From Caeser to Jane Austen

We left London this morning, traveling to Bath via train. The trip took just over an hour to whiz through small towns and the English countryside. We’ve had another day of sunny weather, so we took advantage of it. We dropped our bags and headed to the World Heritage Centre, where Toni gave us a load of advice. And a map. The Centre is next to the Bath Abbey, which looked imposing against the clear, blue sky. The history of the Abbey stretches back about 1500 years, and in 973 AD the first king of modern England had his coronation here. It’s had many iterations of disrepair and renovation throughout history and is a beacon visible seemingly from all points of the town.

We passed the Abbey and strolled through the Guildhill Market. Trading has taken place at this location for over 800 years, but it now houses about 20 vendors. I don’t think they’ve always sold Union Jack socks here, but it has been a place of bustling commerce. We made our way out the east side of the market, where the river Avon meanders across the street. The river is split into three fingers by the arches of the Pulteney Bridge. The bridge spans the river and is one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the entire length. Designed in the late 1700’s, the bridge hosts a variety of businesses such as cafes, jewelers, and a stamp and coin store. It is a relatively short bridge that transmits its travelers onto Great Pulteney Street, which was once ground zero to a Georgian development. Unfortunately, the imposing buildings that line the street were all that were built, but they certainly are a sight. I imagined the street without vehicles; a grand promenade that led to and from the town. The street is unusually wide compared to the English standard, making it feel even more majestic. The road dead ends into Sydney Park. There’s no pedestrian crossing at the end of the street, so we had to turn left and walk to the end of the block. Along the way we passed the home of Jane Austen. She lived in Bath and drew inspiration from her surroundings. Two of her novels were actually set in Bath, but they weren’t Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, so I can’t tell you much about them.

Sydney Park is set on a hill and as we approached it, we found the canal that Toni suggested for leisurely walk. It was a great suggestion. The canal runs circular around the east side of Bath before converging with the river Avon. As we moved out of the park, the north bank was filled with beautiful homes with small, but stylish, yards that backed up to the canal. We ran into several narrow boats and wondered how many locks it would take to get down to the train station. Well, it’s a lot. We found ourselves, once again, watching a man navigate a lock on his own. Once he made it through, he motored another 50 yards or so and had to maneuver through another lock. There were several more after that, but we moved on until we reached the bottom of the hill to find the deepest lock in all of England. Lucky for me there was a narrow boat captain (I’m not sure that’s the proper term), who was happy to tell me all about the locks. He was kind enough to suggest that I rent one and float the canals next time I visit. I’m actually considering putting that one on the bucket list.

We returned to town and spent some time planning our next couple of days. If all goes well, we’ll see the highlights of Bath tomorrow, starting with the Roman baths, and Wednesday we’ll drive down to Stonehenge and dance naked at sunrise. Or just walk around the stones with the other tourists.Read more