12 Things to Do in Bath
I feel like this break away is exactly what I needed; I have been feeling very stressed and I needed to get away from everything for a bit and just get lost in a new place. I particularly wanted to go this weekend as I have some pretty bad memories associated with the date, therefore I wanted to make new happy memories to replace the bad ones. When we spontaneously booked the trip a couple of weeks ago, I did my research and also asked for recommendations from you guys on Twitter and Instagram and you did not disappoint me!
So I thought I would throw together a little blog post of some of my recommendations, in case you wanted to get away for the weekend!
When we arrived at 9:30am, we immediately dropped our bags off at our Premier Inn (which I would highly recommend as it is pretty much 5 minutes walk away from everything you need) and then walked over the road to find a cute place for some brunch. We stumbled across the Wild Cafe and decided to give it a go! It was on the corner of a cute side street, nicely tucked away from the busyness of the city, with the smell of bacon and egg enticing you in.
We both opted for eggs royale which was heavenly as always, paired with a mocha for Brad and an apple and elderflower juice for me. If you want somewhere with a bit of character, quick service and most importantly delicious food, this is the place to go! What is even nicer is that most of the food (if not all of the food) is locally sourced!
2. Pulteney Bridge & Weir, River Avon
This is of course a must see in Bath (alongside the Royal Crescent, which we sadly missed out on). The only way I can describe it, is that it is honestly breathtakingly beautiful. It is the kind of place that instantly relaxes you. With the sound of the water rushing down the weir and the sensationalistic views of the bridge and the hills rolling over the city, you immediately find yourself reflecting on everything and appreciating your life. There is a calming silence as everyone peers over into the river, off of their phones, with a loved one just appreciating nature. Whilst staring into the weir, I of course had 'Javert's Suicide' replaying in my head and I am sure I am not the only one.
"I am reaching, but I fall and the stars are black and cold, as I stare into the void, of a world that cannot hold, I'll escape now from that world, from the world of Jean Valjean. There is nowhere I can turn, there is no way to go on!"
After brunch and a few hours wandering around Pulteney Bride and Weir and Bath Market, we found ourselves stumbling across a cute dimmed lit pub in a little courtyard down the side street called the Crystal Palace. It's all you could ever need and want in a pub really... it's got booze, cute dogs, comfy sofas and a good selection of pub grub!
We found ourselves coming back to this particular pub quite a few times across the weekend, it's as if we had a gravitational pull towards it, so that has got to be a good sign right? We could have honestly sat in this pub for hours and just chilled. It's so nice finding somewhere quite like this in the busy Bath city... also any excuse for us to grab a pint! What I also loved was the variety of music played in the pub... and when I say variety, I mean variety including old school Hilary Duff 'Why Not'.
We then checked into our room, got our swimwear on and headed over to the Thermae Baths. We had 2 hours in the spa which included the open-air rooftop pool, Minerva bath and the wellness suite which included a variety of steam rooms, saunas and my favourite which was a room filled with small shards of ice which you are supposed to rub all over your body to close your pores after the steam rooms and saunas. Of course being the kids we are, we both proceeded by attempting to put handfuls of ice down each others backs and pants.
Included in this is the robes, towels and flip flops... so all you need to really take is a change of clothes and any toiletries you need, for £40 each to use at any time for the next year after purchase, you can't really go wrong. If you want to get away from the busy city centre, this is the place to go. When we walked out we said how refreshed we felt; I felt like a new woman!
This was hands down my favourite thing that we did over the weekend, it completely exceeded my expectations. I pre-ordered our tickets for the evening as I wanted to see the baths all lit up during the twilight period and I am beyond glad that I did. This was definitely the perfect time to go as it was not busy in the slightest, which meant you could fully take in everything! I actually thought that it would just be the Roman baths that we would see, but it actually has a full on museum telling you all about how the baths were founded and how it all worked during the Roman era.
Like true tourists, we had our audio description guides which definitely made the visit even more interesting. All in all, we spent about an hour and a half to two hours in there (we could have easily spent longer in there). I just cannot get over how beautiful this place is and I definitely want to revisit!
After hours walking around trying to find somewhere available to eat on a Saturday night at 9pm (BOOK IN ADVANCE TO SAVE THE ARGUMENTS WE HAD WHEN WE WERE HANGRY), we eventually stumbled into La Perla at 9:45pm. Both hangry after not eating since 10am, soaked from the rain and angry after an argument about the lack of food booking in advance, we were very happy with our choice. I am obsessed with Mediterranean food, especially Spanish tapas with a jug of Sangria.
This was Brad's first time having tapas, so of course we got patatas bravas, alongside gambas al ajillo, croquetas de queso, carne de vieias and presa ibérica a la brasa and bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic butter. I was in my element and of course we ate it all! I loved the fact it was a proper traditional Spanish restaurant, owned by Spanish people and it felt like I was back in Ronda. I can't recommend this place enough and I was lucky enough to be treated to it by Brad!
Across from the Wild Cafe was the Canary Gin Bar, which had been recommended by quite a few people. I have finally got into gin after years of hating it and forcing my taste buds to change and oh boy I am so glad they changed! We treated ourselves to a double Whitley Neill rhubarb and ginger gin with elderflower tonic, alongside 'The Big Apple' gin cocktail. It is the cutest little bar, with cosy sofas and candle lit tables!
On Sunday morning we walked around the corner to the Boston Tea Party and after being recommended this place by a few people, I had high hopes. It's not until now as I am writing this post, that I have realised that we should have gone to the bigger sized cafe down the road, we went to the one in Kingsmead Square, however I would not recommend this one... head over to the one on Alfred Street. I opted for a smoothie and the bacon maple pancakes and Brad had a flat white and 'The Boss' which is essentially a big ass fry up!
After quite a long wait, I received mine without the bacon, so we sent it back. The waitress then returned with the bacon but with just my luck I found a hair in my food. They were very apologetic and gave us more drinks for free and replaced my food. Although my experience was not great, the food was lovely... I would just say that you need to avoid the one we went to and stick to the one on Alfred Street!
If you like fudge then this is the place for you! You can go in and sample any of the flavours and watch how it is made. The staff are so funny and welcoming and the fudge is to die for! We settled on a slab of dark chocolate and sea salt, peanut butter, white chocolate and raspberry and coffee!
I first saw this in one of The Michalak's vlogs a few years ago and this is definitely a must-go place but be prepared to queue. Sadly the only time there was not a queue, was literally right after we had eaten! It is the oldest house in bath and was built in 1482 and Sally Lunn herself lived there in 1680. Although I did not try the food there myself, I still recommend that you try to visit it if you can!
11. Bath Abbey
If you need a bit of time to reflect and just sit and relax, this is definitely a must. We went in there planning to have just a quick walk around but ended up sitting on one of the pews for about 20 minutes, listening to the sound of the organ and simply admiring the stunning architecture. Similarly to Pulteney weir, this is also the kind of place that just makes you really reflect and appreciate with everything in life.
The last place we visited before getting the train home, was The Ivy Brasserie. We thought we'd end the weekend on a bang with a 'posh' meal and a cocktail each. I had the crab and salmon fish cake and Brad had the crab linguine. The food and cocktails were both divine and the perfect way to end our little weekend away together! This also looked like a popular place for afternoon tea.
Overall, it was the most perfect weekend with someone who I care about and love very much. I hope this is the first of many holiday's together!
Where should we go to on our travels next?
Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for sharing such a nice post keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteBranding custom Donut Boxes
Donut box manufacturer usa