Three Days in Somerset – Day 1

The beautiful county of Somerset, which is located just over 100 miles from London, can be reached by car (2 hours and 15-30 minutes) or by train with routes to Bath and Bristol, two of the major cities in Somerset, as well as other locations within the county. Somerset has borders on the Bristol Channel, the Severn Estuary as well as the River Avon. Gloucestershire is to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset is south-east and Devon is south-west. To the east, the county lies on the southern edge of the bucolic Cotswolds Hills and on the west is the major scenic area named Exmoor. The county town (seat) is Taunton.

Day 1—Bath is a large, bustling city that got its name from the Roman Baths that have been a mainstay since the Romans first came to the area to stay in AD 42. As the city offers so much, Bath really deserves at least a full day to visit, maybe more, which leads to our recommendation that you might consider staying overnight, perhaps at The Abbey Hotel, which is right in the heart of the city. Besides being convenient to most tourist sites in Bath, as well as the Hop on/Hop off bus, it has a charming atmosphere with its own restaurant.

Half a Sally Lunn Bunn with cinnamon sugar and a slice of orange. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Start your morning with a light breakfast (if any) because the day is going to be filled with opportunities to eat wonderful treats!  Just a short walk from the hotel is the Sally Lund House and Museum which was purchased by Sally Lunn in 1680 and, according to legend, is the oldest house in Bath, dating to 1482.  It is said that Sally was a Huguenot refugee from France who brought with her the recipe for a light, golden bunn (yes, that is how it is spelled on the menu).  The Sally Lunn Bunn was mentioned in a poem by William Preston in 1776 and again in a guidebook written in 1780 on how to “take the waters” in Bath as a detox routine. Charles Dickens also mentioned Sally Lunn Bunns in his novel The Chimes(1844). Today the same Bunn, as offered in the Sally Lunn house, is a delightful, light, golden bunn that is served in a variety of ways, both sweet and savory.  A favorite morning treat is to have a cup of tea and a bunn covered with cinnamon butter and nothing else. Great way to start the day! You can check out their menu at the website. Be sure to visit the Museum and giftshop downstairs that is believed to have been the bakery of the young Sally.

Having filled yourself with a Sally Lunn bunn, just around the corner you will find the Roman Bath Museum.

Roman baths, with Bath Abbey in the background. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Although the Romans had invaded Britain as early as AD 35, they came to stay in AD 42 and remained until the early 5^thcentury. Finding a natural hot spring in the Bath area, they built a magnificent bath and temple area named Aquae Sulis about AD 60. The name refers to the waters of Sulis, a goddess of the Celtic Brythons, the ancient Britons who lived in the area when the Romans arrived. The Romans dedicated the temple to Minerva, the Roman goddess with characteristics closest to Sulis and basically merged the two, making the transition easier for the locals. Because the Fosse way, a Roman road from Exeter on the south coast of Britain to Lincoln, crossed the River Avon at these baths, the area quickly grew into a major town, including a walled city. The Baths fell into disrepair when the Romans left about AD 400, and eventually became “lost” to the locals. The Roman baths were rediscovered in the 18^thcentury. The baths were quickly covered with new construction and became a destination site for English travelers. Many artifacts, including stone carvings, the base of the temple for Sulis/Minerva and a hoard of 30,000 silver coins have been discovered in the area of the baths. Today the Roman Bath Museum is a major attraction and well worth the admission. There is also a lovely tea room called the Pump Room where you can drink water taken directly from the cold spring that also feeds the baths.

Bath Abbey as seen from the Roman baths. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Leaving the museum, walk around the corner to the Bath Abbey which was founded in the 7^th century and today is a working Anglican parish church. Well worth a visit, it boasts beautiful, bright windows and interesting dedication panels on the walls.

From the Abbey, walk north to the Jane Austen Centre and Regency Tea Room . Jane Austen loved Bath and loved going there on her vacations. However, when her father announced he planned to retire and move to Bath, Jane was reported to be morose, telling her father that she loved vacationing in Bath but that didn’t mean she wanted to live there!  Whether or not that account was true, her productivity while living in Bath was significantly reduced, maybe from sadness or maybe from a busy social calendar. The lovely Regency Tea Room, on the top floor of the building, offers a splendid afternoon tea worth considering.  Prominently displayed is a painting of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy which gives one the impression that they are having “Tea with Mr. Darcy.”

Entrance to the Jane Austen Museum and Regency Tea Room ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Just down the street from the Jane Austen Centre is a convenient stop for the Hop-on/Hop-off bus in Bath. Be sure to use the provided headset to listen to the recorded narration along the course of the trip. The bus will take you to The Circus, a beautiful circle of Georgian homes designed by John Wood the Elder. The construction of the large townhouses began in 1754 and was completed in 1768. There are three entrances to The Circus, which has a park in the center, so every road into the Circus has a view of the classical façade of the houses opposite. From The Circus the bus will continue to the Royal Crescent which is a perfect spot to disembark and take time to enjoy the area. Designed by John Wood the Younger, the Crescent was built between 1767 and 1774. The 500-foot crescent of townhomes is breathtaking in aspect from the large park area in front. No.1 Royal Crescent is a museum showing how the homes would have been decorated when the Crescent was first built. Today 10 of the original 30 townhouses are still full townhouses, 18 have been converted to flats (apartments) of various sizes; one is a museum and one is a hotel and spa. The façade, however, remains as it was originally built.

The Royal Crescent, Bath. ©2019 EnglandForAllReasons.com

Return to the bus stop and embark to complete the tour back to the final stop near the River Avon. Walk along the river to see the wonderful way the river has been sculpted by a modern weir as it flows through the center of the town and the Pulteney Bridge nearby. The bridge was built in 1774 to connect Bath to some property owned by the Pulteney family that they wanted to develop. The bridge is known for having shops on it, on both sides. You can see the weir in the River Avon and part of the Pulteney bridge in the image at the top of this article.

From the bridge, walk back toward the Abbey Hotel along the river and enjoy the peace and quiet of the rugby ground and cricket ground, both at riverside. You can finish your day with either a meal in the hotel or at one of the local pubs within walking distance.