Bath is a charming city on its own and it makes an excellent base for exploring the area. We spent four nights in Bath and found more than enough to keep us busy. Transportation from London to Bath was easy, trains from Paddington station to Bath spa leave several times a day. Upon arriving in Bath, it was a level walk of about 4-5 blocks to our hotel. The walk was easy to do with our roller bags. If you choose a hotel that is located further away, there were taxis available at the station.

Our first full day in Bath was spent walking around and exploring the city. Bath is very walkable in the central area. If you want to explore a little further, you can choose to do a hop on/hop off bus tour. The central area near our hotel included Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. Tours are available for both of these venues. There was not a wait for the Abbey, and you could walk right in. If you want to tour the Roman Baths, it would be advisable to purchase tickets ahead of your visit. We did not do that and the times that we wanted were not available. Musicians were playing in the Abbey churchyard and there were benches where you could sit and enjoy the music.

The pump room is adjacent to the Roman Baths, and we enjoyed having afternoon tea there. It is a lovely setting with a lot of history.

While staying in Bath, we took a full day tour to Stonehenge, Avebury, and the Cotswolds. We booked a small group tour with Madd Maxx and had a great time. I love doing small group tours that are limited to 12-16 people. It is a great way to learn about the areas that you are visiting, and you are able to ask questions and converse with your guide. It is also a great way to tour if you don’t want to drive yourself to these places. Our first stop was Stonehenge. There is a shuttle from the visitor center to the stones, so you don’t have to walk the access road unless you want to. Our tour arrived in the morning as soon as it opened so we did not have to wait in long lines for the shuttle. Stonehenge is an iconic site, and I liked it better than I thought I would. I could really appreciate the mystical quality as I stood there viewing the stones from different angles.

Our next stop was the village of Avebury. The stones at Avebury are interesting as they seem to be placed along a footpath. No one seems to know the meaning or function of these stones. They are spread out through the village and in the sheep pastures that surround it. There is something surreal about observing the sheep grazing amongst these stones.

This tour also included stops in the villages of Lacock and Castle Coomb where we had time to explore on our own.

Our final day in Bath we rented a car and drove to Somerset to visit the village of Keinton-Mandeville. Our reason for travelling to this village was to visit a church where my ancestors were buried. We enjoyed the drive and stopped for lunch at a local pub after we left the church. If you are interested in exploring this area, Glastonbury and Wells are sights worth visiting. Tim was nervous about driving in Great Britain but once we started out, he felt quite comfortable behind the wheel. One key to success was having a dedicated navigator in the passenger seat to keep an eye on the road and remind him when turning that “right is high and left is low”.