Of pigs and dragons

You may have noticed that I like a good myth or legend. Well the last few days in Bath and Wells have provided a feast. I’ll share my two favorite.

The first involves King Bladud. He was the rightful heir of the Britons (about 1000 BC) but contracted leprosy so was banished. Instead he became a swineherd. His pigs also contracted some form of skin condition as well as scurvy. One day they happened to be in the area now known as Bath. The natural hot springs here created a thick mud. Bladud’s pigs dived in for a glorious wallow. Shortly afterwards Bladud noticed that they were cured of their ailments. He jumped in himself and sure enough, cured! He was now able to become king, and founded a city here dedicated to the goddess Sul. When the Romans got here in AD 70 they called the town Aquae Sulis. There are multiple pig statues and friezes about the town in recognition of their role in its foundation.

The second legend is more recent - 12th Century. It involves the first Bishop of Wells, Bishop Jocelyn, who was responsible for building the Bishops Palace and the magnificent cathedral we went to see today. Somerset was terrorised by a frightful dragon who liked to eat milkmaids and other unsuspecting villagers. (What is it about milkmaids and myths)? Bishop Jocelyn bravely ventured out to kill the dragon. After a mighty battle, as the dragon breathed its dying breath, it cast an eternal curse on the villagers: that if they ever forgot about it, it would return every 50 years. To this day the local villages celebrate the Dragon every 50 years to protect them from its return and the Bishop’s Palace has a Dragon’s Lair in its garden for kids to play in…

Interesting that both Bath and Wells exist as ancient cities because of their natural springs.

I had a special early morning WhatsApp catch up with my siblings, mum and aunt and uncle. While I sat with the beautiful Pulteney Bridge and Avon River as my view we had a memorial ceremony for my dad. Twenty years. Very special.

So, as you can imagine we have seen lots of lovely old buildings and learned lots of history the last three days. I was here 15years ago with my mum, but Grant hadn’t been so we have done the walking tours and visited the Circus, Royal Crescent and Roman Baths. I had a nice wander through the Abbey while a kids’ choir was rehearsing which was a lovely bonus. It has been very hot so we have retreated to our hotel for the afternoons. A bus trip to Wells today was a hot but special treat as it’s truly one of the most beautiful cathedrals I’ve seen. I’ve attached lots of pics but also a video of the amazing clock there. The second oldest working one in the world. It’s still accurate with a wonderful animated bell ringer and mini jousting tableau. We were there at midday so had a special show. It’s a miracle how much of the cathedral survived Cromwell’s plundering and destruction.

We’ve also done some culture not involving pubs. Last night we enjoyed a movie at a really cool cinema which you accessed via dark stairs, stepping into a dimly lit, lush bar and lounge. The cinema seats were plush couches and a waiter came to our seat for drink and food orders which are delivered during the ads! Real food - burgers, platters etc. glorious! We saw The Salt Path - ironically about a long hike around the British Coast cos we haven’t had enough walking. Quite good but not brilliant.

Tonight we are off to a play at the Theatre Royal in Bath. A who-done-it.

I’ve enjoyed Bath and being reminded it’s more than Jane Austen. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein here and it’s thought that Charles Dickens was working on Pickwick Papers while staying at the Saracen’s Head pub about 50m down the road from us. It’s also where a lot of Bridgerton was filmed of course which has boosted the young female tourist numbers.

Tomorrow, Oxford. It’s nice, this slow travel.Läs mer