A few hours in Bath

As you might have guessed from my previous gift posts, I love Jane Austen.

So when my cousin wanted to go to the University of Bath open day, I jumped at the chance to spend a day in the city!

Bath has been around since Roman times, and since then has been famous for its waters that were meant to be good for the health. Its popularity as a spa town meant that Bath became one of the most fashionable society places in Georgian times, hosting events much like the balls and gatherings in Jane Austen's books.

I had a maximum of about 4 hours to spend in this city, on a Saturday. So as you can imagine, there wasn't much time to queue for the big tourist hot spots, but I hope to give you a bit of a flavour!

Excitingly, we stumbled from the famous Royal Crescent into what turned out to be a record breaking event...

The annual Jane Austen festival!

The people of Bath take this tradition very seriously, and people from the whole county will join in the walk around the city in period dress. The costumes were out of this world!

Bikes and prams were even in keeping with the event:

My favourite? The military outfits.
I do love a man in uniform...

The streets of Bath themselves were so pretty and all made out of the same Bath stone.

The previous history of the buildings is proudly displayed for all to see.

As well as little markets tucked away in corners...

...and wide open squares full of bustling crowds.

The one place I really wanted to see was the old Roman baths. It used to be a public bathing house and over the years some amazing things have been found there. But as you can imagine, on a Saturday during the Jane Austen festival, it was a no-go zone! Instead I took a picture of the outside, as well as the Pump Room restaurant that is right next door:

Finally, as the clock was ticking on, we made our way to Bath Abbey.

I am such a fan of massive cathedrals/abbeys/minsters. They are always full of beauty and have a real sense of peace. Often photos are banned and it can cost money to enter, but thankfully Bath Abbey was neither!

On the way back to the Crescent, I took a quick snap of the Museum at the end of the row as a reminder to visit it next time.

So, who's up for visiting the festival and Bath with me next year?!

x