague laid in memory of Captain Phillip. Bath was the last place we expected to find this flag.

A short walk from the Abbey brings you to the banks of the river Avon. Crossing the river at this point is the stone-arched Pulteney Bridge, a shop-lined bridge reminiscent of Florence's Ponte Vecchio. The river banks here are also framed by some of the most picturesque gardens we’ve seen in England.

Our last stop on the way home was Sally Lunn’s house. Said to be the oldest surviving house in the city, it was home to Sally Lunn, a baker from France in 1680. She began to bake a rich round and generous bread, similar to a French Brioche, now known as the Sally Lunn Bun.

The Sally Lunn bun is huge! And delicious! The bun is about six inches in diameter. It looks and tastes nothing like the heavy, sweet, pink iced finger bun from my childhood that we use to call a Sally Lunn. I guess the original recipe can’t be beaten. 

It was fascinating to learn that the bun’s recipe now forms parts of the house’s deed and its contents are strictly controlled. Currently, only three people know its secret, including the master baker who’s been baking buns here since 1984. Thanks to its history, the house has remained intact since the 1600s. They say it's now the oldest house in the city.

Our hotel included its own spa. After many hours of walking, we gladly soaked in its warm, mineral-rich waters before dinner. The spa is located in a barn-like stone building, built several hundred years ago. Dinner was taken in yet another elegant period building. While the food was divine, the service was sadly disappointing. This was the only blemish during an otherwise luxurious stay.