24 March 2015 - Tytherly Farm, Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset

Chris was a little apprehensive about leaving our camp site this morning after the rain overnight, however the front wheel drive vehicle coped better than expected with the wet grassy surface and we were soon on our way into Bath, joining the early traffic, in search of the Park & Ride, soon done with good directional sign posting supported by an excellent navigator, yours truly. Alas, the Park & Ride does not allow for any vehicles much over 2.1 metres high, which obviously excluded us.

Fortunately we found a park down a side road next to a playing field, however without the aid of a detailed map of the city and environs, had no idea how far we were from the centre of Bath. We took note of the street names and set off along the street, heading in what we considered the most likely direction of the centre, a decision soon confirmed by a passer-by who directed us to the nearest bus stop. From there we caught a bus, buying an all-day pass at 4 GBP each, and after a quarter of an hour arrived at the bottom of the basin which contains lovely Bath.

We were carrying our copy of the Rough Guide which has a map of the centre of the city, so were soon able to find our way to the Information Centre, adjacent to the Cathedral, and there we planned our day. It was just 10 am, later than we had hoped to start our day, but delayed by the Park & Ride debacle. We found a Cornish Patisserie manned by a Polish girl, and purchased ourselves French pastries to add to our cheese sandwiches packed earlier, then at 10.30 joined a free walking tour with six others and spent two and a half hours with Jeremy who proved to be an excellent guide with a wealth of knowledge of his beloved city. We learned about the Roman Baths, the Cathedral, the Georgian architecture featuring the lovely residences of the Circus and the Royal Crescent, the Guildhall, the Putney Weir and Bridge, Queen Square and the Royal Victoria Park. Jeremy understood well that we, the el-cheapo tourists were watching our pennies, but did encourage us to spend time in the Cathedral and the Roman Baths. Alas with only part of the afternoon left after lunching in the square adjacent to the Cathedral, while watching a group of school children dancing to the music of a busker, we decided that the afternoon was better spent at the Baths, since it is those that are the raison d’etre of this city.

A propos of the school children, we were surprised  by the number, the hundreds of students, children and teenagers, English and French who were in the city like us, discovering the history of this very special and important British city.

Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its world-class architecture and unique thermal waters. In fact, strictly speaking, Bath is the only place in England that has natural thermal springs, because springs can only be considered so over a particular temperature.

These springs were considered sacred by the local people long before the Romans came, however when they arrived and discovered the wonders of the waters, a wonderful solution to the bitter cold of this western island, they also attributed spiritual values to the springs, adopting the Britons god Sullus in conjunction with their own Minerva.  The place came to be known as Aqua Sullus, and by 76 AD the first baths and temple buildings around the springs were completed.

Today the Roman reservoir survives intact below the present water level. In the 12^th century the Kings Bath was built within the Roman ruins. In the 17^th century the statue of Badud, mythical founder of Bath, and a balustrade was added. In the 18^th century the Pump Room was built. This latter became the meeting place and co-ordination centre for the social life that blossomed through the 18^th and 19^th  centuries, a society celebrated in the writings of Jane Austin and others.

There is so much to see in Bath and one day does not do this fabulous place justice. We spent about three hours in the Baths, wandering through the ruins and exhibits, absorbing all the history conveyed by audio headsets. The entry price had stung, but in retrospect was well worth the outgoing.

By the time we caught the bus back to our camper, the rain that had been threatening all day had begun, and by the time we found the Sainsbury supermarket, it looked set in for the evening. As I unhooked the gate back at the farm here in Hinton Charterhouse, sleet lay on the grass like snow; we were glad when we were set up and inside, the diesel heater roaring and dinner cooking.