The only UK city which is entirely a UNESCO site!
Bath has been one of England’s most beautiful cities for over 2000 years and it owes it all to the long dormant volcanic crater heating the thermal pools around which the palacial city was built. Us brits are so proud of Bath, that Hitler carried out air raids on it to try and demolish our patriotic spirit, but luckily almost all of the buildings survived and are loved for their literary origins and modern film set appearances. Fans of Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, The Duchess, Les Mis and even Fantastic Mr Fox can find gems all over town in-between the gin bars and oldfashioned shops.
Every street in Bath is beautiful, but Queen Street is home to the city’s best gin bar and cafe as well. The Wild Cafe serves brunch all day long, which is music to my ears as breakfast foods are my staples! They also have a beef, cinnamon and apple cheese burger which I am dying to try next time!
The Circus is one of the other crescents you will reach just before THE Crescent, and in my opinion it’s more beautiful! Unlike The Crescent, The Circus is an entire circle of houses centred around a large oak tree.
Did you know that the Circus is the exact diameter of its famous neighbour Stonehenge?! Stonehenge tracks the movement of the sun throughout the day, from sunrise to sunset, and this is mirrored in the creation of the Circus which represents the sun, whilst The Royal Crescent represents the moon.
This side alley between The Circus and The Crescent is relatively peaceful considering how close it is to two of Bath’s main attractions, and makes a nice place to stop for a coffee before continuing your tour.
I was so happy when I realised I had captured this cafe owner who looks very European as he steps out of his little Italian bistro!
It’s hard to believe there are only 30 houses in The Crescent when it seems as if each pillar represents a seperate house. These 30 residents are very particular about the appearence of the street, to the extent they demanded the red telephone box be repainted grey, as red was too ‘glaring’! You may not have even noticed The Crescent’s private telephone box as it is now so well camoflagued.
If you’re struggling to get a clear shot without posing families, try one of the city’s 7 other crescents which are often overlooked by tourists.
It was hard to get a good angle on Catherine Place, but it’s worth trying! This tiny square is set around two miniature gardens dedicated to those who died in WWII. Keep your eyes peeled for a nice leafy angle from beneath the branches looking up at the sash windows.
I still don’t really know what this place is, other than an incredibly photogenic spot. You can find it at the crossroads of Rivers Street and Julian Road.
The ghost sign reads ‘EST. 1798 Old Red House, Rivers St. Branch’ though if you type ‘Old Red House Bath’ in to Google you are more likely to be directed to an AirBnB on the outskirts of the city. As far as I can find out, this corner house used to be a bakery. If anyone knows the story, let me know.
One of the criteria that got Bath its UNESCO status is the building of houses which take advantage of the view, and Landsdowne Road certainly does that as it slopes down to the Roman baths!
Jane Austen’s naughty aunt lived in the first house on Paragon Street and was done for shoplifting eight times. The hidden stone staircase on the very same street leads you down from the Georgian palaces of the city centre to the artisan courter of Walcot Street. You can find it hiding at waist height under the window of the Paragon Townhouse. At the bottom of the steps, you can find a Roman fountain which has been revamped to include stone caricatures of the local businessmen, one of which apparently looks like Zippy the Pinhead! (Unfortunately, I only found out about these after my visit so I shall have to go back and get photos of the different characters!)
This photogenic little bridge is one of four in the world to have shops built on both sides, high five to anyone who managed to guess another one (Venice)! There is one shop, in particular, I have to mention… The Bridge Coffee Shop which sells fantastic ice cream and if you can grab a seat by the sash window you have your own private view on to the weir below!
Many people don’t realise but the back of the bridge is just as fascinating (photo below). You can see all the rooms which have been tacked on to the back of the bridge, hanging precariously over the river. This photo was taken from the patio of the funky Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay.
You may notice walking around Bath that many of the windows aren’t actually windows but filled in holes where the windows should be! This was because of the 17th and 18th century window tax which meant the more windows you had the higher your taxes would be, resulting in a lot of windows being sealed or filled in. Some owners were more creative than others and decided to paint their windows on, like this one below of the Gregory Book Shop. The remains of the sign above (or ‘ghost sign’) tell passersby that the shop is ‘well stocked with all the latest fiction’, which at that time would have been the first editions of Dorian Grey, Sherlock Holmes and Far From the Maddening Crowd. Not to mention the works of Jane Austen and Mary Shelley who both lived in Bath!
Sitting in the gardens beneath Pultney Bridge was easily my favourite spot in Bath. When I’m in a new city I always like to find a quiet spot by the water where I know I can come to get away from the busy streets, and this is it. The benches beneath the leafy branches of the shaded park look out on the palatial honey-coloured Guildhall behind the horseshoe weir. If you catch the weir from the right angle you can get a shot of the water split between the honey coloured reflection of the buildings and the blue of the sky.
If I hadn’t been a bit rushed for time I would liked to have spent an hour or two lazing in this garden on the other side of the river. The Parade Gardens were definitely more busy than the gardens beneath the bridge but were beautifully landscaped to create private areas for groups beneath shady trees and pavilions.
One of the oldest houses in the city and home of Sally Lunn’s famous buns, Bath Buns that is! The brioche style buns can be sweet or savoury, but are most often served with a sugar cube baked into the middle! How beautiful is this street?!
Directly opposite Sally Luns is this pleasingly symmetrical street. I had to wait a while to get this photo as I was trapped between two Instagrammers, both swinging on lampposts, one on this street and one down the side alley!
Bath’s canals are so green and peaceful they are the perfect place to stop for a picnic by the river and admire the riverside houses and their balcony gardens. I also love searching for bizarre canal boat names as I go, hopefully not looking to nosy!
I’m always hopeful of a chat with the people who live this relatively nomadic lifestyle on England’s canals and I wasn’t dissapointed! One gentleman stepped off his barge followed by his two miniature terriers, eagerly waiting for him to share his sandwich (actually the largest hunk of cheddar you have ever seen, flattened between two crumbling rivita). He told us he had just returned from travelling around Ireland for two years on his barge, escaping after his third divorce. He said he had never been happier, though his dogs had missed chasing squirrels, which were in short supply on Ireland’s coast. As we spoke his dogs were barking up every available tree, making up for lost time.
These last three I wasn’t able to see, but will be adding to my next trip to Bath! Photos coming ASAP
As I don’t have a student card any longer, the £22 entrance fee to the Roman Baths made the budget traveler inside of me clench and stopped me from going inside. However, now I have seen more of Bath, I am very tempted to treat myself to a little jaunt inside the baths.
The Romans may have made the original baths for which the city is famous, but they failed to build a rooftop thermal pool! this is where Thermae Bath has stepped in. Want to soak up the waters with a rooftop view of a UNESCO city beneath your wiggling toes?
This underground Speakeasy is Bath’s naughty little secret! With over 30 theatrical cocktails and tunnels of seating this is going to be a favourite of mine. Just picture the cellar bars that Eastern Europe is famous for but with the money and glamour of London! Can’t wait to grab my drink and settle into an alcove for the night.
If you can remember how to resurface, try another underground bar or two. Beneath is in the crypts of the Botanist so just go one basement level up. If you need a bit of daylight before your next tipple, resurface before plunging in to Bath’s other favourite cellar bar, Opium.
I really enjoy your photos Liv! They are amazing and unbelievable!
Thank you! that is very kind!
I really like your photos Liv! They are incredibly beautiful! 😀