CITY DESTINATION: Bath - From Roman Spa to Cultural Heritage

CITY DESTINATION: Bath—From Roman Spa to Cultural Heritage  

By Jorge Jefferds June 16, 2015

By the valley of the River Avon, more than 2,000 years ago, Romans built several baths, stunned with the curative properties of the water. In this part of England, they settled, calling the new site as “Aquae Sulis”, which literally means “The Water of Sulis,” reverencing the goddess.

The Royal Crescent

Today, the roman settlement is a city called Bath. Located in Somerset, South West England, 97 miles from London, the metropolitan area prides of having about 88,000 residents and the title of Cultural Heritage.

The city’s theatres, museums and other cultural and sporting venues have helped to make it a major center for tourism with more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. There are several museums including the Museum of Bath Architecture, Victoria Art Gallery, Museum of East Asian Art, and the Holburne Museum. 

Victoria Art Gallery

The city has two universities; the University of Bath and Bath Spa University with Bath College providing further education. Sporting clubs include Bath Rugby and Bath City F.C. while TeamBath is the umbrella name for all of the University of Bath sports teams. 

Every meaningful stage of the history of England is represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. In fact, since 2006, with the opening of Thermae Bath Spa, the city has attempted to recapture its historical position as the only town in the United Kingdom offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring waters.

Bath Abbey

There are many Roman archaeological sites throughout the central area of the city, but the baths themselves are about 6 meters (20 ft) below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen, however all the stonework above the level of the baths is from more recent periods.

Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, goldencoloured Bath Stone, and many date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The dominant style of architecture in Central Bath is Georgian; this evolved from the Palladian revival style which became popular in the early 18th century. Many of the prominent architects of the day were employed in the development of the city. The original purpose of much of Bath’s architecture is concealed by the honey-colored classical façades; in an era before the advent of the luxury hotel, these apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or (according to their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be waited on by the house’s communal servants.

Bath Abbey Interiors

The Roman Baths are one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe. Situated six meters below street level, the place offers a range of Roman bathing and leisure facilities along with part of the religious complex. Also, there are displays of Roman and Celtic objects found locally, building models, projected images of Roman characters and costumed Roman characters who like to chat to visitors.

The Pump Room was the original eighteenth century meeting place and for Assemblies. Nowadays it is used as a restaurant and the spa water can be drunk in here. The Roman Baths are open daily, closed 25 and 26 December. The opening hours vary throughout the year, and include late evenings during July and August. 

Entrance to the Roman Baths

For accommodation and food, Bath counts on 300 places – including over 80 hotels, and over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings. Two of the hotels have 'five-star' ratings. There are also two campsites located on the western edge of the city. The city also contains about 100 restaurants, and a similar number of pubs and bars.

The flight to England should, actually, bring you to Bristol Airport. This terminal is about 20 miles from Bath making it the city’s closest airport. It currently serves over 113 destinations worldwide. The A4 Bristol Airport to Bath Bus Service provides a direct link between Bath and Bristol Airport. The service stops at various points in Saltford, Keynsham and South Bristol, operating hourly with the total journey time taking just over an hour.

Alternatively, the Bristol Airport Flyer express coach service will take you from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads train station, where you can catch one of the many frequent train services into Bath. The coach service runs on a regular basis, seven days a week with complete journey time approximately one.

NATURE TRAVEL: Dartmoor National Park - England

NATURE TRAVEL: Dartmoor National Park—England  

By Jorge Jefferds June 13, 2015

Dartmoor National Park's landscape is as dramatic as its weather. From its striking granite tors to steep wooded river valleys and from swathes of heather covered moorland to tucked away villages and hamlets. It is a land of contrasts - some people come to experience the tranquility by getting away from it all, whilst others come to get active.

Dartmoor National Park is located in the south west of England in the county of Devon and is within easy reach of all the main transport links. Actually, the M5 motorway crosses over the park, which is bordered by the A30 and A38 dual-carriageways as well.

Dartmoor is a fabulous place to walk, with over 450 miles of public rights of way. Step back in time when you visit the Ditsworthy area, where Steven Spielberg adapted Michael Morpurgo’s First World War novel “War Horse”. Walk in the footsteps of prehistoric settlers, medieval tinners, rabbit farmers, and the military.

