When you reach midlife it’s hard to think of something you want to do on your birthday.
We were suppose to be in Rome, a city I’ve visited twice before but hubby has never been to.
However following the arthritis diagnosis (see previous post: New Year’s Resolutions Have Come Early This Year!) and having still not seen a physio or consultant, at the point we should have flown out, I decided it was best to postpone this trip.
The last thing I wanted to do was to walk 5-7 miles a day for four days and then return to the UK and find one or both my knees had returned to the levels they were at last September. We have a preference on city breaks, in particular, for walking rather than taking public transport. The consequence would have no doubt been, that I would have had to start the resting and slow build exercise process all over again.
I decided instead to travel to Bath for the day with an overnight stay.
Bath is subject to the new Ulez regulations and charges and unlike anywhere else we have been before also bases its car parking charges on emissions as well. Payment for long term parking has to be done by cash or on line via an app and once you type in your car registration number it tells you how much you need to pay. You can only pay for 4 hrs, 6 hrs or 24 hrs.
It began to feel like we were being ripped off. Having arrived in the city at 10.30 we only really had the choice of paying 6 hrs or 24 hrs. If we paid for 6 hrs then we wouldn’t have time to eat an early dinner before returning to our Boutique BnB for the night so 24 hrs it was!
We had booked tickets for the Roman Baths for 11 am. It was school half term holidays and so it was busy. The theory of booking a date and time is a hangover from the Covid era when tourist places needed to limit the amount of people within the building. However this is obviously not the reason for this now as the first main room we entered was absolutely packed and you had to shuffle along at a snail pace in order to try and see the exhibits. I decided to skip this room and get ahead of the crowd which actually worked and I felt very little pressure for the rest of the tour.
Free audio handsets were a benefit although the narratives were a little extensive.
The spring at Bath was known to the pre-Roman Celtic people of Britain and was presided over by the Celtic goddess Sulis. When the Romans arrived, they called the site Aquae Sulis, “waters of Sulis,” and created a spa that became famous throughout the Roman world.
It was one of the great religious spas of the ancient world; the people of Roman Britain came to the site to bathe in the waters of the natural thermal springs, which still flow with hot water today. The hot mineral springs bubble up from the ground at temperatures well above 40 °C and the main one produces more than 1.3 million litres a day.
Back in those days people attending would progress through the tepidarium, or warm room, and then through a set of increasingly hot baths-the caldarium before plunging into the cold bath or frigidarium and finally finishing by walking down the four steps into the warm, steamy water of the Great Bath. The Great Bath stood in an impressive hall and people would meet to chat whilst bathing or stroll along the paved floor around the pool. There were strategically placed corniches in the walls for sitting and watching the bathers without getting splashed.
The facilities were gradually enlarged over time to accommodate the number of pilgrims who traveled here from further afield and the complex remained in use until the fourth or fifth century, when the Saxons gained control of the area.
The baths were abandoned when the Romans withdrew from Britain with the complex being excavated from the 1870s onwards. Sited below the current street level, the Great Bath is now open to the sky and visible from the street.
It is an amazing feeling to be walking where so many ancient people trod before you.
From the baths we strolled along the road to the right to Bath Abbey.
The Abbey was founded as a Benedictine Monastery when the Saxons built an abbey on the site and in 973 AD Edgar was crowned the first king of all England. The Normans subsequently rebuilt the church between 1088 and 1122, transferring there the diocese they had founded at Wells. The bishop’s throne returned to Wells in 1206, and there was a long rivalry between the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath, of which the bishop was titular abbot. The diocese is still styled Bath and Wells.
The monks were committed to community life, a rhythm of prayer and welcoming visitors and although the Abbey is now a church it remains devoted to these principles.
It’s worth picking up a leaflet to guide you around the Abbey, to its eleven key points of interest.
To the right of the entrance you will begin your tour at the West window .Completed in 1894 it tells the stories of the first five books of the Bible.
Other highlights include the tomb of Bishop James Montague who requested to be buried here in order to encourage others to support the church.
