Somerset, I even like the name. I stumbled upon it when I was browsing through places to visit and saw a city called Bath. Hmm, Bath... I wonder what that's all about. As I drove through Somerset I could see it's rural and the landscape contains plenty of rolling hills. I didn’t visit them due to lack of time but some of the more prominent names I located on maps were the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park. It isn’t entirely rolling landscape I should mention as there are also vast expanses of land including the Somerset Levels.
Something else interesting I learned is that humans have been here in one form or another since Palaeolithic times, and there is also evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon settlements. Ever heard of King Alfred? Me either but this place was important during the period he evidently consolidated his power and rose to prominence. I saw plenty of farms as I drove to my destination so it's safe to assume that agriculture is a major business in the county.
I finally arrived in Bath, which is in Somerset, England a bit of a drive southwest of London. Still, the countryside is beautiful and the drive seemed rather quick. I located a place to park which was quite near the downtown area, grabbed my camera and off I went. As is the case throughout England everything has a historical feel to it. The entire country, as far as my opinion is concerned gives you a feel of being a part of history or at least walking though it, which you are in fact doing.
The pedestrian ways are narrow and lined with shops offering a variety of wares every tourist can't live without and I ended up purchasing some souvenirs while I was there. I think I walked almost every road, pedestrian way and alley while I was there to get a feel of the place and take a boat load of pictures. It was overcast and a bit drizzly the day I was there but that's typical British weather. I remember when I first arrived and after several weeks of not seeing the sun I asked my British friends what they did with the sun. Overcast and drizzly is normal there and I learned to live with it. Despite it's drawbacks, which every country has, my overall experience was excellent and I would love to go back and explore the entire country.
Back to Bath though.
I did walk over to the Baths and there was a line so I proceeded on to other areas to see what was going on. The place was overrun with tourists from all over the planet.
The architecture is impressive and you feel like you stepped back in time.
The pictures belie the number of tourists as I arrived very early in the morning and walked in areas that are not normally tourist attractions. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I have a tendency to make my way to areas where no foreigners visit to get a feel for the place and Bath was no different.
The crowds did turn up and by mid day the place was packed.
Little shops line every walkway, street and many alleys all with the intention of providing tourists with everything they could possibly need.
I just love the phone booths, mail boxes and taxis and busses as they are so British.
I visited many of the cathedrals while in England and Bath was no different. They are normally huge structures, magnificently designed and constructed. It is amazing how they were able to build such large structure without the equipment and technology we have today. A testament to their creativity and work ethic.
Considering all the wars and armies that rolled over England during the previous centuries it is remarkably well kept and quite a bit of history remains from many of the periods from the past. If you ever have the chance to visit Bath, I highly recommend it.
I wandered around Bath, England for the better part of a day, browsing the shops, stopping in a few restaurants , wandering through the cathedral and many of the historical sites.
I think I mentioned that locating a parking spot was remarkably easy and reasonable considering the exchange rate.
Here is a list of some of the sites I saw while I was there:
HIGH STREET Bath Abbey, The Roman Baths, Sally Lunn’s
GRAND PARADE Guildhall Market, Parade Gardens, Pulteney Bridge
MANVERS STREET Railway Station, Bus Station and Southgate Shopping Centre
GREEN PARK ROAD
AVON STREET Coach Park
AVON STREET Bath City College
WESTGATE BUILDINGS The Thermae Bath Spa
QUEEN SQUARE The Jane Austen Centre, Herschel Museum of Astronomy
ASSEMBLY ROOMS Fashion Museum, Museum of East Asian Art, Bath at Work Museum, Building of Bath Museum
BROCK STREET / THE ROYAL CRESCENT No 1 The Royal Crescent Museum
MARLBOROUGH BUILDINGS.
WESTON ROAD Botanical Gardens
UPPER BRISTOL ROAD Royal Victoria Park with children’s playground
UPPER BRISTOL ROAD Marlborough Lane
ROYAL AVENUE
MILSOM STREET
TERRACE WALK
There is so much to see here as in most other prime tourist areas that one day just will not do it. You could spend easily a week or more visiting everything and if you were thorough, even more.
There are a variety of ways to see the place from bikes, taxis, open top bus, walking or driving yourself. The city proper is full of activity and sights and if you combine all the associated outlying sites surrounding the city you have an amazing array of sites to see and experience.
I did everything on foot or by car as it is my preferred method. I occasionally will use a group tour but as a general I travel by foot so I can get up close and not be dependent on a schedule.
Oh, I did stop by the Jane Austen Center as I’ve read some of her works and it was quite interesting as was the other attractions. It is next to a local park, a short walk from the town center and easy to access.
One thing I especially liked about the area is the rolling landscape and it seemed as if I was walking up and down hills unless I was in the downtown area. The surrounding area is lush and green with rolling terrain and looks to be situated somewhat in a valley as there are ridges evident in the surrounding area. The people were nice as were the other tourists I spoke with as I wandered about and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
I generally sample some of the local food wherever I am so I stopped in a sidewalk cafe and sampled a few things. I tried a bath Oliver and a couple different buns filled with meats and cheeses as well as some drinks. Everything was delicious and reasonable and I recommend you try the local eats if you ever get the chance. Well enough about Bath, on to other sites.
I believe I saw sheep and cattle farms so there is almost certainly wool being sold as well as cheeses (most notably Cheddar). I also saw a few apple orchards and I even think I saw some signs for cider. It looked like a nice rural area and if I had more time I would have wandered around the place more thoroughly but I had a destination in mind.
I went to a Detroit Tigers game on September 11th to watch the tribut to first responders. Take the time and watch all the videos, beginning with video 1. Visit my other Social Media and Travel sites as I develop them.
Wizard of Where
