Kaiserslautern American
Page 12
January 26, 2024
The GREATest BRITAIN road trip, Part 2: Bath, Roman Spa City
The Royal Crescent, Bath. Photo by Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock.com
Story and photos by Leonie Milde contributing writer for MilitaryInGermany.com In the Summer of 2018, I felt I had seen and written enough (for now) about Germany and the United States and decided it was time for something new. So I packed up a little Mini Countryman and embarked on what I would call the GREATest BRITAIN road trip. A terrible pun for a life-changing experience. Over the course of 3 months and almost 11,000 kilometres, I ate way more beans on toast than any nutritionist would advise you to, climbed way less mountains than I had
anticipated, understood way less than someone fluent in English would expect from an English-speaking nation and fell umbrella over rain boots in love with the people, the culture and, most importantly, the landscape of this magnificent island(s). But isn’t the UK just loud pubs, rain, and vinegary food? Nope! In 7 parts, I will recap my adventure and introduce you to destinations that might not have been on your radar yet but absolutely should be. (The following travel tips do not require dropping everything for 3 whole months, each destination can be explored separately in a week or less.)
Part 2: Bath, Roman Spa City Less than an hour’s drive from Stonehenge lies the UNESCO World Heritage Bath. This quaint university town in the west of England with its Georgian architecture and fantastic culinary opportunities truly had me at hello. You won’t find ugly apartment blocks here like you do in all German university towns, instead, the city is lined with small, honey-colored houses that seem to have jumped straight from a Jane Austen novel. In fact, the author lived in Bath for five years between 1801 and 1806, during which time the city was a thriving spa resort and the highclass society believed it fashionable to frequent it. Turns out, I also thought myself very fashionable
to be wandering around its streets. Jane Austen Center and Tea Room Retrace Austen’s time in the city at the Jane Austen Center and tea room. A short guided is tour followed by a self-guided walk through the exhibition and ends with a fun dress-up opportunity including Mr. Darcy! I suggest concluding your adventure with a classical cream tea (a scone and a pot of tea) in the upstairs tea room where the waiters are dressed in period clothing, the cream is clotted and a basket of bonnets awaits your head for an authentic experience. You can also have a full afternoon tea, which consists of delicious little cakes, finger sandwiches and other delicacies.
Prior Park Landscape Garden The 18th century landscape garden offers a spectacular view over the city on a clear day (it’s England though so we’re back to the not holding our breath for sunshine thing) and opportunities for scenic walks no matter the weather. One of the walks is the famous Bath Skyline Walk, which takes you through forests, over fields with cows, past Sham Castle and back to the very bridge pictured below. The whole thing is about 6 miles but you don’t need to do it all in one day. Bonus: major Jane Austen vibes- I was sure Mr. Darcy would pop out of that mansion any moment. Sadly, he didn’t, but I shall return soon!
The Royal Crescent, Bath. Photo by jimmonkphotography/Shutterstock.com
