Explorer Day Out To Bath

To really know and experience a city is by taking a walking tour of the city...
Bath is considered the world's most perfect Georgian city. Moreover its a very compact city - the city centre being only a mile in diameter, making it very easy to walk around...So when I found the London Walk's explorer day to BATH I knew this was not to be given a miss...especially since it was on a Saturday!
Incidentally, Bath is England's second most popular visitor destination after London!!!

After a week of rain and drizzle, Saturday was a nice and bright day...and on top of that a brilliant guide like Richard...it was like the icing on the cake...

We started our walk along the Avon River then over the Pulteney Bridge. Designed by Robert Adam it is one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides. The space in the columns of the bridge was also not wasted and the shops had the storerooms there...

From there as we walked along, Richard pointed out several sites and gave us a quick rundown on the history of Bath. All buildings are made of beautiful cream-colored limestone.

Finally we reached The Circus...It is one of the architectural beauties of Bath...Imagine a circle divided into 3 segments of 33 townhouses with a wide road in front and the centre is a beautiful lawn with trees...Its classical Palladian architecture and the inspiration came from the Roman Colosseum, but whereas the Colosseum was designed to be seen from the outside, the Circus faces inwardly.
There are 3 floors in each house and we can see three columns each of which is of a different classical order - Greek Doric, Roman/Composite and Corinthian. The frieze of the Doric section is decorated with alternating triglyphs and 525 pictorial emblems. The parapet is adorned with stone acorns. There is a story behind the acorns - Bladud was a prince who was banished from court on account of his leprosy. He settled on the outskirts Bath and became a swineherd. He used to take his pigs to a place where hot spring water combined with earth to form an area of warm mud, in which the pigs loved to wallow. However, Bladud observed that pigs that went into the mud with skin diseases came out cured, so he decided to try the mud as a remedy for his leprosy. The cure was successful and since pigs eat acorns we see the acorns here...ahha hahhha...
A house here recently sold for 7 million pounds...whew...its is considered one of the poshest areas to stay in England...

A short walk and we reached The Royal Crescent - 30 homes connected in a graceful arch. Servants lived in the top floor, with kitchens in the basement, and they would haul in water from an outdoor pump in the park in front.

The Circus and The Royal Crescent when viewed from the air appear like a giant circle and crescent, symbolising the sun and moon.

Bath's most famous resident is Jane Austen and 2 of her books - Persuasion and Northanger Abbey are largely set here and several of her other books reference life in Bath. We walked the Gravel Path, which finds mention in her books as we moved back towards the city centre.


Break for lunch where we decided to try the famous Lunn Bath Buns...and we were not disappointed...my Cinnamon Butter bun was absolutely divine...

Post Lunch we were to meet in the city centre, which has an ancient church, the Bath Abbey. Abbey Church Yard, in front of the church has lovely views of the church façade, the Roman Bath Museum and the Pump Rooms all around. Comfortable benches provide a good vantage to watch the street performers.
It was our lucky day cause as we waited for Richard to get the tickets for the Roman Baths Museum we saw Morris dancers. A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. The dancers may also wield implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs.
Bath's as been designated as a World Heritage Site...its heritage is the world famous Roman Baths. Romans invaded England for a short period before they decided to return to defend Italy. They discovered England's only hot spring and built a magnificent temple and baths around it that still flow with natural hot water.
A museum has been built on the site, incorporating many of the original Roman structures and artefacts that reveal how civilized Bath's citizens were 2,000 years ago.
They had 2 audio tours - one was the normal one and some of the sites had an option for a children's audio guide featuring Roman characters and their stories. Richard recommended the latter and I found it to be quite entertaining...
Our last stop was a view of the Sham Castle - a view as Ralph Allen would have from his town house...its a sham coz there is no castle...it has only a front view and there is no construction at the back...since Mr Allen liked to show off...