For Spielberg’s movie, Ditsworthy Warren House was used as Albert’s home and many scenes were shot in this area and at other sites in the National Park. As you explore the area you will experience fantastic scenery - lofty tors, the wide open spaces of unspoilt moorland, the upper reaches of the River Plym as it descends to the sea at Plymouth and the remains of human activity dating back to prehistory.

Ditsworthy Warren House

The Dartmoor landscape has long been an inspiration for artists and many have chosen to make the National Park their home. Across the moor, you will find small workshops, artists’ studios and galleries showcasing original artwork.

If you’re not one for walking, you could always go on a foodie trail and explore the delights of Dartmoor this way instead. Starting in the north at Okehampton, you can travel clockwise to the towns and villages in and around the National Park, including Chagford, Moretonhampstead, Bovey Tracey, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Ivybridge, Princetown and Tavistock to find great cafes for morning coffee and cake. There are quaint tea rooms offering the ‘obligatory’ Devon cream tea for the afternoon and you can finish off the day in the cozy atmosphere of a traditional country pub for a hearty evening meal. Once you have savored what is on offer, you will undoubtedly want to buy your own supplies so that you can enjoy them at home- whether this is artisan bread, flavorful local cheese, Dartmoor chilies, or great tasting beef and lamb with a Dartmoor provenance.

Brentor

There are a wealth of activities available to everyone on Dartmoor, from Nordic walking to wild running, horse riding to climbing, cycling to gliding and most things in between.

There are plenty of moorland walks with experienced guides who can show you less accessible parts of the moor, or you can hire a bike and ride across stunning scenery on the Granite & Gears cycle route. Dartmoor has superb locations for bouldering or outdoor climbing with one of the many activity providers. Why not explore the mooron horseback for a different perspective?

During the winter months kayaking and canoeing on the River Dart is an exhilarating way to see the countryside with one of the relevant clubs offering qualified tuition and exciting days out.

Bobey Castle Hotel in Devon

Dartmoor is a fabulous location to experience something a bit different too! Caving, letterboxing, geocaching, navigation courses – there’s quite literally something for everyone.

For those with some problems getting around, Dartmoor can still be accessible by hiring a tramper or enjoying a guided ramble with the Disabled Ramblers.

If you are planning to come and stay on Dartmoor, you may be interested to know of some exciting events that are happening in the surrounding cities of Exeter and Plymouth throughout 2015, so you can plan your visit around these.

Exeter is one of the host cities for the Rugby World Cup 2015- a once in a lifetime opportunity for the city. Join in the Festival of Rugby celebrations (10 June – 31 October) for concerts, carnivals and street parties in and around the city.

The Exeter Fanzone, located in Northernhay Gardens (free entry), will be showing live matches on a big screen and holding a variety of events and entertainment for all the family, plus a range of stalls featuring the best Devon food and drink. For more information, visit www.heartofdevon.com/rugbyworldcup.

Plymouth Events for 2015:

Pirate Weekend, Waterfront (16 -17 May), Sky Ride, Hoe (Sunday 31 May), Lord Mayor’s Day, City Centre (Saturday 6 June), Armed Forces Day, Hoe (Saturday 27 June), Flavour Fest, City Centre (14-16 August), British Fireworks Championships, Hoe (18-19 August), Ocean City Festival, Barbican (7–27 September), Seafood Festival, Barbican (26-27 September), Bonfire Night, Hoe (Thursday 5 November).

Getting to Dartmoor National Park is much easier than you think. There are good mainline train connections to Exeter, Newton Abbot and Plymouth and there is an international airport at Exeter and ferry terminal at Plymouth. Approximate journey times to Dartmoor from Exeter or Plymouth is 30 minutes.

Travelling by car means 40mph maximum speed limit. This has been set up to protect the cattle, sheep and ponies that freely roam the moor and can wander onto the roads at any time. If your intentions are driving a coach or motor home, be aware that some of the roads around Dartmoor are quite narrow and have width and length restrictions. Such condition, certainly, makes them unsuitable for large vehicles such as coaches, motor homes or vehicles towing.

Don’t forget to visit Dartmoor National Park in your next trip to the United Kingdom.