A Walk in Bath

By KENNETH BAGNELL, QMI Agency

Bath's Famous Royal Crescent is a masterpiece of 1700's architecture (Barbara Bagnell/QMI Agency)

 

 

The splendour of Britain’s famed city, Bath, is on its streets, like The Royal Crescent where our hotel was set.

It’s been called the finest crescent in the world, a sweeping elliptical curve 150 metres long, with 30 adjoining homes, one of which, at its centre, is now the hotel where we stayed. The suite is named for architect John Wood who conceived it in the 1760s.

Bath is a compact city, ideal for the walk we took with Jan Hudson, a member of the highly regarded Blue Badge guides, a witty woman who has lived there for more than a quarter century. We began simply by standing, at one end of the crescent, looking back on it — the sweep of its building and its vast sunlit lawn — a setting so perfect it justifies by itself Bath’s designation as Britain’s only city to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bath is surrounded by hills that provide the stone for its honey-hued buildings, including those we came to first once we walked along Brock St. and entered The Circus, a circular neighbourhood of three crescents, with five-storey palatial houses, and three streets opening upon it. (It was also created by John Wood and finished by his gifted son, also named John.)

The south exit from the circus is Gay St., which leads to Queen Square. At 40 Gay St. is a Georgian townhouse commemorating Bath’s most famous resident, Jane Austen, who lived there for five years while writing her first novels in the early 1800s. (We returned later for a detailed tour and a conversation with Martin Salter, its much photographed greeter.)

We were heading to the city centre, site of much Bath history, but before reaching it we came to Milsom St., an impressive broad avenue with many upscale shops. It’s voted the best shopping street in all of Britain which provoked wry comment from Hudson: “With your credit card handy you can go broke here without turning a corner.”

In a few minutes we were at Bath’s heart, its ancient and world-famous Roman Bath, and nearby its soaring Bath Abbey.

The Bath — which we’d later revisit to enjoy soothing waters containing over 40 minerals — is both reason for Bath’s name, and its long devotion to “taking the waters” for health and pleasure.

In the early 1700s, The Bath was presided over by legendary Richard “Beau” Nash, a gifted dandy, whose pursuit of worldly joys, according to Jan, helped inspire religious reformer John Wesley to say: “If the devil lives anywhere, he lives in Bath.”

Maybe it’s fitting that a minute away on foot from the Roman Bath is a world famous medieval house of worship, Bath Abbey. It’s been there for over a thousand years and even in this era of Christianity’s institutional decline has six services every Sunday.

Inside, you’ll see symbols of the faith of a Bishop of the seventh century: Angels climbing a ladder to heaven. But its most striking feature is a fan-vaulted ceiling, lending the old abbey a deeply inspiring atmosphere. Activities are also held at the abbey including recent lectures on faith in the workplace and a Christian approach to environmental issues.

The ending to our walk was ideal: At the shore of the gentle Avon River. We stood above it at Pulteney Bridge, a great spot to look out over contented boaters slipping by, grateful they’re in a city where history and beauty meet in such compatible and accessible ways. All are best enjoyed on foot.

Bottom Line

We reached Bath using a Britrail pass giving four days travel in a one-month period. Inquire at ACPRail.com acprail.com. The Royal Crescent Hotel, a member of esteemed Relais & Chateaux, has fine staff and a superb restaurant, Dower House, set on spacious, beautiful back gardens. Cuisine and service are great. For more information, see visitbath.co.uk.