As well as the 635 memorials that line the walls commemorating people from the 17 and 1800’s.
The fan vaulted ceiling is spectacular and was created by King Henry VII’s master masons.
The Abbey is well worth a visit, if for no other reason to once again tread where ancient feet have trod before you.
Leaving the abbey behind we headed off towards Milsom Street stopping off en route for a coffee and pastry. Our walk then took us past Union Passage and other small lanes of independent shops which are worth browsing en route.
Milsom Street, itself, was built in 1762. The buildings were originally grand town houses, but the majority are now used as shops, offices and banks. Most have three storeys with mansard roofs and Corinthian columns.
Being book readers our main focus was Waterstones which is the largest bookshop in the city. Since opening in the 1980s it boasts the largest range of books in the city with more than 55,000 titles spread across three floors. Being an ideal venue for book events it supports the annual Bath Literature Festival held in May each year.
From here we walk around the corner to the Jane Austen Centre at 40 Gay Street.
Housed in a beautiful Georgian house dating back to between 1735 and 1760 this is definitely the place to visit if, like me, you were enthralled by Jane’s novels when you were a teenager or watched the period dramas and films produced from her works.
The centre focuses upon the five years that Jane spent living and socialising in Bath, where she resided, the places she visited, as well as the locations which feature in her novels inspiring her lively wit and sharp satire.
The tour begins with an aptly dressed host explaining the Austen family tree within which Jane sits with some worthwhile background information on the key members. You are then released into the exhibition itself which includes a short film highlighting the places that Jane lived within Bath. The Souvenir Guide includes the map should you wish to explore these further after your visit.
There are some interesting exhibits including an explanation of monetary income during Jane’s era, a feature that arises many times in her books when various mothers are looking for appropriate suitors for their daughters.
Another highlights the custom of drinking tea and you can book, in advance, to take Afternoon tea in the Regency Tea Room after your visit if you so wish.
I’m not a massive supporter of gift shops when visiting exhibitions, museums etc but I couldn’t not take a wander into this one, choosing to purchase a special copy of “Pride and Prejudice’ as a birthday present to myself.
From the Jane Austen centre we then chose to take an early dinner at a local tapas restaurant -Pintxo which I would definitely recommend before retiring to our BnB for the night.
Thinking my birthday was over for another year I arrived home to a few more cards through the post. Yes I am still of that age where an actual card is the wisher of a “Happy Birthday” rather than just a social media post.
My son was unable to partake in my actual birthday due to work commitments and so invited hubby and I to an Afternoon Picky lunch on Saturday instead. In case you are not familiar with this term ‘a picky tea or lunch” is basically a selection of all those lovely foods, that in normal circumstances perhaps wouldn’t be amassed together since they derive from a variety of countries, but which on a special occasion are just lovely to indulge ourselves.
We love to pick at items such as various types of stuffed olives, crunchy dried broad beans, crostini and pate, small pork pies and slices of Gala pie, sausage rolls, Italian and Spanish deli meats, pitta slices, Greek dips such as humous, taramasalata and tzadziki along with thick slices of olive bread and a few samosas. Basically a variety of foods that can be “picked” at with no regard to country of origin or whether these items should in fact be devoured together.
With a plate laden with goodies it’s just nice to retire to the living room and chat whilst appreciating this wondrous variety of tastes.
Following our lunch my son presented me with his birthday gift. Have you ever had one of those moments when you unwrap a gift and it is so completely unexpected it nearly takes your breathe away? Inside the carefully wrapped gift paper was a published copy of my blog covering the whole of 2023.
My son had done it all. An actual published book which will, forever, live on in our family with every post I had written, including a complete account of everything we had done on our 6 months of travels, with all the photos, accurately compiled with the help of a publishing company, edited by my son within a hardback book cover! The work he must have put in to do this single handed is a gift in itself.
This is a birthday I will never forget x
NB: This is the sixth post in my series about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area in the UK that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out previous posts in this series plus more to come soon.
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think. and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you
A Midlife Adventure 