A weekend away in Bath

The weekend at a glance

Getting around

On foot — we walked 45 miles in 2 days

Roman Baths

Quietest after 6pm

Prior Park

£7.40, or £8.20 with Gift Aid

Thermae Spa

£40 for 2 hours at weekends

Georgian terraces, hot springs and Roman baths — Bath has so much charm, and I’d wanted to visit for ages. In July I finally went with Jonatan to celebrate my 19th birthday.

Here’s how we spent the weekend. Bring comfy shoes: almost everything is walkable, and you will walk a lot.

Friday

Afternoon

Holburne Museum

Our B&B was ten minutes’ walk from town, past this Grade I-listed museum and its exhibitions.

Pulteney Bridge & the weir

Shops line the bridge above the river, and just past them is the photo stop — city, bridge and weir together. A boat trip shows the weir from a new angle.

The curved steps of the weir below Pulteney Bridge

Late afternoon

The Roman Baths

Everyone goes at 9am, so the queues are long. After heavy rain we walked straight in late on Friday — go from 6pm, or check Google Maps’ busy times.

Evening

Bath Abbey at sunset

The medieval abbey glows in the golden evening light. A sunset walk round the city is one of the most beautiful things you can do — bring a light jacket.

The pinnacled stone front of Bath Abbey against the sky

The colonnaded terrace above the Great Bath — The Great Bath, almost empty on a late Friday afternoon.

Saturday

Morning

The Skyline Walk

Six miles out over the hills above the city — with a small castle along the way. Pick up a map at Point 1; some sections are steep, and shortcuts are allowed. Bring plenty of water.

Midday

Prior Park Landscape Garden

One of the most beautiful parks I’ve been to: a lake, the Palladian bridge and views over the city. We spent hours here, watching the baby swans.

The Palladian bridge across the lake at Prior Park, with the house above

Afternoon

Pizza and the shops

A hearty lunch back in town, then a slow wander for souvenirs.

Evening

Thermae Bath Spa

My birthday treat. Opened in 2006, with pools, five scented steam rooms — the ice chamber smells of peppermint — and the rooftop pool, my favourite part. My skin was glowing.

Steam rising from the rooftop pool with the abbey on the skyline

Thermae Spa, good to know

Price

£40 for two hours

At weekends. Worth it for a special occasion.

Included

Towel, robe and slippers

Plus lockers, and showers with shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Sunday

A slower day: pack, check out, and drop bags at the luggage store by the bus station — from £3.50.

Then the Royal Crescent, a curve of Georgian townhouses in honey-coloured Bath stone above a lawn. No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum of how the Georgians lived. Set your camera to panorama — it won’t fit in one frame otherwise.