Weekend in Bath with Travelodge

When you think of cities with celebrated Christmas markets in the UK one of them is bound to be Bath, in Somerset, South West England made famous by Jane Austin and the Roman Baths. With fascinating architecture and history, this City has always been one that I have wanted to visit as an adult – having visited when I was younger with my family. When Travelodge got in touch to offer me the chance to spend 2 nights in one of their Hotels* I jumped at the chance to spend a weekend with my husband in this beautiful City.

It is easy to get to Bath from London – simply jump on a train at Paddington and you arrive just over an hour later at Bath Spa train station – a piece of history in itself having been built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by well known English mechanical and civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and is now a grade II listed building. We had chosen to stay at the Bath Waterside Hotel, a mere 1 mile from the station and within an easy short walk into the City – the perfect location for anyone on a city break like us. The Bath Waterside Hotel is in a beautiful location next to the River Avon and many of the rooms enjoy a room overlooking a small lake complete with weeping willow and wildlife.

On entering our room we were impressed with the simple and tidy room offering everything we needed as a base for exploring Bath – the comfortable king sized bed was beautifully made up and I really liked the matching curtains and bed runner which brought some colour to the otherwise bright white room. The bathroom was a good size and had plenty of surface space for storing our wash-bags and towels. The room included a generous amount of storage with deep drawers and a wardrobe in which to store our clothes and luggage. We also liked the TV in the room which gave us the opportunity to catch up on the news and entertain ourselves on our first evening in Bath, having arrived too late to go out. The buffet-style breakfast of 5 hot items (scrambled egg, grilled tomato, bacon, sausages and beans) with the offer of toast, cereal, fruit and yoghurt set us up for our day out exploring the city.

There are so many things to do in Bath. We decided on a simple schedule including the Bath Abbey, The Roman Baths and I really wanted to visit the infamous Royal Crescent (designed by John Wood jr.)  and the Circus (designed by John Wood snr.), two of the most iconic images of the city with their extraordinary classical Palladian architectural style which the Georgians simply loved. The whole of Bath City is built in this style, even new buildings which all have to be built out of Bath Stone, giving all the buildings a distinctive yellow colour.

Bath Abbey was only a 10 minute or so walk away from the Hotel, across the River Avon and past the train station and is a beautiful Anglican parish church and former Benedictine monastery. The Abbey is one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West of England. We were amazed by the stunning stained glass windows and the impressive organ inside the Abbey and were humbled by the elegant memorials to past inhabitants.

The Roman Baths must be the biggest attraction in the City, with 4 areas to visit: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from the Roman Baths. Now below street level, the Baths entrance is next to the Grand Pump Room a Grade I listed building from the Georgian period where visitors can sample the Bath waters or enjoy an afternoon tea in the restaurant. We spent a good few hours in The Roman Baths learning about the ways of the Romans and walking through the iconic building.

When it comes to eating and drinking Bath has some great options. The bus-station complex by the train station includes a wide range of restaurants under the arches of the train line, including Nandos which we enjoyed on our second evening in the city. There are also a number of supermarkets to pop into if you prefer having a packed lunch.

We really enjoyed our weekend in Bath, thanks to Travelodge, and would recommend the Bath Waterside Hotel for anyone who is looking for a practical base from which to explore the city – perfect for anyone who wants to get up and go.