Bath ……
Bath used to be my hometown…… it’s been many years since I called it home, but it still holds me close.
These days, as many of you know, I lead my own tours…. Many of which start or finish in Bath…. But I have to confess that the alluring thing about it is that it sits very gently on a beautiful landscape, right on the edge of the Cotswolds.
In fact the Romans ( who founded it) recognised the seven hills around the city as being spiritually significant…. Just like Rome. The hot springs bubbling out of the mud made it even more interesting and important to them.
But the countryside around it… aaaahhh….it’s sublime!
It’s lush, it’s green, it’s hilly. Small villages dot the landscape and long canal narrow boats criss cross the valleys, creating a beautiful tapestry of colour and sounds.
The buttery stone, used to build the city, is present in the villages and farms in the area… think on that! Buttery yellow walls with the green pastures as a heartwarming and relaxing backdrop. Imagine walking through those fields and stopping for a beautiful lunch in one of the village gastro pubs. Or wandering into the local ‘woollen church’ and chatting to the vicar. Perhaps you’re a gardener and can imagine helping out one of the allotments that are cared for by local people….. imagine
It’s a huggable landscape.
Living in this area also afforded me plenty of opportunity to pay my respects to the pubs and clubs found within the great city of Bristol. Once being one of the great city ports of the world, it has spent the last thirty years undergoing a renaissance…. It’s a beautifully modern city with a vibrancy and a voice of its own. Today, It’s a pleasure to go searching through its old dock lands for a unique and modern restaurant or coffee shop…. A joy! The view from the city’s great suspension bridge at night, is wonderful, and studying the local Georgian architecture, a pleasure.
I keep going back for more of these things….
So why have I managed to keep a foot implanted in this beautiful region??
I love it